Chapter 43

With Owen's goal, Chelsea tenaciously tied the score to 2-2! The Stamford Bridge stadium erupted like an explosion, with deafening cheers that lasted for a long time! As Gowanian waved lightly to the stands, the stadium erupted again with thunderous applause.

Because they knew that Gowanian was waving to the club owner, Roman Abramovich. The harmonious relationship between the owner and the head coach was the driving force behind the club's progress, especially for Gowanian's team... which seemed invincible!

Leading 2-0 in the first half, the score was leveled after more than 20 minutes in the second half. The distance from heaven to earth, for Tottenham, took no more than 20 minutes.

English fans are the most passionate in the world, which indirectly fueled the atmosphere of the entire Premier League. The night at Stamford Bridge, painted by Chelsea's perfect second-half performance, resembled a blazing furnace, with players and coaches brimming with fighting spirit!

After the restart, the fans gave Chelsea the greatest motivation and assistance to take the lead. Every time a Tottenham player touched the ball, it was met with a mountain of boos from the stands. And every time a Chelsea player touched the ball, it was greeted with thunderous cheers, even when they lost possession, the fans would applaud to encourage them.

Over time, even the experienced Tottenham manager, Santini, could not tolerate such frenzied booing and continuously protested to the fourth official. But the referee could do nothing; it was their home ground, and they could cheer as they pleased. What could he do?

The boos and cheers alternated with the change of possession, like two opposing air currents surging onto the pitch. Chelsea players felt only warmth, while Tottenham players... felt only desolation and sorrow!

Because, as expected, Chelsea's third goal came without any surprise.

This goal could only be described with one word: "twists and turns."

Tottenham launched a counterattack with a quick throw-in. Simon Davies sent a cross from the wing, finding the English forward Defoe, who had already scored twice for Tottenham.

Defoe, who had already scored a brace, had only the ball in his eyes, thinking to himself, "Just one more goal, and it will be a hat-trick! Scoring three times against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, even if we lose this match, I will surely gain recognition and favor from bigger clubs, and I will have a bigger stage to perform on!"

He felt an explosive power in his legs today. The ball was about to fly in front of him, and as long as he stopped it for a moment, the goal was a sure thing!

"Victory is within reach, I will become a hero for Tottenham!"

To ensure he controlled the ball without error, Defoe slightly slowed down. But this thousandth of a second hesitation was enough for a cold, gleaming cleat to appear in his line of sight!

Chelsea's goalkeeper, Petr Cech, would not tolerate being toyed with by Defoe! He decisively charged out, using his long legs to slide and kick the ball away before Defoe could touch it. The ball landed at the feet of defender John Terry, who glanced up and saw his new teammate, Kaka, waving for the ball.

Without hesitation, Terry ignored Makelele in front of him and sent a low, long pass to Kaka in the midfield. Kaka, with his back to Tottenham's goal, knew that a player was already rushing to challenge him, so he didn't stop the ball but let it pass through his legs and ran forward, starting another sprint.

The 40,000 fans at Stamford Bridge finally witnessed the long-awaited "Kaka sprint." With his flowing hair, agile movements, handsome face, and perfect technique, Kaka was treated like a king, even by Roman Abramovich, who waved his fist and shouted, "Kaka! Kaka!"

Kaka's running speed with the ball was absolutely world-class! The astonishing speed not only left the opposing defenders behind but also left only Owen and Rooney from his own team sprinting forward to create space.

"Defend! Defend quickly!" Tottenham manager Santini shouted frantically on the sidelines, almost in tears. Was Kaka's speed really that exaggerated? It felt like he could rival the 100-meter sprint champion from the Athens Olympics, Justin Gatlin?

Simon Davies, known for his speed on the wing, was tasked with closely marking Kaka's long sprints. But at this moment, hearing Santini's call, he used all his strength to chase Kaka, yet the agile blue figure always seemed out of reach!

"Kaka, Kaka has already sprinted 30 meters with the ball, and he still has no intention of passing. He is getting closer to the 'Kaka zone.' Does he intend to score the third goal all by himself?" The commentator, who had been criticized for a negative comment in the first half, now tried to stir up the fans' enthusiasm by encouraging Kaka to go solo.

In fact, with Owen and Rooney both tightly marked and other teammates not yet in position, that was exactly what he intended.

"Central defender Ledley King can no longer retreat and decides to take a risky tackle! He has already retreated into the penalty area, with no more room to back off!" Even a fool could understand that the commentator, Zhan Jun, was clearly favoring Chelsea: "Kaka... oh! Kaka chips the ball over the defender! This... this is an extremely rare dribbling move, no less difficult than Zidane's Marseille turn, Ronaldo's scissors, or Ronaldinho's step-over!"

"Haha, Kaka's imaginative chip over the defender completely baffled Tottenham's central defender, Ledley King! Look at his bewildered expression; he probably doesn't even know that the ball has already flown behind him!" The commentator first teased, then took a deep breath, preparing to shout the thrilling moment.

"Kaka, Kaka has bypassed Ledley King's defense... shot, it's a goal... in the 78th minute, Chelsea finally takes the lead for the first time in the match. Ledley King made a fatal mistake; his rash tackle gave Kaka a wide-open space to shoot!"

The commentator for London TV was much calmer, as both Chelsea and Tottenham are London teams.

After bypassing Ledley King, scoring became very easy. An unmarked shot in the penalty area, Kaka could guarantee a goal. Indeed, a casual push shot left goalkeeper Robinson with no chance to react, and the score changed to 3-2! The bright red numbers on the scoreboard were almost blinding!

After the excitement of the goal, Zhan Jun's emotions gradually calmed, and he analyzed the situation on the field: "Gowanian's second-half winger switch, or rather, the use of wingers on their weaker foot, has proven highly effective. It not only opened up Tottenham's flanks but also provided support to break through their central defense. Kaka's magnificent long sprint is simply breathtaking! In contrast, Tottenham's manager, Santini, appears overly rigid and outdated in his tactical approach, unable to keep up with Gowanian's new ideas and strategies. The loss in this match is not unjustified."

CCTV5's Duan Xuan openly praised Gowanian: "Gowanian's aggressive football has indeed brought a different atmosphere and sensory experience to the Premier League, and even the world of football! Regardless of Chelsea's commanding lead in the league table, look at the players' goal-scoring chart. After six rounds, Kaka leads with 10 goals, Owen is second with 9, and Chelsea's substitute striker Gudjohnsen and Arsenal's main striker Henry are tied for third with 4 goals each! What a shocking leaderboard!"

After Kaka's perfect performance, a rather amusing scene occurred on the sidelines: the three goal heroes, Rooney, Owen, and Kaka, were substituted off, replaced by Gudjohnsen, Duff, and Parker.

Such a substitution in a professional football match is extremely rare, even the referee was surprised. What was Gowanian thinking? Did he think this was a friendly match? Substituting three players at once? Didn't he know he only had three substitutions?

Santini was also shocked, noticing a hint of disdain on Gowanian's face. Santini was furious: "When I was the national team coach in France, you were still playing in the mud. You think you can play this game with me? You're looking down on me?"

However, the Chelsea players burst into enthusiastic applause for the three heroes, and Rooney, Owen, and Kaka smiled and waved to the fans.

Taking advantage of the departure of Chelsea's best three players, Santini decided: "You think you're looking down on me? I'll show you that arrogance comes at a price! Full attack, go all out!" He withdrew the defensive midfielder Mendes and brought on the tall striker Kanouté, aiming to score another goal, or even more, in the remaining 15 minutes.

Little did he know, Santini's move fell right into Gowanian's trap. He had used his "Life Source 1" on Kaka, Rooney, and Lampard, meaning there was still a "cheating" Lampard on the field!

In the 85th minute, Santini's hopes for the match were completely dashed, as Lampard's powerful shot sealed the fate of him and Tottenham.

The left-footed winger, Joe Cole, who was playing on the right wing, continued to cause trouble for Tottenham. His repeated cuts inside made life difficult for the left-back, Carr. Finally, after a successful cut, he delivered a precise through ball to Lampard.

Seeing this, Boas, who had once questioned Gowanian's substitutions, was once again convinced and shook his head in admiration: "Gowanian's football tactics... are beyond the understanding of ordinary people! Combining sports science, psychology, and even Sun Tzu's Art of War, it seems that the six-match winning streak... is just the beginning."