Chapter 384: Gerrard Explodes, Manchester City Revives Their Title Hopes!
Barcelona, FC Barcelona Club
After defeating Real Madrid 3-0 at home, Barcelona's coach, Luis Enrique, was brimming with confidence. Enrique believed that with such a significant advantage, there was no way Real Madrid could overturn the deficit in the return leg. Consequently, his focus shifted towards studying his potential opponent in the final.
"In the other match, Manchester City defeated Bayern. Although their two-goal lead is not as substantial as ours, as long as Guardiola doesn't make any foolish mistakes, Bayern's chances are slim. It's highly likely that Manchester City will advance to the final!" Enrique thought to himself.
The thought of facing Guardiola in the final excited Enrique. When Guardiola was at Barcelona, Enrique was merely coaching the B team, nowhere near Guardiola's status. But in just three years, Enrique had risen to a similar level and was on the brink of achieving comparable success.
When Enrique took over as Barcelona's head coach, many, especially the fans, were skeptical. Some even thought he wouldn't last long and would soon be fired. Other fans longed for the club to bring Guardiola back, which deeply hurt Enrique and fueled his desire to prove himself. He was determined to show the world that he was not inferior to Guardiola.
"If I can lead Barcelona to victory over Manchester City in the final, the fans will recognize that I'm better than Guardiola. That will secure my position at Barcelona. Like Guardiola, I will become a renowned top-tier coach!" Enrique mused.
Enrique's coaching resume wasn't impressive. He had only coached four teams: Barcelona B, AS Roma in Serie A, Celta de Vigo in La Liga, and now Barcelona. Compared to world-class coaches, he lacked honors. At his age, both Guardiola and Mourinho had already won two Champions League titles, while Enrique hadn't won any league titles.
To join the ranks of top-tier coaches, Enrique knew he couldn't rely solely on slowly accumulating honors and trophies. He needed to directly defeat top coaches, using his current powerful Barcelona team to bolster his confidence.
"With Messi, Neymar, and Suarez, who can stop Barcelona?" "Guardiola, don't disappoint me. I'll be waiting for you in Berlin!"
Manchester City's Carrington Training Ground
Meanwhile, at Manchester City's Carrington Training Ground, Guardiola sneezed while giving tactical instructions to his players.
"Coach, are you okay?" a concerned player asked, worried about the coach's health.
Guardiola reassured them, "I'm fine. It's just some dust."
The second leg of the Champions League semi-final was scheduled for May 14. Before that, they had a league match to play. Fortunately, the next match was at home against Queens Park Rangers, who were already relegated. Given their weak opposition, Guardiola decided to give his main players some rest and allow younger players more game time.
May 10, Premier League, Round 36
Before this round, Chelsea was leading Manchester City by a single point. With no room for error, Manchester City had an opportunity to overtake them.
At 5 PM, Manchester City faced Queens Park Rangers. Despite not fielding all their main players, City, led by Lin Quan, dominated the match. Lin Quan scored in the fourth minute, followed by goals from Jovetić in the 12th minute, and additional goals from Lin Quan and De Bruyne in the 18th and 32nd minutes. By halftime, the match was essentially decided.
In the second half, Lin Quan and De Bruyne were substituted, but even the substitutes managed to score two more goals against the demoralized opponents.
Eventually, Manchester City effortlessly defeated their opponent 6-0 at home. After securing this victory, the players didn't leave but instead stayed in the locker room to watch another critical match.
As soon as Manchester City's game ended, the Chelsea vs. Liverpool match began. Chelsea's last two opponents were West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland, both of which were weak teams unlikely to pose a threat. Therefore, the match against Liverpool was likely to determine the Premier League champion.
Chelsea was well aware of the importance of this match. Mourinho fielded the strongest lineup he could muster, and Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, was present in the stands to cheer for his team. Stamford Bridge was packed with Chelsea fans, their deafening cheers turning the famous stadium into a gladiatorial arena, invigorating Chelsea's players and intimidating their opponents.
With this overwhelming support, Chelsea launched an aggressive attack on Liverpool right from the start. Hazard, Diego Costa, Fabregas, Mikel, and Willian took turns attacking Liverpool's goal, finally scoring in the 5th minute through a corner kick headed in by Terry. The early goal sent Chelsea fans into a frenzy.
"Liverpool are so fragile! How did they concede so quickly?" The Manchester City players in the locker room were disappointed, having hoped Liverpool could challenge Chelsea. It seemed Liverpool couldn't handle the task.
"Stamford Bridge is already hard to conquer. Now, falling behind within the first five minutes, Liverpool has a tough road ahead!"
"If Chelsea keeps this momentum, Liverpool might crumble under their attack."
"Will the Reds be slaughtered by the Blues?"
"If Chelsea wins, we'll have to watch them lift the trophy!"
The Manchester City locker room was filled with sighs of frustration. The players seemed to have given up hope on Liverpool, except for Lin Quan.
"Don't worry. Liverpool is resilient. They won't go down easily. The game has just started; there's plenty of time for them to come back!" Lin Quan said, calmly watching the TV. The camera focused on a player wearing the number 8 red jersey – Liverpool's captain, Steven Gerrard.
Gerrard silently walked back to his goal, picked up the ball from the net, and rallied his teammates, signaling them to return to their positions and continue fighting. Gerrard was leaving Liverpool at the end of the summer; this was one of his last three matches for the club. He didn't want to leave with any regrets. He wanted to pass on Liverpool's never-give-up spirit. Chelsea was strong, but Liverpool wouldn't be defeated so easily. One goal wasn't enough to break Liverpool's spirit.
Encouraged by their captain, Liverpool's players quickly recovered from the early setback. They were reminded that they were Liverpool players, a team that never gives up, not even when trailing by three goals at halftime against AC Milan in Istanbul. One goal was nothing to them; it was far from over.
The game restarted, and Chelsea fans expected their team to continue dominating and secure a comfortable victory. However, the situation on the pitch surprised them. Liverpool's players didn't crumble; instead, they fought back with renewed vigor, running, pressing, and tackling fiercely.
Their aggressive style unsettled Chelsea's players, who were frequently fouled and knocked off the ball. In just nine minutes, three Liverpool players received yellow cards for fouls. Chelsea's players were caught off guard, intimidated by Liverpool's intensity. It felt like they were the away team, not the home team.
By the time Chelsea composed themselves and withstood Liverpool's fierce pressing and attacks, there was little time left in the first half. Although they failed to extend their lead, they hadn't conceded either. As the first half neared its end, Chelsea's players started to relax, eager to get to halftime.
However, just as they let their guard down, Liverpool launched a counterattack. Gerrard, outside the penalty area, unleashed one of his trademark long-range shots, piercing Chelsea's goal. Courtois, still in his diving position, turned to look in disbelief at the ball in the net.
Stamford Bridge fell silent. The scoreboard now showed 1-1, with Gerrard's goal coming right at the 45th minute. Chelsea had held their lead for almost 40 minutes, only to be equalized just before halftime. Suddenly, Manchester City's hopes of winning the title were revived.