Chapter 334: Substitute Hat Trick, Breaking the Fastest Premier League Record
Public opinion, whether positive or negative, does not affect Manchester City's preparation. Having won the championship last year, they approach this season's Champions League with a calm mindset. It's too early to talk about defending the title as the group stages haven't even started yet. This year, Manchester City will compete across four fronts: domestic league, cup competitions, the Champions League, and the Club World Cup. More competitions not only spread their focus thinner but also place higher demands on their stamina and form.
To avoid the near-collapse under the strain of multi-front battles experienced last year, Coach Pellegrini decided to rotate the squad early, ensuring each player gets adequate rest. On August 30th, the third round of the Premier League kicked off, with Manchester City hosting Stoke City at home. Given the modest strength of the opposition, Pellegrini made several changes to the starting lineup. He left main players like Lin Huang, Aguero, Kroos, Fernandinho, and Zabaleta on the bench. This bold move seated half of last season's championship heroes on the bench.
The starting lineup included newcomers like Van Dijk, Sagna, and Fernando. Additionally, Jovetic, who saw limited action last season, was in the starting lineup after Negredo's transfer, gaining more favor from the coach. Pellegrini's strategy was to use a mix of reserves and starters against weaker teams like Stoke City, fostering the growth of younger players through real-game experience. With the season potentially reaching close to 70 matches, using the main squad for all games would wear them out. Hence, this season, City's reserves needed to step up and alleviate the pressure on the starters.
However, such an approach carried risks. The difference in strength between the reserves and the starters was significant, especially Lin Huang's replacement. No suitable substitute for Lin Huang could be found within the entire squad or even across the top European leagues. The only player comparable in style to him was Messi. But Manchester City could not possibly buy Messi to substitute Lin Huang; that would be excessively extravagant. Even if they entertained the idea, Barcelona would not sell him, and Messi would not condescend to be a substitute.
Lin Huang felt he did not need a substitute anyway. His stamina was fine, and he was not prone to injuries, capable of maintaining full attendance in games. Once the match began, City's players, though many were reserves, played with great enthusiasm. After all, they were part of the treble-winning team and faced a lower-ranked league opponent confidently.
However, reality struck a hard blow. Throughout the first half, Manchester City constantly attempted to launch attacks, but their efforts remained fruitless, with Stoke City's goal unbreached. At the start of the second half, using a counterattack, Stoke City broke the deadlock and scored against Manchester City.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart was particularly frustrated. The goal was exquisitely executed, leaving him no chance but to watch the ball hit the net. With the arrival of Navas, voted the best goalkeeper in La Liga, Hart's position as the starting goalkeeper was under severe threat. In his first two matches for City, Navas had demonstrated his worth, which would have been perfect if not for a Zabaleta own goal in the previous game. The competition from Navas put immense pressure on Hart. Eager to prove himself in this rare starting opportunity, he was unfortunate to face a "wonder goal" by the opposition's forward.
The substitute bench, including Lin Huang, felt some sympathy for Hart. In the fan circles, there was a famous saying: "Being Harted with a kick!" Hart seemed cursed to always be the backdrop in highlight reels. Despite his abilities, which Lin Huang, a teammate familiar with Hart's capabilities from internal training, could attest to, Hart's luck was simply poor. His misfortune made him a frequent feature in soccer memes, earning him the title of the ultimate "background king."
Pellegrini cursed quietly after the goal. He did not blame Hart; it wasn't his fault. But falling behind right after the second half started was unsettling. He had intended for the reserves to get more game time to enhance their skills and maintain better form, not to lead the team to a loss and create a psychological shadow of defeat. Especially a home defeat was unacceptable for City.
Thinking quickly, Pellegrini did not hesitate to call Lin Huang and Kroos to warm up, preparing them to enter the game. Although many key players were not on the field, this did not affect the home fans from cheering for their team. However, seeing their team dominate yet fail to score in the first half, only for the opponent to succeed in their single counterattack, was incredibly disheartening.
Fortunately, the sight of Pellegrini making substitutions lifted the spirits of the City fans. Everything seemed hopeful with Lin Huang entering the game. "I don't know why, but seeing Lin Huang come on makes me instantly relieved!" "Yes, this sense of security is really comforting!" "Now that you mention it, even though we dominated the first half, there was a sense of unease because Lin Huang wasn't there!"
In the 55th minute, Lin Huang and Kroos were both subbed into the game. The Etihad Stadium erupted in applause for them, anticipating a robust comeback. The duo did not disappoint. After their entry, City's attack immediately looked more threatening. Kroos controlled the midfield pace and frequently set up the forwards with precise passes. Lin Huang, with his linking play, maneuvered through the opposition's defense to find their weak spots.
Stoke City, a mid-to-lower table team, did not have the individual quality to withstand such pressure. Soon, their defensive vulnerabilities were exposed. In the 69th minute, Lin Huang, near the edge of the box, drew multiple defenders and chipped the ball through to De Bruyne, who threaded a pass to Jovetic in the box, leading to a goal.
Manchester City evened the score! Although this goal was neither scored by Lin Huang nor assisted by him, at least half of the credit for the goal should go to him. Without his exceptional dribbling and breakthrough abilities drawing the defenders' attention in the front, Jovetic wouldn't have had such a clear shot. Of course, the pass from De Bruyne was also beautiful, and he wasn't selfish either. When Lin initially passed the ball to him, De Bruyne could have gone for goal himself.
After the goal, Lin approached De Bruyne to high-five in celebration. "Nice pass!" "Your pass was pretty good too!" They laughed together, putting their arms around each other's shoulders, and joined their teammate to celebrate the goal! Stoke City players felt helpless. After taking the lead, they had fantasized about walking away with a win from the Etihad Stadium. Defeating Manchester City would have given them substantial bragging rights, especially since they would have beaten the reigning treble winners. However, Jovetic's goal shattered their dream. Now that the score was tied and the opposition's starters were back on the field, just the sight of Manchester City's number 10 was enough to discourage them from attacking. Teams that try to go toe-to-toe with Manchester City usually end up badly beaten.
So, instead of dreaming about taking all three points, they focused on trying to hold on for a draw. For an underdog like Stoke City, recognizing reality and giving up unrealistic dreams is commendable. Yet, they seemed not to fully grasp it. Even carrying a point away from the Etihad Stadium is a tough task! After equalizing, Manchester City's players instantly felt much more relaxed. The fear of losing dissipated, and the return of their key players gave them unparalleled security. Influenced by these factors, their performance on the field improved, becoming more confident and composed.
In the 82nd minute, Manchester City displayed dazzling teamwork in the front. After several consecutive passes, Stoke City's defense was disrupted. De Bruyne quickly seized the opportunity and sent a low through pass aimed behind the opposing defenders. Lin and De Bruyne had been playing together for over two years and understood each other exceptionally well. Sensing where De Bruyne was looking, Lin immediately grasped his intent. He feigned a retreat but then suddenly cut back, shaking off Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross.
Ryan, being over 1.9 meters tall, lacked the agility of a smaller player like Lin. As Lin dashed away, Ryan hurriedly turned to chase. But by the time he had turned around, Lin had already gained a meter's lead, received the ball, and was charging into the penalty area. Stoke City's goalkeeper, Begovic, internally cursed his defenders: a bunch of sieves, is that how you mark someone? In the end, it's up to me. If I can block Lin's shot, maybe I can...
Lin glanced at him, noticed the goalkeeper's legs were apart, and deftly kicked the ball through. Begovic felt a chill as he instinctively tried to close his knees to stop the ball, but he was too slow. The ball had already passed between his legs and rolled into the net. Begovic's dream of stopping Lin ended abruptly with that cold splash of reality. Stopping Lin's one-on-one was not as easy as it seemed. Many goalkeepers before him had tried and failed to do so.
Lin's goal turned the score to 2:1, with Manchester City reversing the game against Stoke City. Seeing their team score two goals in just over ten minutes to complete the turnaround, the tens of thousands of Manchester City fans at the scene waved their scarves and shouted Lin's name, giving the warmest applause and cheers to their hero. Indeed, as long as Lin was on the field, they could comfortably enjoy the game. The Stoke City players were devastated; in just thirteen minutes, their nearly secured victory had slipped away. Now they were not only missing out on three points but couldn't even secure one.
Unwilling to accept this outcome, they launched a fierce attack on Manchester City in the final stages, trying to alter the score. It seemed they thought, "We're already behind, we have nothing to lose." Continuing to concede wouldn't change the loss, but if they could score another goal, maybe they could salvage a precious point. The idea was good, but the outcome was not favorable. As Stoke City threw caution to the wind, Manchester City's offensive threat increased. With less stringent marking or multiple players on him, Lin's threat in the front increased significantly.
In the 85th minute, after bypassing the defenders, Lin pushed a shot to the far corner, scoring his second goal of the match. That wasn't all; in the 89th minute, just as regular time was about to end, Lin received a pass from David Silva and curled in his third goal of the game. This hat trick, achieved in just 7 minutes after coming off the bench, broke the record for the fastest hat trick in Premier League history, previously set by Manchester United's Dwight Yorke in 2001. What's more terrifying is that Lin set this record as a substitute! Considering this, it's a record that may be very hard for any other player to break.
Of course, there are even more extraordinary feats in football. For instance, another substitute once scored five goals within just nine minutes. If one hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't believe how it happened… (End of Chapter)