After pulling one back, Crystal Palace charged forward like a raging tide!
Zaha, the forward who was making his first appearance of the season, gradually found his rhythm in the match.
He and Vaughn were both mobile forwards, constantly making runs.
Under Kai's orchestration, they relentlessly battered Burnley's backline.
The tall, bulky center-backs of Burnley were left dizzy and disoriented!
The clever way for agile, nimble players to break through big-bodied defenders? Constant pressure and persistent attacks!
Kai anchored the midfield.
He kept switching his positioning on the field,
Oscillating between the number 9 and number 10 roles,
Completely throwing Burnley's defensive structure into chaos!
For most of the second half, Burnley's players didn't even know who they were supposed to mark.
When Kai moved up to the number 9 position, Crystal Palace's 4-4-2 transformed into a 4-3-1-2, with a three-forward front line charging ahead!
But as soon as Burnley's defense dropped deep,
Kai retreated.
The formation reverted to 4-4-2.
From the number 10 spot, he calmly dictated play.
This was the magic of the "false 9.5" role—
He could push forward to bolster the front line or even act as a temporary pivot,
Or he could drop back to pull and stretch the opposition's defensive depth.
Burnley's defense was under immense pressure and barely holding on.
Their offense had completely fizzled out. They couldn't muster any meaningful attack at all.
Especially since their coach had just given them new orders: "Protect the one-goal lead!"
This made things even harder for the whole Burnley squad!
On the sidelines, Burnley's manager had a dark look on his face.
Things were spinning completely out of his control!
76th minute!
Kai picked up the ball just past the center circle and drove forward!
He hadn't used the 10-second unlimited dribble card, yet he suddenly noticed—
His dribbling and control felt far more natural than ever before!
Could this be the passive buff from the Cantona module?
Two Burnley defenders quickly closed him down.
Kai dribbled laterally—
Then chipped the ball down the flank to Clyne.
Clyne charged straight to the Burnley end line.
Then blasted a cut-back!
It was an extreme-angle inverted triangle pass from outside the box—Kai arrived right at the edge of the penalty area!
The moment he touched the ball—
The god's-eye view instantly mapped out the situation in the box!
"Boom!"
Kai used the inside of his foot to lift the ball gently—
Another golden trajectory!
A long, diagonal pass at a 45-degree angle!
The ball traced a brilliant arc into the air, lofting above Burnley's box.
Chaos broke loose in Burnley's penalty area!
On the sideline, Holloway's eyes lit up, holding his breath!
Across from him, Burnley's coach stared wide-eyed in panic.
Inside the box—
Kai's precision pass, laced with subtle inward spin, landed right above Zaha!
The substitute forward didn't hesitate!
He leaped high—
Core engaged, timing his jump perfectly with the spin—then slammed the ball with his forehead!
Whoosh!
The ball rocketed into the top left corner of the net!
The net bulged!
GOAL!!
A deafening cheer exploded like a tsunami!
They'd scored again!
3–3!
With just 15 minutes remaining, Crystal Palace had equalized!
The fans were jumping in their seats, waving their arms in ecstasy!
"I scored!!"
In front of the goal, Zaha clutched his head with both hands, eyes wide open in disbelief!
It was like a dream!
He hadn't had a single minute of game time all season—just practice matches with the reserves.
Zaha had been so benched he felt like grass was growing beneath him.
He'd started to believe he'd have to leave English football entirely—maybe move to Africa or the Saudi league!
"Awesome, bro! I was just as thrilled when I scored my first this season!" Vaughn encouraged Zaha.
The two forwards surrounded Kai and gave him a huge hug!
All the Crystal Palace players rushed over!
They all celebrated in a heap.
The fans roared in unison!
They had equalized again!
From 0–2 to 1–2.
From 1–3 to 3–3.
Kai had completed another assist hat-trick!
Three brilliant assists for both of Palace's forwards.
Once again, he had pulled Crystal Palace back from the edge!
"This is incredible! Kai's passing is like divine inspiration!"
"Even a forward who hasn't played all season can score easily under his setup!"
The commentator was stunned, unable to contain their excitement!
The fact that a substitute forward could score so effortlessly—
Was the ultimate proof:
Kai was the irreplaceable centerpiece of Crystal Palace's attack!
Meanwhile, 900 kilometers away in North London—
In front of a TV, an elderly man in a suit squinted thoughtfully.
"If I'm not mistaken, that kid has notched another assist hat-trick in back-to-back games. That's no coincidence."
"His passes are imaginative and shockingly precise. He'd be perfect for our passing game!"
Wenger's heart pounded.
It had been years since he'd felt this kind of excitement.
But soon, a grim reality set in:
Arsenal's finances weren't exactly healthy. He couldn't just go shopping on a whim…
The Emirates Stadium loan wasn't even fully paid off yet!
That thought was like a bucket of cold water. Wenger frowned and shook his head.
Back at Selhurst Park—
The crowd's thunderous cheers still echoed.
Kai clapped and rallied his teammates, reminding them not to relax:
"A draw isn't enough. We're here to win!"
"Burnley can accept a draw—they'll still have a shot through the promotion playoffs."
"But we're different!"
"Our position is still too low. One point isn't enough. We need all three!"
Kai hadn't lost himself in the moment—he was as composed as ever.
And at that moment, what Crystal Palace needed—
Was exactly a leader like him.
"Yes, Captain!" Clyne nodded earnestly.
The rest of the team responded as well.
From player to captain, Kai hadn't needed any transition period.
On this pitch, in this team, he had already become the one and only true leader!
Soon—
Crystal Palace players emerged from their celebration.
They reset their formation.
Their eyes burned with fire.
No matter how the game went—
Their young midfield prodigy, their new captain, their Eagle King, would stand firm!
Like a banner, like a beacon—guiding them forward!
The match resumed!
Time was running out for both sides!
Burnley swapped out two attackers for two defenders.
Their manager had made the call—no more risks.
He'd settle for a draw.
Burnley's away fans booed loudly in protest!
What was their manager doing?
Against a team like Crystal Palace, a relegation battler from last season, and they're the ones barely hanging on?
To Burnley fans, this was humiliating!
But for Burnley's manager—
Getting the team back to the Premier League was all that mattered.
He couldn't risk a loss.
On the pitch—
Time ticked away second by second.
Crystal Palace kept up the pressure!
Kai tirelessly organized attacks, distributed passes.
But they always fell just short of a winning goal.
The scales of victory seemed stuck, refusing to tilt toward Palace.
It looked more and more like the match would end in a draw.
On the sideline, Holloway sighed softly.
He seemed prepared to accept the result.
To him—
Kai had already done more than enough.
An assist hat-trick, rallying the team in their time of need—this was already near the limit of what a midfielder could do.
But on the field—
Kai kept shouting to his teammates, urging them on with his words.
Even with barely a minute left,
This young new captain's burning desire to win never faded from his eyes!
93rd minute!
Final minute of stoppage time!
The crowd at Selhurst Park burst into passionate song!
Every fan stood up from their seat.
They wanted to inspire the players one last time with their powerful voices!
Everyone prayed.
Eyes full of hope, longing for a miracle!
Back in Palace's half—
Burnley made one final tentative push.
But Palace's defense took the ball cleanly.
A Palace defender quickly played it to Kai.
Two Burnley midfielders rushed in to press!
No one wanted to give this Crystal Palace genius even a second on the ball at the end of the match!
Kai dribbled sideways.
Using the full width of the pitch, he exchanged a quick one-two with a nearby teammate.
The ball returned to his feet.
He was near the center, close to the right sideline in Palace's half.
All eyes in the stadium—
Focused on the black-haired figure advancing with the ball!
Suddenly—
Kai paused!
A dazzling golden trajectory appeared before him!
Wait—
Could this be the "Cruise Missile" golden path from the Pirlo module?
No!
Kai instantly realized—
This golden line didn't end at a teammate—
It ended at the opponent's goal!
In a flash, he understood everything!
Now—
Was the perfect moment to use his "Unlimited Range, Guaranteed Goal" card!
Under the gaze of 30,000 intensely focused fans—
Kai hadn't even crossed midfield when he suddenly wound up and unleashed a shot from his own half!!
Everyone in the stadium—
Froze.
The entire place went dead silent for a second!
Was that a long pass?
No, it didn't make sense!
The two Palace forwards hadn't even made their runs yet!
Could it be—
A wild thought popped into the minds of the fans:
Was that… a shot?!