Chapter 54

If the first half was Owen's performance, then the second half was a joint goal-scoring spectacle by Chelsea and Liverpool for the fans.

On Chelsea's side, Rooney, Kaka, and Joe Cole each scored. On Liverpool's side, forward Baros finally scored again in the 74th minute, equaling Owen's goal count and completing his hat-trick. Adding to that, Gerrard's long-range shot from nearly 30 meters, when the referee blew the final whistle, the score on the big screen was 6-4! This directly tied the record for the most goals in a single Premier League match!

The reason it's a tie rather than a new record is that the previous 10-goal match was created by Chelsea under the leadership of Jowan Xian in this season. In the second round of the league, Chelsea played away against Birmingham and won 10-0.

When the full-time whistle blew, the Liverpool players who lost the match showed no signs of disappointment, all smiling and warmly exchanging jerseys with the Chelsea players. The coaches on the sidelines were also exceptionally friendly, with Jowan Xian and Benítez shaking hands tightly and even sharing a brief hug.

"Hey, how about a cup of coffee later?" Jowan Xian said with a light laugh.

Benítez raised an eyebrow, somewhat taken aback. After all, this Jowan Xian, known for his blunt demeanor, had previously been perfunctory even in shaking hands with other coaches. He never expected Jowan Xian to value him so much as to invite him for coffee, so he nodded solemnly.

After the match, Zhan Jun read out the data comparison between Chelsea and Liverpool: "23 shots to 9, 15 on target to 6, 8 free kicks to 0, 12 corners to 2, 64% possession to 36%, yellow cards 0 to 2, fouls... 0 to 13!"

In the entire 90-minute match, Chelsea did not commit a single foul! This data not only shocked Zhan Jun but also stunned the English football legend, Gary Lineker. After the match, he finally realized something and said meaningfully, "I finally understand why Chelsea's defensive intensity was so weak today. They completely abandoned defense! This allowed them to deliver a thrilling offensive battle for the fans! As for why Jowan Xian abandoned defense, just look at the flirtatious glance he gave Benítez... you'll understand."

As a commentator, Lineker's public statement directly ignited the passion of all the fans watching on TV! Even Manchester City's manager, Kevin Keegan, who was to face Chelsea in the next match, lamented not having Benítez's gentlemanly appearance.

After the match, Liverpool's captain, Steven Gerrard, said in an interview, "This was the most exciting match I've ever played. Chelsea is a great team, and under Jowan Xian's guidance, the team has burst with astonishing energy this season! The Chelsea players were very friendly on the pitch, and I felt no difference playing at Stamford Bridge compared to Anfield!"

A reporter from The Times then asked with a smile, "Steven, from your tone, it seems you have great respect for Jowan Xian and are very friendly with the Chelsea players. Can I interpret this as you possibly becoming a part of Chelsea in the future? We all know that Mr. Jowan Xian has publicly praised you more than once."

Gerrard laughed and wiped the sweat from his forehead, saying, "I believe any player who has faced Jowan Xian would respect this young manager. His control of the game is astonishing. However, I am from Liverpool and have no plans to leave. Chelsea has many of my national team teammates, like Owen, Rooney, Joe Cole, Lampard, and Terry, so I have a good relationship with Chelsea, mainly for this reason."

Gerrard, experienced with reporters, easily justified his words.

Baros, who completed his hat-trick in this match, collected the match ball and was still very excited after the game: "I always thought Mr. Benítez was the best manager in the world, and his understanding of football tactics is astonishing! But today, I realized that Chelsea's young coach also has incredible football skills. It's reassuring that they are good friends, and I believe Liverpool and Chelsea, under their leadership, will achieve great success!"

Kaka, in an interview, said with a smile, "The boss is a great coach and a profound psychologist. I admire him."

Kaka's words were somewhat vague, but when Jowan Xian heard them later, he laughed heartily. Kaka, invigorated by Kelly Brook, had earlier released his passion on the pitch, improving his football energy and lifestyle, which is why he held such high regard for Jowan Xian.

At the post-match press conference, both teams' assistant coaches attended, while Jowan Xian and Benítez had already slipped away from the public eye and found a cozy little café to sit down.

"Xian, today's match... I know you were letting me off easy," Benítez, not a petty person, directly pointed out the key to the match.

Jowan Xian laughed and waved his hand, saying confidently, "You're wrong. After the 6-1 win over Manchester United and the 10-0 rout of Birmingham, I realized I shouldn't bully people too much. So it's not that I was letting you off easy, but I'm letting all the managers off easy! Actually, Liverpool played quite well in this match."

Benítez touched his nose, a bit uncomfortable with Jowan Xian's shameless way of speaking, and quickly changed the topic: "By the way, you called me here today for something?"

Jowan Xian smiled slightly, "Actually, Liverpool's tactical direction was correct today. By using aggressive defense to gain possession and then counter-attacking, this was the only viable strategy against my team."

Benítez felt a bit ashamed. Jowan Xian had clearly reduced his defensive intensity, while his side deliberately increased defensive hardness to disrupt the flow of the game. In this regard, he still considered Jowan Xian very generous.

"But do you know why your team's correct tactical choice still resulted in a loss? And this loss... was without any resistance?"

Benítez's face changed, "What's the reason?"

"The holding midfielder! Of course, Liverpool's full-backs are not top-tier either. Facing the continuous attacks from Rooney and Joe Cole, Finnan and Traore were clearly struggling, but the fundamental reason is the holding midfielder!" Jowan Xian said firmly.

"Holding midfielder?" Benítez frowned, thinking slowly, "Chelsea's double attacking midfielder formation... indeed allows for skillful ball control and passing in the penalty area. Are you saying... Liverpool's two holding midfielders are not capable enough?"

Jowan Xian laughed, "Alonso and Gerrard are both top-tier midfielders. How can you say they are not capable enough?"

"Then what do you mean?" Benítez did not think Jowan Xian was being cryptic, as the team's 8-match winning streak gave Jowan Xian the greatest authority to discuss tactics.