The Champions League quarterfinals were scheduled for April, giving Chelsea a month to prepare. But first, they had to face Manchester United in the FA Cup quarterfinals. If they could win that match and advance to the semifinals, they'd be able to shift their focus entirely to the league for a while.
After the draw, Chelsea secured a 2-0 victory over West Ham in the league, extending their unbeaten run in the Premier League to 27 matches. Their points tally reached 79, putting them 8 points clear of Manchester City, who had played one game less.
Su Luo continued his stellar form, contributing a goal and an assist, bringing his personal Premier League goal tally to 53—a new record high.
Despite these achievements, the upcoming FA Cup match against Manchester United was crucial. However, the team had been stretched thin recently, and Conte needed to make some adjustments to the lineup.
Lukaku, exhausted from recent matches, would start on the bench. Midfield maestro Kanté was sidelined with a minor muscle strain, expected to be out for two weeks. Zouma, unfortunately, suffered another injury and had hardly played a full season. Azpilicueta was rotated out due to fatigue, so Conte decided to call upon the veteran, John Terry, to step in.
For this match against Manchester United, Gary Cahill, Rudiger, and John Terry would start as the three central defenders. Matic and Fabregas would anchor the midfield, with Loftus-Cheek providing additional support. Chalobah and Moses would serve as wingbacks, though Chalobah had been somewhat misplaced by Conte. Upfront, Su Luo would partner with Pedro, forming a combination of speed and precision.
When Mourinho saw this rather unconventional 3-5-2 lineup, he furrowed his brow, clearly concerned. But his own lineup was no less peculiar. Eric Bailly, who had been a key signing, was frequently injured and had barely played. The three-man defense would consist of Phil Jones, Smalling, and Rojo. Valencia and Darmian would play as wingbacks, with Herrera and Pogba in central midfield. With injuries to key forwards and Rooney resting, Mourinho had to start the veteran Ashley Young alongside Ibrahimovic and Mkhitaryan.
The FA Cup quarterfinal was shaping up to be a battle of bench strength and squad depth, with both sides struggling with injuries and fatigue.
Before the match, the two managers exchanged pleasantries, shaking hands on the sidelines. However, Mourinho couldn't resist taking a jab.
"Are you sure it's wise to play Su Luo in every match? The schedule's pretty tight," Mourinho remarked casually, hoping to get under Conte's skin.
"Are you trying to teach me how to manage my team?" Conte replied with a frown. He knew the risks, but with Chelsea competing on multiple fronts, he had no choice but to rely heavily on Su Luo.
Abramovich had spent €155 million to bring Su Luo to Chelsea; winning just one league title wouldn't be enough. Conte needed multiple trophies, and that meant pushing Su Luo to the limit.
"Hey, no offense," Mourinho grinned mischievously and quickly walked away. He had achieved his goal—planting a seed of doubt in Conte's mind. If he could disrupt Conte's plans, it might just give Manchester United an edge.
As the referee's whistle signaled the start of the match, it was clear that both teams were feeling the effects of fatigue. The game began slowly, with neither side pressing high or attacking with much intensity. Instead, they focused on keeping their defenses tight, making for a somewhat dull first half.
Meanwhile, in Berlin, night had fallen. Anya, who had returned to campus, was gradually transitioning from a patient who needed sympathy to a regular girl. Her hair had grown back, and she no longer needed to wear a hat. She was naturally pretty and had made quite a few friends.
On the weekend, Anya was invited to a party by her classmates. Several girls dressed up and headed to a friend's house. While some teenagers drank beer and had fun, others found quiet corners to chat.
Anya, still a bit socially anxious, found a secluded spot and pulled out her phone to watch Su Luo's FA Cup match. However, a classmate noticed and sneered, "Why are you watching that boring match? Come join us!"
"Yeah, don't just sit there, Anya. Come have some fun!" another girl chimed in.
Anya felt embarrassed. All she wanted was to enjoy the game in peace, but it seemed even that was too much to ask. Just then, Kara, the popular girl of the school, approached her.
"Hey! Is that Su Luo you're watching? Anya, are you a fan of his too?" Kara asked, her eyes lighting up.
Anya nodded awkwardly. She wanted to explain that her father was the president of the Iron League Fans Association and a die-hard fan.
"Wait a minute!" Kara suddenly exclaimed, looking at Anya closely. "Aren't you the girl who scored that goal? Su Luo personally assisted you!"
The realization sparked a flurry of whispers among the other students.
"Is that her? The girl who had cancer? Didn't she, you know... pass away?"
"Shhh! Keep it down and don't talk nonsense," someone cautioned.
Anya was indeed well-known in Berlin. She was the brave little girl who had fought cancer and had been embraced by Union Berlin, who helped her fulfill her dream of scoring a goal. Though Dortmund had played along, the moment was still a dream come true for countless fans.
After the incident, the media covered it extensively, and it left a strong impression on the students present. However, Anya had always worn a hat before and was small and frail. Now that she was eating better, her hair had grown out, and she looked quite different.
Noticing Anya's discomfort, Carla kindly changed the subject to divert everyone's attention.
"By the way, there's a FA Cup match today with Su Luo playing. I really want to watch it. I'm sure everyone here is a Union Berlin fan. If you want to watch the game, come to the living room. We'll watch it on the projector."
"Anya, come with me," Carla said, taking Anya's arm affectionately.
Anya was naturally excited to watch the game on a big screen. Seeing this, many of the other students, who were initially hesitant, couldn't resist joining in. The party's theme quickly shifted to a football viewing party.
Soon, Su Luo appeared on the big screen!
He was wearing a blue jersey, which looked a bit unfamiliar to everyone, but his style of play was unmistakable.
Even those students who weren't interested at first were now fully engrossed in the match.
After about thirty minutes, Manchester United finally couldn't hold back and began pressing Chelsea.
Ashley Young and Mkhitaryan's crosses were consistently finding Ibrahimovic, putting Chelsea's defense under pressure.
"Ashley Young!! That's a perfect cross!!"
"Ibrahimovic goes for a bicycle kick!!"
"Oh oh oh...!"
The students watching couldn't help but exclaim in excitement!
At 36 years old, Ibrahimovic was still as vigorous as ever! Fortunately, despite the stylish attempt, the shot lacked power and was easily caught by Courtois.
Courtois quickly threw the ball to start a counterattack. Fabregas received it and back-heeled it to Matic.
Loftus-Cheek moved up, drawing Matic's attention, while Herrera stayed on Su Luo, and Pogba approached Loftus-Cheek, clearly underestimating the young player.
However, in a split second, Loftus-Cheek executed a deft flick, leaving Pogba bewildered as the ball slipped past him cleanly!
"Beautiful! Loftus-Cheek's footwork is impressive!"
Standing at 191 cm, Loftus-Cheek's footwork was extraordinary.
With the play developing dangerously, Su Luo shifted to the wing, forcing Herrera to give chase.
Calmly, Loftus-Cheek waited for Herrera to close in before passing the ball to Su Luo on the right.
As Su Luo took the ball, the camera zoomed in, and the excitement among the fans surged.
The Ballon d'Or winner remained composed as he faced off against Argentina's international, Marcos Rojo.
With a quick stepover and a shoulder drop, Su Luo feigned a move.
"Don't even think about it!"
Rojo anticipated Su Luo's direction and quickly moved to block the baseline. But in a stunning display of skill, Su Luo feinted right and then pulled the ball back with a flick of his heel!
"Amazing footwork! Su Luo's trademark move! He's into the box!!"
Rojo was left completely off-balance, almost doing the splits as Su Luo surged past him.
Now inside the penalty area, Su Luo faced a pincer movement from Smalling and De Gea.
Despite the pressure, Su Luo's muscle memory kicked in, recalling countless hours spent practicing his moves.
Using a calm oxtail flick, he found his way into a perfect position in front of the goal!
With his head down, Su Luo accelerated and cut inside, drawing Smalling into a desperate slide tackle.
But Su Luo had anticipated this; he braked just in time, nudged the ball back with his heel, spun around, and left Smalling trailing.
"Su Luo's footwork is dazzling!"
De Gea was completely outwitted, unable to react as Su Luo calmly slotted the ball into the top corner!
"Goooooooal!! What a spectacular solo effort!"
"Su Luo single-handedly dismantled Manchester United's entire defense!"
"They said his form had dipped recently, but this goal proves that Su Luo is still the magician we know! He's still the superhero captain of Huaxia!"
The commentator's voice echoed through the stereo, but it was drowned out by the excited cheers of the students watching the game!
Carla and Anya hugged each other, screaming in excitement.
"Did you see that? He's incredible!"
"As expected of Su Luo, that was thrilling!"
Even though it was Chelsea that scored and not Union Berlin, everyone still saw Su Luo as one of their own, cheering passionately for his goal.
Chelsea 1:0 Manchester United.
On the sidelines, Mourinho angrily slammed a bottle of water.
"Damn it! Is there no one in the world who can stop him?"
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