"clang!"
With a crisp, loud thud, the ball struck the crossbar. Due to the immense force, it bounced back and landed right at Xhaka's feet as he ran back. Xhaka immediately turned around, and before he had even finished turning, he kicked the ball, passing it to Ramsey on the right wing.
After receiving the ball, Ramsey adjusted his position and passed it from the right flank directly to the left flank, specifically to find Lin Hao.
Lin Hao ran to the ball's landing point, stood on the sideline, jumped up, and chested the ball down. This ball-controlling posture also indicated that the pass was actually a bit off and not very accurate, but for such a long pass, especially during a counter-attack, it was already quite good.
The price Lin Hao paid for stopping the ball like that was that it delayed him, allowing Dalot to reach him.
Lin Hao reacted extremely quickly, touching the ball before it even hit the ground. He first moved to his left before passing it back with his right foot.
This is because when Dalot runs back, he runs in his own baseline direction, which is to Lin Hao's current left. When Dalot reaches Lin Hao's position and just slows down, if Lin Hao moves in the direction he was moving forward, Dalot can only start again, and then Lin Hao can instantly turn back.
Dalot is completely gone. Trying to change course now has resulted in Dalot's current state, lying on the ground.
Lin Hao dribbled past Dalot and ran diagonally towards the penalty area from the sideline. Due to the speed of the counterattack, Manchester United's defense was not stable at all.
With only Smalling on the field, Smalling could only try to block Lin Hao's passing lanes first. When Lin Hao got close, Smalling would come to him, but his body would also be close to the passing lane to prevent Lin Hao from passing the ball.
By the time other defenders returned to help, it was too late.
Lin Hao never even considered passing the ball. He used a series of rhythmic feints to shake off Smalling, then took a shot and scored.
The greatest truths are the simplest.
Lin Hao's goals in the past were all very fancy, but this time, it was just a simple feint and a shot. It was a very conventional way to score in a one-on-one situation. Although many people can't do that, it was indeed a conventional method.
The ball went into the net, and Lin Hao ran to the sidelines, smiling as he gently touched his face. At that moment, the fans still didn't know what he meant.
Rashford's face was already very gloomy and ugly.
In the 87th minute of the match, Manchester United continued their relentless attack in the final moments, making a last-ditch effort, constantly pressing high up the pitch and pushing forward, and even managed to get a second ball.
Until the 78th minute of the match, after two or three consecutive passes in the Arsenal midfield, the ball was passed to Aubameyang, who was back to goal. Aubameyang twisted his body and delivered a through ball.
Lin Hao took the ball and made a powerful run; he had no choice but to make a powerful run. Although Lin Hao's speed is not as good as Bale's or Mbappe's, he is still quite fast. Manchester United's defenders definitely cannot catch up with him, and since Lin Hao started first, it was even more impossible.
Lin Hao dribbled the ball all the way to Manchester United's goal, then went one-on-one with goalkeeper De Gea, using a series of feints to get past De Gea before scoring the decisive goal.
Four to two!
There's no suspense anymore; Arsenal won this round of high-profile matches. Although their ranking remains unchanged, they've widened the gap between themselves and the team behind them.
Lin Hao scored twice, becoming the MVP of the entire match.
The victorious team thanked the away fans who had traveled to the stadium, while Manchester United, playing at home, had no intention of thanking their fans and returned to the locker room looking dejected.
But one person didn't move: Rashford. He stood in the center circle, somewhat hesitant.
Lin Hao stood on the other side watching him, cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "If you don't dare, then forget it, you piece of trash! You don't even have the courage to accept defeat!"
"Shut up!" Rashford, enraged, slapped himself three times across the face and ran back to the locker room.
To put it nicely, it was a beating; to put it bluntly, it was just three pats. But that's nothing, since Lin Hao had given his instructions beforehand.
The fans were completely baffled. What was going on?
Then they remembered Lin Hao's celebration during the match.
I think there might be some connection between them.
In the post-match interview, Lin Hao, as the MVP, explained Rashford's behavior.
At that moment, every Manchester United fan felt their face burning.
Some agitated self-media outlets even resorted to cursing, saying, "It's so shameful! What are you betting with them on?"
Do you have that ability?
Have you thought about the consequences? Slapping yourself three times in front of your own fans, have you no shame? You're making your fans lose face too.
This incident did indeed spark a huge controversy after the match; Manchester United fans felt ashamed, while Arsenal fans felt relieved.
Lin Hao is now considered to have gained the approval of most Arsenal fans, after all, his performance has helped them gain many more points.
Then, in the sixteenth round of the Premier League, they faced Huddersfield Town. Logically, this match shouldn't have been a problem. What kind of team is Huddersfield? A relegation-threatened team.
But the game dragged on until the very end, with Lin Hao finally assisting Aubameyang for the winning goal.
But anyone could see that Lin Hao's final pass was a desperate, haphazard one.
They then won 1-0 against Qarabag in the Europa League.
Back in the league, Arsenal suffered a shock 2-3 defeat to Southampton.
Then came the crucial battle!
In the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, the North London derby was replayed, and Lin Hao stole the show in the last North London derby.
This time, Tottenham came with an unwavering determination to win.
The match was played at Arsenal's home ground, the Emirates Stadium.
Tottenham, playing away, took the initiative in the 20th minute when Asia's top player scored.
The game remained deadlocked until the 58th minute of the second half, when Harry Kane came on as a substitute.
Sixty minutes later, Lin Hao came on as a substitute, and the two sides were about to go all out.
But some people in the know couldn't help but laugh at this substitution. For example, one commentator from China said, "Hey! This is interesting. Tottenham made a substitution, and Arsenal made one too. It looks like the two sides are about to have a real showdown!"
"But upon closer reflection, this is interesting. Tottenham was conserving their strength for the league and cup competitions. After all, the League Cup isn't very prestigious. Kane was able to rest for half the game, and they were still leading. They brought him on to try and take the victory!"
"As for Arsenal, they have nothing but Lin Hao, so they won't let him start. The coaching staff just wants to save face. Everyone says that the players look down on Lin Hao, this unorthodox player!"
"Aren't they the same? They don't want to admit that they won because of a self-taught player. They don't want to admit that the tactics they train every day and rack their brains to come up with are actually useless and can't win games!"