Robertson came from the left to receive the ball and passed it to Mbappé.
The French winger tried to cut inside laterally but failed to beat the defender, so he passed the ball back to Milinkovic-Savic on the edge of the penalty area.
The Leeds United midfielder controlled it and passed back to Kimmich to reorganize.
Kimmich saw Vardy dropping off and played a straight pass, but Vardy could not hold it and laid it off to Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese evaded his marker and passed to Arnold on the right.
Both of Leeds United's full-backs pushed high up the pitch.
After Arnold controlled the ball and advanced, he saw Dembélé pulling wide for a pass and immediately fed it to him.
After Dembélé took the ball side-on and faced the defender, he suddenly burst toward the byline and whipped in a cross.
The ball arced into West Ham United's six-yard box.
Vardy had just dropped to link play, and now he sprinted forward with all his effort, but he could not reach it in time.
Milinkovic-Savic also made a forward run, but he was just as late.
Instead, at the back post, Mbappé arrived and poked the ball before Dembélé's cross hit the ground.
After the shot, Mbappé kept running, turned, and sprinted out of the box.
The ball flew straight into the left side of West Ham United's goal.
"Goalllllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!"
Deafening cheers exploded from the stadium PA.
In an instant, all 67,000 Leeds United fans in the Amazon Stadium erupted in wild celebration, surging to their feet and roaring for the goal.
Even Gao Shen could not help but shout, clenching his fists and cheering.
The stadium turned into a sea of celebration.
Just 16 minutes into the game, Leeds United took the lead against West Ham United.
1-0!
Gao Shen looked at his wife with pride and shrugged, as if to say, look, did I guess right?
"What are you so proud of? Everyone guessed it right," Su Qing pouted playfully.
"Just wait, we scored in only 16 minutes. At this rate, there will be more."
From the opening exchanges, Leeds United had created three very good chances, although only one was taken.
If West Ham United did not adjust, more goals would follow.
…
Sometimes, a keen sense of the game makes a big difference, but it is not always exact.
He was right that Leeds United would score again, but he did not expect it to come so soon.
If the previous goal came from structured buildup, then the second arrived suddenly.
Arnold received the ball on the right and hit a long diagonal pass toward the outside of the box.
Milinkovic-Savic, with his back to goal, used his body to shield the defender, controlled it on his chest, turned left, and slid a diagonal pass to the left byline.
Robertson overlapped at full speed, met Milinkovic-Savic's pass, and crossed first time.
Mbappé at the near post could not make contact, but Vardy in the middle struck it first time into the West Ham United net.
The entire scoring move was neat and clinical.
Three minutes, two goals.
Gao Shen laughed out loud. He had not expected Leeds United to score so quickly.
"Two goals!"
Even though they had lost the bet, Su Qing, Lucas, and Borrell were all delighted.
Leeds United had started the match beautifully.
The team's attacking play was especially organized and layered.
Listening to the frenzied shouts of the Leeds United fans in the Amazon Stadium, you could feel their excitement and the thrill of watching the match.
This is Leeds United's football.
Pochettino's team always plays with attacking intent.
It showed again when Leeds United launched another attack shortly after the restart by winning the ball high.
Robertson carried it forward down the left. Under pressure, he passed to Milinkovic-Savic and continued his overlapping run.
With another team, Milinkovic-Savic might have slowed it down, but at Leeds United he drove forward, matching Robertson's run on the left.
Their surging runs set the entire stadium screaming and cheering.
Milinkovic-Savic's dribble drew defenders. When he released it left, even under pressure, Robertson still managed to play it into the box.
There was no one in the center arriving on time, but Dembélé collected it at the back and cut it back to the middle.
Vardy headed toward goal, forcing Fabianski into a flying save.
This attack did not result in a goal, but it was still thrilling and showed Leeds United's hunger to attack.
This is Leeds United's style, attack non-stop.
However, this constant attacking, especially the aggressive collective press, also brought hidden dangers to Leeds United's defense.
In the 21st minute, a long pass from deep sent the ball directly in behind the Leeds United back line.
De Ligt and West Ham striker Arnautovic sprinted after it. Arnautovic reached it first and brought it into the area, but De Ligt slid in decisively to tackle the ball out for a corner.
That excellent piece of defending drew warm applause.
In the middle, Ruben Dias had also recovered his position in time.
Pochettino was a center-back, and he has his own ideas about defending.
That is why, although Leeds United looks reckless, their defensive structure is solid and their results are stable.
…
With Leeds United two goals up, West Ham United launched their first threatening counterattack.
But the overall situation remained under Leeds United's control.
The White Rose kept probing for openings.
With Bernardo Silva's passing and ball-carrying in midfield, Milinkovic-Savic's support play, and Kimmich's organization behind them, Leeds United created chances again and again.
In the 38th minute, another attack came from the right. Arnold and the dropping Vardy combined to find Bernardo Silva, who drove forward and played a diagonal pass to Mbappé at the left corner of the box.
Mbappé controlled it and tried to cut inside for a right-footed shot, but the chance did not open up, so he shifted it across to the right side of the area.
Dembélé took it into the box and crossed.
Mbappé, who had just been outside the area, had already burst to the front of the six-yard box. Meeting Dembélé's pass, he pushed it into Fabianski's goal again to make it 3-0.
Gao Shen sensed the danger for the opponent.
Were West Ham United a bit too poor?
After all, they finished 13th last season. How were they getting torn apart by Leeds United like this?
It seemed 3-0 would not be enough.
As expected, Leeds United scored again in first-half stoppage time.
This time it started with an Arnold cross from the right. Bernardo Silva slipped a straight pass into the area. Dembélé cut in diagonally for a one-on-one, finished calmly, and added another for Leeds United, 4-0.
Now it was Su Qing and the others who were smug.
In any case, no one had guessed correctly.
…
With a four-goal lead at half-time, Leeds United were steadier in the second half and slightly slowed the tempo, but their overall advantage remained obvious.
West Ham United made a change at the interval and another in the 55th minute.
After two substitutions and a more defensive approach, they barely stabilized.
Pellegrini's face was full of helplessness, because his team had played very poorly.
Their counterattacks were hard to launch, their attack lacked threat, and their defense was pierced by Leeds United time and again.
Damn, who said Leeds United's strength was greatly reduced after selling six core players?
Who said Leeds United were aiming to avoid relegation this year?
Come out and take a look, and see if I will tear into you.
Judging from Leeds United's first-half performance and the pressure and attacking power they showed, they were definitely aiming for the title.
The White Rose were completely different from Guardiola's Manchester City.
Manchester City were more like a gentle breeze and fine rain, passing with finesse, circulating the ball, and constantly pulling the opposition, but at a slower tempo.
Leeds United were like a storm, playing ferociously and hard to handle. They attacked again and again, overwhelming opponents and exposing defenses repeatedly.
More importantly, the pressure was so intense it was suffocating.
In the 70th minute, Pochettino made a change, bringing on Bruno Fernandes for Milinkovic-Savic. The midfielder had played very well.
Unexpectedly, just three minutes after coming on, Bruno Fernandes broke into the area during an attack. Meeting Robertson's left-footed cross on the right side of the box, he cushioned it back into the middle with a first-time touch. Vardy followed up and finished, sending the ball into the net again.
5-0.
Just before the final whistle, Leeds United won a corner.
Bruno Fernandes delivered it. De Ligt at the back post rose to meet it and headed straight into the West Ham United goal, 6-0.
The entire Amazon Stadium went completely mad.
No one could believe that in the first round of the new season, after selling six star players, Leeds United had hammered West Ham United 6-0. It was unbelievable.
Gao Shen also looked stunned. He had not expected Leeds United to play with such fluency.
He had thought that 3-0 would be enough, but it turned out to be 6-0.
To be honest, he could hardly believe this surprise.
Had they hit form so early?
Of course, Leeds United have their own approach to maintaining form, and he believed Pochettino's team would manage it well.
In any case, a 6-0 victory in the first round of the new season was a massive boost to Leeds United's morale.
At the same time, it showed all those who doubted Leeds United that even after selling six key players, Leeds United are still Leeds United.
(To be continued.)