Chapter 604: Long Run and Conquering Anfield!
"Liverpool with a front-field press—beautiful!"
"Salah! He's on the ball and charging forward!"
"He dribbles past Laporte, cuts inside, shoots… goal!"
The commentator in the CCTV studio, broadcasting the game live, was full of praise after seeing Liverpool score.
"That was a brilliant goal by Salah, especially the dribble past the defender. It had a bit of a Lin Quan vibe!"
"Exactly, Laporte was completely beaten!" agreed the co-commentator.
"But most of the credit should go to Milner. If he hadn't timed his tackle perfectly and quickly passed to Salah to set up this attack, there wouldn't have been a goal!"
On the field, after scoring, Salah pointed back toward Milner, clearly indicating to everyone who was the key player behind that goal.
The Liverpool fans in the stands were ecstatic, first chanting Salah's name, and then breaking into song for Milner.
Milner had been at Liverpool for years, always giving his best for the team, and had long since earned the fans' respect. But his performance today, especially against his former club, made the fans even more thrilled.
Man City really does produce useful players!
On the sidelines, Klopp celebrated wildly, pumping his fists. This goal came at just the right time, instantly shifting the game's momentum, which had been gradually turning against Liverpool.
With this lead, Liverpool's players would feel more confident in their game plan.
Meanwhile, for Manchester City, conceding this goal might throw their tactics off balance, making it harder for them to calmly organize their attack.
Of course, just one goal isn't enough. Against a strong team like City, Liverpool needed to extend their lead as much as possible to avoid a comeback in the second leg.
Liverpool knew all too well how dangerous City could be when pushed to the limit—after all, they had once witnessed City come back from 1-4 to draw. A one-goal lead was anything but secure.
On Manchester City's bench, Pep Guardiola remained expressionless after Liverpool's goal, as if he had expected it all along.
But beneath the surface, he was frustrated. Glancing at the clock, it was only 20 minutes in.
Liverpool's players were still full of energy, and with the boost from that goal, their attacking pressure would only increase.
As Guardiola predicted, Salah's goal was a huge morale boost for Liverpool.
Their players pressed harder, ran faster, and were more aggressive in their tackles.
Under Liverpool's intense pressing, City's formation was forced to retreat. Otherwise, the gaps between their lines would be too large, leaving them vulnerable to Liverpool's attacks.
But by retreating, City allowed Liverpool's full-backs to push forward.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, who had performed well in the previous match, continued his excellent form today.
In the 25th minute of the first half, he dribbled down the wing and sent in a cross.
The cross was high-quality, and with two Liverpool players lurking in the box, it caused significant trouble for City's defense.
Fortunately for City, their goalkeeper Ederson was tall and skilled at dealing with high balls.
He read the trajectory of the cross perfectly, rushed out, and snatched the ball from above the heads of Liverpool's players, preventing a dangerous header.
City dodged a bullet!
After catching the ball, Ederson noticed a lot of open space on the right flank and immediately threw the ball with force to exploit it.
On the sideline, Guardiola frowned slightly at Ederson's decision.
In the previous match, Ederson had made a similar rushed pass, only to gift the ball directly to Salah, leading to a goal.
Seeing him act so hastily again made Guardiola anxious, worried that Ederson might repeat the same mistake.
Thankfully, this time, Ederson was more careful. He had scanned the field before throwing the ball and was confident there wouldn't be a costly error.
David Silva, noticing the ball coming his way, took a few steps back to receive it.
But out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Liverpool's left-back Robertson charging towards him.
If Silva just received the ball as planned, Robertson would quickly pressure him, preventing him from turning and forcing him to pass backward.
With most of Liverpool's players in City's half, a backward pass would only invite immediate pressure, possibly leading to multiple Liverpool players surrounding the ball.
And with City still in their own half, losing possession here could lead to a second goal.
With that in mind, Silva decided to keep the ball on his feet and delay things on the wing, giving his teammates time to get into position. Then, he'd try to kick the ball out of bounds off a Liverpool player, keeping possession for City and avoiding a dangerous counterattack.
However, just as he prepared to execute this plan, he noticed a blue shirt approaching quickly.
Although he didn't have time to identify the player, Silva immediately guessed who it was.
Without hesitation, he changed his approach and jumped up to head the ball before Robertson could close him down, flicking it towards a teammate.
That teammate was none other than City's captain, wearing the number 10 shirt: Lin Quan!
Before Ederson had thrown the ball, Lin Quan had already spotted the huge open space on the right flank and moved there, hoping to find an opportunity.
He knew Ederson well—this was a keeper who loved to exploit opportunities to launch counterattacks. If there was an opening, Ederson would never miss it.
Lin Quan had guessed right.
Originally, he had intended to play a simple one-two with Silva, but after seeing Liverpool's full-back pushing up, he changed his mind.
He saw an opportunity to tear through Liverpool's defense!
If Oxlade-Chamberlain could dribble from his own half to City's penalty box in the previous game, there was no reason Lin Quan, already closer to the halfway line, couldn't do the same.
"Stop him!"
Seeing who had received the ball, Liverpool's retreating players started to panic.
None of them knew when Lin Quan had slipped into that position. The defenders tasked with marking him had been too caught up in Liverpool's attack, completely ignoring the player who posed the biggest threat.
Now, only two men stood between Lin Quan and Liverpool's goal: their defender Lovren and goalkeeper Karius.
Could these two stop Lin Quan, arguably the best attacker in the Premier League and maybe the world?
In a word: No!
As Milner shouted, "Stop him!" he was already sprinting back at full speed.
But Lin Quan, having received Silva's pass, immediately accelerated.
Dribbling along the halfway line, he moved toward the retreating Lovren.
The Croatian defender was sweating profusely, feeling the intense pressure of facing such a renowned player.
Lovren didn't dare rush in, knowing Lin Quan's reputation for easily beating defenders who lunged at him.
Lin Quan's foot speed, agility, and realistic feints made him a nightmare for anyone to defend against.
Lovren knew he had to stay patient, wait for support from his teammates, and avoid getting beaten one-on-one.
Lovren, with a clear mind, kept retreating, praying for his teammates to get back in position.
Since Virgil van Dijk's rise to fame at Manchester City, many defenders had studied and tried to replicate his backpedaling defensive style.
To be fair, some experts had concluded that van Dijk's method was the best way to handle players like Lin Quan and Messi.
Don't rush in recklessly; avoid being easily beaten.
Maintain your position and block the attacker's path inside.
Keep a reasonable distance and steadily reduce the opponent's space.
Then, when the attacker tries to force their way through, use physical strength and positioning to break their rhythm, allowing your keeper or teammates to recover possession.
Experts loved this strategy, and even van Dijk himself admitted it was a smart approach.
But this strategy wasn't for everyone.
Van Dijk had impeccable positioning, excellent physical strength, and elite anticipation and tackling skills.
These abilities allowed him to successfully employ such a defensive tactic.
If you were missing even one of those attributes, this approach wouldn't work for you.
Lovren, for example, looked fine for the first ten meters of his retreat.
But after backpedaling for a while, he realized something was wrong.
Glancing behind him, his heart sank. He had almost retreated all the way to the edge of the penalty box!
He couldn't retreat any further. Once inside the box, he wouldn't even be able to foul without risking a penalty, making it nearly impossible to stop Lin Quan.
So, Lovren stopped backpedaling and, with a sense of doomed bravery, lunged at Lin Quan.
At worst, he'd pick up a yellow card—he was prepared to foul if necessary to stop him.
Lovren's plan seemed solid, but there was just one problem: Lin Quan wasn't about to give him the chance.
As soon as Lovren made his move, Lin Quan simply shifted the ball to the side and easily dodged past him, using Lovren's body as a shield. At the same time, Lin Quan quickly fired a shot.
The shot was so sudden that the goalkeeper hadn't expected Lin Quan to pull off such a strike at such high speed.
Moreover, one of his own defenders blocked the keeper's line of sight, delaying his reaction.
By the time Lin Quan struck the ball, the keeper had just started to jump.
But by then, it was too late.
The ball whizzed past him and into the net!
The score was now 1-1. Lin Quan had used his exceptional individual skill to level the game with a long solo run.
The smiles on the Liverpool fans' faces disappeared, transferring instead to the Manchester City supporters.
City's traveling fans were now grinning as widely as possible, eager to rub it in the faces of the Liverpool faithful.
Though the score was tied at 1-1, it was actually more favorable for City.
They were playing away, and an away goal was incredibly valuable.
If the two legs ended in a draw, City could advance to the semifinals thanks to the away goal rule!
On the sidelines, Guardiola was equally ecstatic after Lin Quan's stunning goal.
He clenched his fists tightly and spun around in excitement, turning to the City fans and raising his arms, urging them to cheer louder.
The City fans responded enthusiastically, trying to make as much noise as possible.
But the Liverpool fans weren't about to let that happen at Anfield.
In response to Guardiola, they unleashed a deafening wall of boos.
The boos were so loud that they completely drowned out the cheers of the three thousand City fans and even startled some of City's celebrating players.
Hmm, they're already booing? Just wait. We're only getting started!
Thinking about the tactical plan their coach had laid out for the second half, the City players exchanged knowing smiles, their expressions especially bright.
Liverpool loves to press high and run a lot, right?
Well, let's see how much they enjoy running when they can't stop!
Lin Quan's equalizer had dealt a huge blow to Liverpool's morale.
They had just taken the lead and were gearing up to push for a second goal, but City had capitalized on the open space in Liverpool's half, hitting them with a swift counterattack.
This left Liverpool feeling frustrated. After all, scoring a goal against City had been incredibly tough, but their opponents had equalized with just one counterattack. Some Liverpool players were starting to question everything.
What was the point of all their hard work in attack?
With their spirits dampened, Liverpool couldn't pose a threat to City's goal for the next ten minutes.
Meanwhile, City regained their composure and began to dominate the midfield battle again.
Having adapted to Liverpool's intense pressing, City's players were now able to calmly play their usual possession game, even under pressure.
The smoother City's passing became, the more pressure it put on Liverpool's defense, and the fewer chances Liverpool had to attack.
This had Klopp frowning on the sidelines. He realized that things couldn't go on like this—Liverpool needed to score and regain control of the match!
(End of the Chapter)