Chapter 51

（Wishing everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival, enjoy the mooncakes, and cherish the reunion.）

……

Chelsea's fluid attack suddenly faced significant resistance, with Alonso and Gerrard frequently sliding to tackle, giving Liverpool several counter-attack opportunities.

The Chelsea players looked at their manager, Giowani Xian, with surprise. It seemed the opposition was not cooperating. Should they also engage in aggressive pressing to avoid giving the other team too many chances? The tackling didn't need to be too rough; just like in the previous few matches, they could almost guarantee a win over Liverpool.

However, Giowani Xian shook his head and called over the captain, Terry, warning him that they should rather be countered than disrupt a beautiful attack. They must not show any unfriendly behavior on the field.

"Alonso's strong body knocked down Kaka and passed the ball to Gerrard. Liverpool's two wingers are rapidly advancing, and Chelsea has once again given Liverpool a counter-attack opportunity. At the 15-minute mark, Liverpool has already had at least three such opportunities, which is quite rare in Chelsea's previous matches. Hmm... Makelele seems to be in poor form today," Zhan Jun said with a low tone, revealing a hint of worry.

In a corner of the west stand at Stamford Bridge, an unremarkable elderly man with white hair and a spirited demeanor sat. He was not well-known, so the surrounding fans did not notice him. However, he had a very special identity—he was the current coach of the French national team! He was Raymond Domenech!

After the European Championship in Portugal, he replaced Santini and, amidst widespread doubt, became the head coach of the French national team. Today, he specially came to Stamford Bridge to watch the performance of the most eye-catching team in Europe, Chelsea.

Of course, he was also here to watch his talented disciple, Makelele.

In the first few minutes of the match, Chelsea's attacks came in waves, continuous and fluid, leaving Domenech in awe. It seemed... there was such beautiful football in the world! Even the orange storm of the late 1980s could hardly match such elegance.

However, after a few minutes, Liverpool's two central midfielders clearly intensified their defense, and Chelsea's beautiful facade crumbled instantly! By the 15-minute mark, Domenech was frowning, dissatisfied with Giowani Xian's tactical choices: "After Liverpool gets the ball, why doesn't Chelsea counter-press? Makelele's tackling ability is unparalleled, and his physical strength is unmatched. How can you, Giowani Xian, assign him to regional defense? This Chelsea midfield has no hardness at all!"

Domenech was very puzzled. Why did Giowani Xian's team lack any physicality? Wasn't the Premier League known for its intense physical play? Why did Chelsea only have regional defense? If there was no physical contact in the tight marking, what use would it be? He was very worried that Giowani Xian's tactics would ruin this French central midfielder.

"It seems that during the national team training, I really need to have a good talk with Makelele. Chelsea is not suitable for him," Domenech thought to himself.

Sure enough, with Alonso's tackle, the red wave of attack came again.

Liverpool, using the forward Baros, failed to gain much from several consecutive crosses from the wings, and immediately switched to ground play. Gerrard advanced with the ball and decisively passed it to the Norwegian winger Riise. Riise, without stopping the ball, passed it in a collision-like manner to the attacking midfielder Kewell.

Kewell, the best player in Australian history, could play multiple positions in the front. In Benitez's 4-4-1-1 system, he was more like a free-roaming forward. Facing Makelele's not-so-aggressive defense, he saw Baros, as per the coach's pre-match instructions, moving around near Cannavaro!

Kewell, without hesitation, made a precise left-footed chip, sending a through ball. At that moment, Baros seemed to be possessed by Owen, rushing past Cannavaro like the wind.

"Kewell's pass, no one is there to receive it... Oh, incredible! Kewell is coming forward, a one-on-one! Baros' speed is no slower than that of the former Liverpool golden boy Owen! Oh God, how did he break free from Cannavaro's defense?"

On the field, the moment Kewell passed the ball, Baros cleverly cut through Chelsea's defense, taking advantage of Cannavaro's age and slow turning speed. By the time he controlled the ball, he had already successfully broken the offside trap and was in a one-on-one situation!

At the peak of his career, Baros, with a one-on-one opportunity, would not be stopped by Cech, even if Cech had used Source 1.

"Liverpool takes the lead, Czech sharpshooter Baros scores a powerful goal, and goalkeeper Cech makes no reaction! 1-0, the Reds Liverpool achieve a dream start in the 16th minute, breaking through the Stamford Bridge defense!" The CCTV5 commentator, Huang Jianxiang, spoke with high passion, and just by listening to his voice, one could imagine his excited expression.

In the sea of blue, there were about 3,000 die-hard KOP fans in the west stand. They wore red team jerseys, had their faces painted with the red team emblem, and some even dyed their hair red! Baros' goal ignited their passion, and in the quiet Stamford Bridge, the loud "You'll Never Walk Alone" echoed!

"… Through the storm, through the rain,

Your dreams may be shattered,

But with hope in your heart, move forward,

You'll never walk alone,

You'll never walk alone…"

After scoring, Baros immediately ran to the sidelines to embrace his coach, Benitez, showing the greatest gratitude to this tactical master.

Initially, he was Owen's substitute, but now, he had finally been promoted by Benitez!

Looking at the entire goal, Kewell's pass was beautiful, and Baros' shot was spectacular. However, the Chelsea players on the field did not feel the slightest bit of shock.

"Look at your crazy celebrations, it's really laughable. If the boss allowed us to defend like in the previous matches, do you think this ball could even cross the halfway line? The boss is just being considerate of Benitez, not wanting you to lose too disgracefully. Do you really think you're something special?"

The Chelsea players gathered near the center circle, waiting for the game to restart, coldly watching the Liverpool players celebrate wildly.

Lampard looked at Giowani Xian helplessly, asking about the team's next tactical plan. He saw a very funny scene from Giowani Xian.

He swung his arms in a large circle in the air, as if he were channeling inner strength, with a strange expression. He took a deep breath and suddenly pushed his hands toward the Liverpool goal, shouting, "Tidal Wave!!!"

"Haha, Giowani Xian is making a joke again!" Amidst the laughter of the commentator, the nearly 40,000 Chelsea fans in attendance also burst into laughter, some clapping, some whistling. With just one action, the fans were pulled from the disappointment of the goal to the edge of happiness.

Liverpool's coach, Benitez, pinched his chin and thought, "Giowani Xian is indeed a master of psychology, a true young genius!"

After laughing loudly, Lampard gathered with Rooney, Owen, Joe Cole, Kaka, and other attacking players, shouting, "The boss said we need to hit Liverpool with a tidal wave! Attack, we need to bombard them!"

"Bombard!"

"Bombard!"

……

A failed attempt at showing off that turned into a laugh unexpectedly changed the mindset of the fans and players, making Giowani Xian even more confident. He took off his sunglasses, winked at the stands with his left eye, and then put them back on...

The on-site big screen captured this moment, and thunderous applause immediately followed. Almost instantly, the entire atmosphere at Stamford Bridge was reversed. "You'll Never Walk Alone" was still being sung by those few thousand die-hard fans, but no one else could hear it.

Benitez had long heard about Giowani Xian's independent and unique style. This face-to-face confrontation finally allowed him to experience Giowani Xian's personal charm, leaving him emotionally stirred and amazed.

However, even more astonishing was to come. Two minutes after Liverpool's goal, Chelsea equalized, and the scorer was none other than Michael Owen, who had just been outplayed by Baros in Liverpool!

Here's what happened: Chelsea restarted from the center, and Lampard passed the ball to the right winger, Joe Cole. Joe Cole had already toyed with Liverpool's left-back Traore multiple times, and this time was no different. After a few feints, he broke through the right flank with a nutmeg, and facing the covering Hyypia, he calmly cut inside with his left foot, taking a shot from the edge of the penalty area before Alonso could provide support.

It was a bold solo run, but unfortunately, the final shot, though powerful, lacked precision.

Polish goalkeeper Dudek palmed the ball away, directing it to his trusted center-back Carragher.

Owen, from the moment Joe Cole took the shot, sprinted into the Liverpool penalty area like the wind. Being a Liverpool native, he was very familiar with Dudek, Hyypia, and Carragher, so he headed straight for Carragher.

Sure enough, Dudek directed the ball to Carragher!

"Joe Cole nutmegged Traore, cut inside past Hyypia, and took a shot!... Oh, what a pity, the angle of the shot was not good, not challenging for the Liverpool goalkeeper. Wait, wait! A blue hurricane swept through the Liverpool penalty area, it's Owen! Michael Owen scores a powerful shot, equalizing the score!"

Zhan Jun smiled with satisfaction, "The Liverpool golden boy scores against his former club, living up to his nickname, the 'Son of the Wind'! Owen becomes the hero who equalizes for Chelsea! Poor Liverpool, they only led for two minutes!"

After scoring, Owen did not celebrate wildly or run around. He first patted Dudek's shoulder to console him, then walked calmly to the center circle with a smile, ignoring the celebrating teammates.

"Owen! Owen! Michael Owen…"

This chant first came from the few red-shirted fans in the sea of blue, then echoed throughout Stamford Bridge...

A former hero is always a hero!

This is the understanding of football by the die-hard KOP.

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