Chapter 88

The match had 20 minutes left, and Chelsea had turned the game around in the most unbelievable way, playing an offensive game against Arsenal despite being down a man!

After taking the lead, Jowan Xian couldn't help but feel a bit elated. It was a bit cold, so he put on his windbreaker, looking somewhat like Sherlock Holmes, the legendary figure of England.

However, Wenger's substitutions were not without merit. Although Fabregas came on to replace Vieira in the defensive midfield role, he played a more offensive game, fulfilling a role that Vieira couldn't. It seemed his role was somewhat like Lampard's! Fortunately, Chelsea still had Makelele.

In the 75th minute, Fabregas had the ball, and Makelele, with no intention of going easy on the young player, charged from the side and executed a clean slide tackle. Fabregas missed, and the ball went out of bounds, landing conveniently at Jowan Xian's feet.

Seeing the ball at his feet, Jowan Xian suddenly remembered a simple performance by Argentina's coach, Maradona, during the 2010 South Africa World Cup, which had earned him a round of applause. The process was simple: a throw-in, and Maradona, wearing leather shoes, gently flicked the ball with his toe, and it seemed to be enchanted, gracefully landing in his hand.

Seeing Fabregas coming over to take the throw-in, Jowan Xian had a sudden idea to perform a similar trick, to impress the Arsenal fans once again!

Jowan Xian took a deep breath, faced the ball, and flicked it with his foot. Then... he missed! The field was wet, and the ball was slippery, sliding right off his foot!

Actually, not many fans in the stadium saw this, and Jowan Xian quickly tried to cover it up, as the move was incredibly embarrassing! After the failed attempt, he was mortified, thinking, "Maradona is a football legend, but I'm just a fool for trying to imitate him!"

However, the cameras captured the moment, and it was replayed on the big screen. The crowd at Highbury Stadium began to boo, and even the 800 Chelsea fans who had come to support their team covered their eyes in pain: "This Jowan Xian, he's a great coach, but his playing skills... are really embarrassing..."

The boos made Jowan Xian's face turn red, and even Fabregas, with his youthful face, couldn't hide his amusement. He looked at the ball that caused all this trouble and, in frustration, kicked it hard!

"Hmm... The control on that kick was pretty good, definitely better than Beckham's 'banana kick' or Zidane's 'scorcher'!" Jowan Xian was smug, but the next moment, he was stunned, his eyes wide open, his mind buzzing with regret.

Arsenal seemed to be making another substitution, and the fourth official, holding up the electronic board, was suddenly hit by an unknown flying object and fell to the ground! When he got up, his face was pale, and even a few blades of grass had gotten into his nostrils...

The stadium was unusually quiet. They had watched football all their lives, but this was the first time they had seen such a bizarre scene. The players on the field were also stunned. What was going on?

The referee, Jeff Winter, hurriedly ran halfway across the field to check on the fourth official. The fourth official, without a word, pointed angrily at Jowan Xian...

"Come on, it was just a mistake... a misstep, right? It's not worth this kind of retaliation, is it?" Jowan Xian, rarely, looked shocked and at a loss.

"Red card! The referee, Jeff Winter, has shown the second red card of the match to... Chelsea's manager, Jowan Xian!" Zhan Jun, trying to suppress a laugh, said, "This Jowan Xian, even as a world-renowned coach, is still just in his twenties, with a childlike heart. He showed off his ball skills, but the price for a coach not sticking to his job is a red card..."

Seeing the bright red card, Jowan Xian's heart sank. He finally understood why players looked so shocked when they saw a red card. After running on the green pitch for so long, the sudden red was indeed a bit jarring.

"Bro, you're not a bullfighter, why do you need a red thing? As a man, we prefer yellow..." Jowan Xian said with a grin.

Jeff Winter looked stern, pointed to the stands, and blew his whistle sharply.

Jowan Xian's face turned serious. He glared at the referee, tightened his windbreaker, and with a cool turn, headed to the dressing room to play poker with Cech.

Arsenal made another substitution, bringing on center-back Sylvinho to replace Kolo Touré, who had been toyed with by Kaká multiple times.

When Jowan Xian entered the dressing room, he found Cech lying on a long bench, covered in a white bath towel, sipping coffee and watching the match on TV, his legs swinging, clearly very relaxed.

"Boss, that kick was awesome!" Cech quickly sat up and flattered him.

Jowan Xian glared at him and said irritably, "Get lost! If I hadn't seen you sitting here bored, I wouldn't have deliberately committed a foul to come back. Even if I'm sent off, I still need to direct the game from the stands!"

"Sure, sure, sure." Cech brought over a long bench and poured Jowan Xian a cup of coffee.

Just then, they heard a deafening roar from outside, and on the TV, Kaká was pointing to the sky in celebration!

The substitute Sylvinho was even worse than Kolo Touré. He couldn't keep up with Kaká's pace. In the penalty area, where Kaká's shooting zone was, Sylvinho slipped, and Kaká shot with a beautiful arc, scoring in the top corner!

"The ball is in again!" The London TV commentator's voice was clear: "Wow, unbelievable! After Rooney's two goals, Kaká has scored two more! Chelsea not only took the lead but also conquered Highbury with their perfect performance! Although Mr. Jowan Xian has left the pitch, his spirit remains, and he continues to inspire the team! Mr. Adams, with the match at 83 minutes, do you still believe Arsenal will win this game?"

"Adams?" Jowan Xian was taken aback.

Cech, indignant, said, "Boss, this guy is really despicable. He said a lot of bad things about you and claimed Arsenal would win the match without a doubt!"

Jowan Xian sneered, "Just self-promotion, a perfect match for Sister Feng!"

"Who? Sister Feng?" Cech clearly didn't know who she was.

Jowan Xian ignored Cech and continued listening to the commentator Adams: "Of course, Jowan Xian has an incredible ability, and this performance is commendable. Arsenal lost this match with no complaints! Wenger's defeat at his hands is not unjustified!"

The commentator was stunned. How could Adams change his tone so quickly? He couldn't help but laugh, "Mr. Adams, crossing the English Channel..."

"Haha, you actually believe that joke?" Adams, performing like a clown, laughed loudly, "Who in England doesn't know that Jowan Xian and I are good friends? I was just joking, and you took it seriously?"

The commentator sneered, "I need to talk to the production team. We can't have just anyone as a commentator..."

In the final stages of the match, Arsenal launched a series of fierce attacks to defend their team's honor. The Chelsea players, somewhat relaxed, were preparing for their 17th consecutive league win. Finally, in the 88th minute, Arsenal scored their third goal.

Sylvinho made a tackle, Fabregas provided the assist, and Bergkamp scored, with the three substitutes helping Arsenal score their third goal, making Wenger's face a bit less grim: "Jowan Xian's substitutions are magical, but mine aren't bad either..."

The match ended after 90 minutes of intense battle, and the London derby, which had attracted the attention of football fans worldwide, concluded with Chelsea winning 4-3 away. In the league table, after 17 rounds, Chelsea led second-place Arsenal by 11 points.

After the match, Rooney and Henry exchanged jerseys, as did Kaká and Bergkamp. The Spanish man, Ramos, found Fabregas, exchanged jerseys, and patted his shoulder, saying, "You're young, and there are many opportunities ahead!"

Wenger walked to the Chelsea bench for the post-match handshake, but upon seeing Boas's youthful face, his expression darkened, and he turned and entered the players' tunnel.

At the post-match press conference, journalists from various countries were exceptionally enthusiastic, and the venue was packed. Not only was this a crucial match, but it was also because... after 10 rounds, Jowan Xian finally attended a press conference again!

Joining Jowan Xian at the press conference was not the captain Terry, the vice-captain Lampard, or the two-goal scorers Rooney and Kaká, but the man of the match, Makelele!

Jowan Xian, dressed in an Armani suit, didn't look like a coach at all, more like a Wall Street executive. Wenger was already seated and, upon seeing Jowan Xian, stood up, smiled politely, and shook his hand warmly.

"Young man, you are quite surprising!" Wenger patted Jowan Xian's arm, praising him.

In his previous life, Wenger was not known for his good temper in the Premier League. He was a bitter rival to Ferguson, Benítez, and Mourinho, with more verbal sparring than actual matches. But this match left Wenger with no complaints!

Home advantage, red card, penalty, lead, referee... Arsenal had every advantage, yet they lost 4-3. Even if he wanted to complain, Wenger couldn't find a point to vent.

Perhaps, this was what Jowan Xian meant by "heartfelt admiration."