chapter 247: Breaking the Premier League's Fastest Four-Goal Record, Arsenal Slaughtered!
After the match against Hull City, the busy schedule finally came to a pause.
The Manchester City players were given some rare time off.
The club organized a party to celebrate their victory in the League Cup.
Due to the previously hectic schedule, there hadn't been time to celebrate, so they took advantage of the break in matches to make up for it.
Although the League Cup isn't the most prestigious trophy, for Manchester City, aiming for a 'treble,' it was a good start.
Moreover, they had successfully made it to the Champions League quarter-finals, creating a piece of club history.
So, the big boss Mansour was very pleased and generously awarded each player a championship bonus.
Lin Quan received one million pounds, a typical gesture from the Middle Eastern tycoon.
In addition to the bonus, Mansour also prepared many prizes for the players, the most valuable being a luxury Aston Martin sports car worth over a million pounds.
Unfortunately, Lin Quan wasn't lucky enough to win the top prize; he drew the third prize, a luxury home entertainment system package worth 50,000 pounds.
The package included speakers, a home KTV audio system, karaoke equipment, a song selector, and an all-in-one home cinema setup.
It also came with two automatic massage chairs, allowing him to enjoy movies at home without needing to go out.
After the raffle, Lin Quan declined his teammates' invitation to go clubbing.
Instead of spending time at nightclubs, he preferred to study their opponents in the Champions League.
Everyone said that Barcelona was unbeatable, but Lin Quan remembered that this year, Barcelona had fallen at the feet of Atletico Madrid.
If Simeone's Atletico could defeat Barcelona, there was no reason Manchester City couldn't!
After watching match recordings at home for two days, Lin Quan gained a deeper understanding of Barcelona's capabilities.
Compared to the peak Barcelona of a few seasons ago, Barcelona's strength had significantly declined.
Although Neymar's arrival had enhanced the team's attacking capabilities on the wings,
The aging squad, particularly the declining form of midfield maestro Xavi, greatly affected Barcelona.
Moreover, Messi's form directly determined Barcelona's limits.
This season, Barcelona had started strong but gradually declined, with many doubting Martino's management.
However, they proved everyone wrong with a streak of eight consecutive wins.
But after Messi's injury, Barcelona's performance became inconsistent, and they started to fall behind Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
Currently, Barcelona is third in La Liga, four points behind leaders Atletico and one point behind second-place Real Madrid.
Their next match is an away game against Real Madrid, and in the last round, they will face the leaders Atletico at home.
These two matches are crucial; losing either could mean missing out on this season's La Liga title.
Thus, the pressure in the league is greater for Barcelona, and the toll is heavier.
In contrast, Manchester City, currently with an eight-point lead, has a much larger margin for error.
During the Champions League, they could even afford to strategically forfeit the match against Arsenal and focus all their efforts on the game against Barcelona at Camp Nou.
From the current situation of both teams, Manchester City seems to be in a favorable position.
The reason why Premier League teams perform poorly in European competitions is mainly due to the drag of domestic leagues.
If they can secure a significant lead early and minimize domestic distractions, they can perform well in European competitions.
However, they must not be complacent; after all, it's Camp Nou, where Barcelona has exceptional strength.
There's a team called 'Little Paris' that had a four-goal lead but was overturned by Barcelona at Camp Nou...
... On March 22nd, the 31st round of the Premier League kicked off.
Manchester City returned to their home ground to face Fulham. Due to a red card, both Pellegrini and captain Kompany were in the stands.
The team was led by assistant coach Kusias.
Actually, he hardly needed to direct anything; the Manchester City players settled the match in just 30 minutes.
Just three minutes into the game, Lin Quan scored with a stunning long-range shot, opening the record.
Since the opposition had tightened their defense inside the box, Lin Quan had increased his attempts at long-range shots.
His shooting was powerful and accurate, making such fast, tricky long-range attempts difficult for goalkeepers to defend.
Seeing Lin Quan attempting frequent long-range shots, Fulham's defenders had to step up, leaving no chance for him.
However, when they did step out, that left space in the box.
Thus, Lin Quan quickly changed tactics, shifting from long-range shots outside the box to breaking into the box to shoot.
Caught off-guard by this switch, Fulham's defense struggled, and in the 18th minute of the first half, after Lin Quan had bypassed defender Amorebieta, who lost his defensive position, the latter, in a moment of desperation, tripped Lin Quan from behind.
The chief referee, Webb, keenly observed the situation and immediately blew the whistle, giving the opponent a yellow card and also awarding a penalty kick to Manchester City.
Lin Quan personally took the penalty and easily scored, changing the score to 2:0. Just five minutes later, Lin Quan repeated his trick, pretending to shoot from outside the penalty area to draw the opponent in, and then dribbled the ball back into the box.
Poor Amorebieta was outplayed by Lin Quan again! He was already carrying a yellow card and should have been more cautious.
However, for reasons unknown, he recklessly tripped Lin Quan from behind again.
After the foul, Amorebieta looked pitifully at the stern-faced referee approaching him, almost ready to kneel down.
Webb, impartial as always, pulled a yellow card from his back pocket, gave it to him, and then pulled a red card from his front pocket—two yellows make a red—sending him off the field.
"You fouled right in front of me, using the exact same method as last time; it's a blatant disregard for my authority!" Lin Quan once again stood at the penalty spot.
The goalkeeper was extremely nervous; it was only 23 minutes into the game, and his opponent was about to score a hat trick!
He vaguely remembered that the record for the fastest hat trick in the Premier League was also about 20 minutes. Could it be that this record was about to be broken?
If that were the case, wouldn't he just become a background figure? The more he thought about it, the more nervous he became! Lin Quan, noticing the goalkeeper's nervousness, specifically aimed at the bottom right corner of the goal, making it seem like he would shoot in that direction.
The goalkeeper fell for it and dived in that direction as Lin Quan shot.
However, after he made his move, he was shocked to find that the ball flew over his body and into the net!
It was a panenka penalty!
After scoring, Lin Quan ran to the corner flag, jumped up, and punched the air in celebration.
As the goals increased, Lin Quan's stock of celebration moves seemed to be running out.
His recent celebrations had become more perfunctory, and fans joked that they were of "neighborhood quality."
It seemed that Aguero, who used to celebrate well, was also affected during this period and became less enthusiastic in his celebrations.
"Lin, Manchester City's number 10, completed a hat trick in just 23 minutes, nearly equalling Dwight Yorke's record for the fastest hat trick in the Premier League in 2001. Unfortunately, they were just a minute apart!" Commentator Martin Taylor said regretfully.
Witnessing the birth of a new record is always exciting, and they were just a minute away from such a history today.
"Haha, no worries, there's still a lot of game time left. Although he can't break the record for the fastest hat trick, Lin Quan might aim for the fastest poker!" Andy Gray was more optimistic, sensing that Lin Quan could score more today.
"Haha, that's true. Let me introduce to the viewers watching live, Lin Quan has already scored a terrifying total of 43 goals this Premier League season, breaking Alan Shearer's 18-year-old record for most goals in a single Premier League season."
To give the audience a sense of how impressive this stat is, Martin Taylor added, "In the entire Premier League, there are only six teams that have scored more goals than Lin Quan!"
Andy Gray, astonished, exclaimed, "That's terrifying! It feels like Lin Quan has scored more in one season than I did in my entire career!"
Martin Taylor chuckled, "Not really, but Lin has completed six hat tricks and one poker, indeed more than your entire career."
Andy Gray, clutching his chest, joked, "Hey, buddy, that's a bit harsh!"
... On the field, Lin Quan was unaware that he almost broke the Premier League record.
But even if he knew, he probably wouldn't care much.
Since he started his professional career, breaking records had become commonplace for him.
With the team leading by three goals and the opponent down to ten men, the game had no more suspense. Not every team could be like Manchester City, who could still dominate and score six goals even with one less player.
If Fulham had that capability, they would have been contenders for the championship and not languishing at the bottom of the Premier League.
After completing his hat trick, Lin Quan played even more as a team player.
But sometimes luck is unstoppable!
In the 33rd minute of the first half, in a semi-breakaway, Lin Quan passed the ball to Aguero, who was in a better position, hoping to assist his teammate in scoring.
Aguero's shot, aiming for precision, hit the crossbar and bounced on the goal line, then back into play.
The ball did not completely cross the line, so the referee did not award a goal.
The opposing goalkeeper made a mistake, rashly moving out but failing to intercept the ball.
The ball flew towards Lin Quan, who was running forward, preparing to take a follow-up shot.
The result was unexpected; the football bounced off him and into the goal.
This...
Seeing the ball fly into the net, Lin Quan and the opposing goalkeeper were dumbfounded.
Can this count?
He looked at the referee, who didn't care how the ball went in as long as it wasn't a foul. Even if you used your butt to score, it would count!
So he blew the whistle immediately, pointing to the center circle, indicating that the goal was valid.
Well, Lin Quan completed a poker in this bewildering manner, breaking the Premier League's historical record for the fastest poker by a player.
"Sometimes, victory requires a bit of luck, even when breaking records!"
Seeing this goal, Martin Taylor was ecstatic.
Lin Quan's luck was incredible; with so many people on the pitch, why did the ball hit him instead of someone else?
That's just luck!
But Aguero was a bit frustrated!
That was my goal! I should have aimed for a less extreme angle!
"Akun, don't be disheartened. Run well later, and I'll pass one to you!" Lin Quan comforted Aguero upon seeing his dismayed expression.
"Okay!"
Aguero knew Lin Quan's ability. Hearing him say that, his expression immediately turned from gloomy to joyful.
Lin Quan didn't break his promise. In the 41st minute of the first half, he received a through ball from De Bruyne, successfully broke through, and selflessly passed the ball to Aguero when facing the goalkeeper's charge.
He could have taken the shot himself, but Lin Quan chose to pass.
This time, Aguero didn't waste his excellent pass; he easily slotted the ball into the empty net, helping the team in the next game.
Manchester City led 5-0 at home!
With a significant lead, Manchester City made substitutions in the second half. Lin Quan and David Silva sat directly on the bench without playing, and Kroos was also substituted in the 70th minute.
Manchester City replaced three key players. In normal circumstances, this might have been an opportunity for the opposing team to counterattack and perhaps score a goal against Manchester City.
However, Fulham was utterly demoralized and couldn't organize effective counterattacks.
In the end, Manchester City won 5-0 at home against Fulham, with 77 points in one fewer match, getting closer to their second championship trophy.
The focus of this round was the match at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea hosted Arsenal.
With their habitual collapse in March, Arsenal had dropped to fourth place in the standings, with a considerable gap from the top.
Currently, they only had 63 points, leading Everton in fifth place by only 6 points.
If Wenger's team lost a few more matches, they might not even secure a spot in the Champions League qualifiers.
However, Arsenal faced a tough match this time against Mourinho's team, who were aiming for the Premier League title!
They were now eight points behind Manchester City, and if they wanted to keep their title hopes alive, they couldn't afford to lose a single game.
Moreover, in the last round, Chelsea suffered from unfair refereeing decisions, turning Mourinho's team into a group of aggrieved soldiers, filled with anger.
In this situation, Arsenal, who weren't good at tough matches, came knocking, and...
They were beaten 6-0 by the Blues!
This was the most disparate score between Premier League giants this season.
Chelsea, often criticized for their lack of attacking prowess, played with complete abandon at Stamford Bridge.
Just 5 minutes into the game, Eto'o scored.
In the 7th minute, Eto'o scored again.
Hazard scored in the 17th minute, and Oscar scored in the 42nd minute.
By halftime, Chelsea led Arsenal 4-0.
Wenger's team completely collapsed at Stamford Bridge, unable to organize attacks or defend.
In desperation, Gibbs even received a straight red card for a foul and was sent off.
Now, not only did they lose, but they also lost a player.
Mourinho's team knew the importance of taking advantage of a weakened opponent.
They continued to press in the second half, and in the 66th minute, Oscar scored again.
In the 71st minute, Salah, who came on as a substitute, scored just four minutes after coming on, scoring his first goal for Chelsea since joining.
In the end, the Blues thrashed Arsenal 6-0 at Stamford Bridge.
After the comprehensive victory over Arsenal, Chelsea maintained an eight-point gap with Manchester City.
However, with another round of the league passed, the gap remained unchanged, which meant Chelsea's hopes of winning the title were becoming increasingly slim!
(End of this chapter)
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