Leeds United defeated Ajax 7-3 on aggregate to advance to the Champions League semi-finals.
With top teams like Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich all failing to advance, the four teams reaching the semi-finals are Leeds United vs. Juventus from Serie A, and Liverpool vs. Manchester City.
The fact that three Premier League teams have once again reached the Champions League semi-finals has sent the entire UK into a frenzy.
Among the three Premier League teams, Leeds United will face Juventus, led by Cristiano Ronaldo. This is bound to be a fierce battle. Mbappe is hailed by many as Ronaldo's successor, and the duel between the two will undoubtedly attract worldwide attention.
In contrast, the strength gap between Guardiola's Manchester City and Klopp's Liverpool is quite clear.
Currently, Klopp is far from his peak, especially on the flanks. Robertson and Arnold are now both at Leeds United, which has impacted Liverpool's entire tactical system.
Interestingly, Klopp has been pushing the American owners to sign two full-backs from Leeds United, but this will undoubtedly come at a cost, so Liverpool's management remains hesitant.
On the other hand, Guardiola's Manchester City inherited the core players left behind by Gao Shen, making them a formidable force. In particular, Hazard has thrived under Guardiola's tactical system, displaying the qualities of a top-level superstar.
As such, Manchester City is considered a strong contender to reach the final.
Even Guardiola himself said the Premier League title could be given to Leeds United this season, but Manchester City is determined to win the Champions League.
...
After playing Ajax, Leeds United traveled south to Cardiff for an away match.
This was a fixture from the 35th round of the Premier League.
In the previous Champions League quarter-final against Ajax, Haaland scored after coming off the bench. In this match, Pochettino entrusted him with a starting position, an unmistakable sign of trust for an 18-year-old.
To everyone's surprise, just 22 minutes into the first half, the youngster received a through ball from Felix, shook off the defender, broke into the penalty area, beat the offside trap, and calmly scored.
1-0!
Majin Buu is back in full force!
In the 34th minute, Kimmich passed to Mbappe, who controlled the ball on the left side of the penalty area, shook off a defender, cut inside, and fired a long-range shot to score Leeds United's second goal. 2-0!
After the break, in the 58th minute, Leeds United won a corner. Milinkovic rose high and headed the ball into the net. 3-0!
Less than five minutes later, Mbappe received the ball on the left wing and sent in a cross. Kimmich charged forward and fired a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, smashing it past Cardiff's keeper to make it 4-0!
The entire Cardiff stadium fell silent.
Losing this match would undoubtedly push them further into the relegation zone.
In the 81st minute, Leeds United created another chance.
Felix dribbled into the penalty area, where he was brought down by a defender. The referee pointed to the spot. With Mbappe already off the pitch, Felix stepped up to take the penalty after consulting his teammates.
The young Portuguese calmly converted, making it 5-0!
No one expected that, at such a critical stage of the season with the title on the line, Leeds United would not only rotate their squad but also launch such a devastating attacking display.
Following the emphatic 5-0 win over Cardiff, British media widely believe that the Premier League title race is all but over.
Their final three opponents are Huddersfield Town at home, Newcastle United (currently 13th) away, and Wolves (currently 7th) at home.
From any angle, Leeds United have a strong chance of winning all three matches.
Pochettino also stated publicly after the match that Leeds United had taken control of the title race.
"But I will still remind my players to give everything in the remaining games."
Having been eliminated in the FA Cup semi-finals, Leeds United are now focused solely on the Premier League and Champions League.
In back-to-back matches, first in the Champions League, then in the Premier League, Haaland scored in both. The young Leeds United striker is making a name for himself and drawing attention across European football.
...
A week later, in the 36th round of the Premier League, Leeds United hosted Huddersfield Town.
Gao Shen sat in the stands at the Amazon Stadium, just like everyone else, hoping for a great performance.
If Leeds United win this match and Manchester City fail to beat Liverpool away the next day, they can clinch the title with two games to spare. That would be a huge boost for the team.
Like everyone else, Gao Shen worried that the young Leeds United squad might lose their composure in such an important game.
But to his surprise, the match unfolded completely differently.
From the very start, the young Leeds United players pressed Huddersfield hard.
Just 28 seconds into the match, Huddersfield's goalkeeper made a poor pass.
As Vardy rushed to press him, the goalkeeper tried to pass to a nearby teammate. Milinkovic intercepted the ball and passed it to Mbappe, who was not offside.
Mbappe controlled the ball and played it back to Vardy, who had just stepped back onside. He turned, accelerated, and found himself one-on-one, slotting the ball past the keeper.
1-0!
Only 35 seconds had passed!
The entire Amazon Stadium erupted.
Everyone knew that if Leeds United took the lead, all the pressure would fall on Manchester City.
After taking the lead, Leeds United kept up the pressure, creating chance after chance.
In the 18th minute, Rodri dribbled through midfield and passed to Robertson on the left wing.
After controlling the ball, the full-back delivered a diagonal ball to the near post.
Milinkovic surged forward and connected with a powerful header, sending the ball into the net.
2-0!
"Yeah!" Gao Shen couldn't contain his excitement and stood up cheering.
If 1-0 isn't enough to feel secure, then 2-0 all but seals it.
The main reason was that Huddersfield had been stuck at the bottom of the table all season. They were effectively relegated already. The team lacked motivation and confidence. Now trailing by two, it was no longer a question of whether Leeds United would win, but by how much.
Just before the end of the first half, Leeds United launched another attack down the right. Arnold delivered a long diagonal ball to the left side of the penalty area.
Mbappe made a high-speed run to meet the bouncing ball. Facing the onrushing goalkeeper, he coolly chipped the ball over his head and into the net.
3-0!
In the second half, Leeds United kept pressing.
Bernardo Silva assisted Mbappe to score again, extending the lead to 4-0.
Soon after, Leeds United launched a counterattack from midfield. Milinkovic sprinted forward to receive the ball and delivered a through pass. Robertson crossed from the left side of the penalty area to the far post, where Dembele tapped in from close range.
5-0!
The entire Amazon Stadium turned into a sea of celebration.
All the Leeds United fans erupted in joy.
Another huge win.
And more unexpectedly, after Valverde came on as a substitute, Bernardo Silva played a through ball, and the Uruguayan midfielder surged into the right side of the penalty area and fired a powerful shot past the goalkeeper.
6-0!
Leeds United were playing like a team possessed.
Even the Sky Sports commentators couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
No one expected Leeds United to follow up their 5-0 demolition of Cardiff with another six-goal performance.
More impressively, the team wasn't satisfied yet.
Haaland came on as a substitute again.
The 18-year-old had already scored in two straight matches, and the entire stadium was cheering for him.
Even the Sky Sports commentators asked, "Can he score again tonight?"
Haaland really wanted to score.
Soon after coming on, he fired a shot from the edge of the penalty area that gave Huddersfield goalkeeper Rossel a real scare.
Leeds United then made another substitution, with Mbappe making way for Vinicius.
The Brazilian winger was lively on the left, constantly threatening Huddersfield's defense and opening up space in the middle for Haaland.
After 80 minutes, Leeds United kept pressing Huddersfield, pinning the bottom-ranked team around their own penalty area and delivering a relentless beating.
But despite the pressure, Leeds United struggled to create clear chances.
Time ticked by.
By the 84th minute, just when it looked like the attack was fizzling out, Huddersfield, under pressure, passed the ball back after a failed forward play.
At that moment, Arnold appeared on the right. After receiving a return pass from Valverde, he made a slight adjustment and sent a diagonal cross toward the left side of the six-yard box.
Just as Haaland was about to drop back inside the box, he saw Arnold's cross coming and surged forward, using his body to push aside Huddersfield captain Schindler.
By the time the ball reached the area, Haaland had already secured his position. Without even jumping, from the left edge of the six-yard box, he headed the ball toward the far post.
Goalkeeper Rossel was rooted to the spot by the left post, completely helpless against the header flying toward the right corner.
Haaland's header hit the back of the net.
7-0!
"Gooooooooaaaaaaaallllllllllllll!"
"Erling Haaland!"
"It's Haaland again!"
"Scoring in three consecutive matches!"
"My God, is he really only 18?"
"He already looks like a very mature goal scorer."
"First it was the Champions League quarter-finals, then back-to-back Premier League matches. This 18-year-old's goal-scoring form seems unstoppable. If this continues, Vardy's hard-earned starting spot might be in danger again!"
In the stands, Gao Shen burst out laughing.
Vardy is in trouble!
(To be continued.)