"Can we swap shirts?" Wes Morgan asked Kenneth after the match ended.
"Of course, no problem." Kenneth took off his shirt and handed it to Morgan. Morgan also gave his shirt to Kenneth.
Wes Morgan glanced at the shirt and said, "I'll keep this shirt safe. You know, I have a feeling you'll become a great player. When that time comes, I might sell it for a high price."
"In that case, I'll work even harder so you can sell it for an even higher price," Kenneth replied.
"Yeah, work hard."
Kenneth headed to the dressing room, but before he could change, Ruben Cousillas came in.
"Come on, you should attend the post-match conference."
"Me?" Kenneth asked, surprised.
"Of course, you're the star today," Ruben said with a smile.
Kenneth then made his way to the press conference room and sat beside Pellegrini. Shortly after, Nigel Pearson and Leicester captain Wes Morgan arrived, and the press conference began.
The first question came from TalkSport, directed at Pellegrini.
"Kenneth Lee was outstanding today, wasn't he?"
Pellegrini replied, "He's such a good player who makes a difference every time he plays."
Moments later, Leicester was asked whether they felt confident about avoiding relegation this season.
A few moments later, a reporter from The Daily Mail asked another question about Kenneth.
"You played Kenneth Lee as a defensive midfielder and then switched him to a striker. What was the reasoning behind that tactical decision?"
Pellegrini calmly explained, "I believe he could play there. He's a versatile player. We've tried him in many positions, and he always delivers."
Leicester City was asked a few more questions before the focus shifted back to Pellegrini.
"Do you have confidence in overtaking Chelsea?"
"Anything can happen. There are still many matches left, so we can't draw any conclusions yet."
A reporter from *The Sun* then asked about the Champions League.
"Two days from now, there will be the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw. Is there any team you'd prefer to face?"
"No, all the teams that qualified for the group stage are strong. We'll do our best against whoever we face."
"Does that mean you're not confident about the Round of 16?" The journalist from The Sun pressed on, trying to create a headline like "Pellegrini pessimistic ahead of UCL Round of 16."
"Next question," Pellegrini said, ignoring the The Sun journalist.
The Mirror, which had previously written an article about Kenneth, posed a question.
"I'd like to ask Kenneth Lee: you scored two goals in this match and also scored against Everton. What's your secret?"
Kenneth leaned closer to the microphone. "I think I've been lucky to score those goals, and my teammates have helped me a lot in the process. I'm truly grateful to them for trusting and supporting me on the pitch."
Kenneth and Pellegrini answered a few more questions before the press conference concluded.
After it ended, the Manchester City squad returned to the hotel they had booked and stayed the night. The following day, they traveled back to Manchester.
After Matchday 16, Chelsea remained at the top of the table with 39 points, recording 12 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss.
Manchester City was in second place with 36 points, also with 11 wins, 3 draws, and 2 loss.
On December 14, Manchester United beat Liverpool 3-0, moving up to third place with 31 points.
In fourth to seventh places were West Ham with 28 points, Southampton and Arsenal with 26 points each, and Tottenham with 24 points.
The title race seems to be between Chelsea and Manchester City.
On December 15, Manchester City's young players gathered to watch the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw.
Since City had finished second in their group, they were set to face a seeded team, one that topped its group. According to the rules, they couldn't face Chelsea because they were from the same league, nor Bayern Munich because they had been in the same group.
Based on this, City's potential opponents were Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Monaco, Borussia Dortmund, and Porto.
Maffeo shared his opinion: "Alright, lads, let's be real here. I say bring on Real Madrid or Barcelona. Imagine the statement we'd make! We're a top team; we should be facing the best."
Adarabioyo looked at Maffeo in disbelief. "Are you mad? Madrid or Barcelona? No way, that's the quickest way to get knocked out! We don't have the experience to take them on yet. A smaller club, like Basel or Porto, would be a much better draw."
"I'd actually hope for Dortmund," Kenneth chimed in. "Not too strong, not too weak. Beating them would give us a bit of confidence for the next round and build some solid momentum."
Kenneth secretly hoped the draw would turn out differently, but deep down, he felt City were destined to face Barcelona.
"Momentum, shmementum! What's the point of qualifying for the knockout stage if we're scared of facing big clubs?" Maffeo, once again, displayed his arrogance.
Kenneth narrowed his eyes and asked, "You just want to see a Spanish team play at the Etihad, don't you?"
Maffeo chuckled quietly. As a Spaniard, of course, he wanted to see Messi or Ronaldo play live.
The draw began.
Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain were drawn together again, a repeat of their 2013-14 quarterfinals encounter. Chelsea had narrowly advanced the previous season on away goals, setting the stage for another heated clash.
Meanwhile, Arsène Wenger's Arsenal would face his former club, Monaco. Juventus would meet Dortmund, a rematch of the 1997 Champions League final.
Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid, two disciplined teams known for their structured playing styles, were also drawn against each other.
The room was tense. City's remaining potential opponents were Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Porto. Facing Bayern at this stage was impossible.
Then the name "Real Madrid" appeared on the paper, soon followed by "Schalke."
"Porto! Porto!" Adarabioyo exclaimed, hoping they would face the Portuguese side.
It felt strange for a club without a Champions League trophy to desire a match against Porto, but that was the reality. City felt more confident against Porto than Barcelona.
Next to him, Maffeo shouted, "Barcelona! Barcelona!"
Bayern Munich were drawn against Shakhtar Donetsk. After that, Porto's name appeared.
Gianni Infantino then drew another name. The paper read "Basel." The two teams many big clubs had hoped to face would instead play each other. This left Manchester City to face Barcelona.
"Yeeaaah! Barcelona!" Maffeo was the only one celebrating. Even Pozo, who was also Spanish, looked disappointed with the draw.
Kenneth shook his head. History hadn't changed.
The next day, English media analyzed the Round of 16 draw, with most outlets already writing off Manchester City. The MSN trio—Messi, Suarez, and Neymar—who had dominated Spanish football, were deemed too much for City, especially given their poor group stage results.
Meanwhile, Chelsea's victory over PSG the previous season led the media to believe Chelsea could overcome the Parisians once again. Arsenal were also favored to defeat Monaco.
The media predicted the eight teams to advance would be Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, Chelsea, Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Porto.
Contrary to the media's pessimism, Pellegrini told reporters that while Barcelona was a strong team, the outcome was unpredictable until the games were played. He urged his players not to step onto the pitch with a defeatist mindset.