In the 12th minute—
as Henderson carried the ball forward—
Kai burst in diagonally with a thunderous sliding tackle!
Kai taught the young Liverpool midfielder a lesson right on the spot!
There was a loud gasp from the stands, quickly followed by a chorus of boos from the Liverpool fans.
At this point in time, the future Liverpool captain Henderson was still widely criticized by home fans as a "flop."
After Kai's sliding tackle on Henderson,
Arteta, who rushed over to support, took control of the ball.
Gerrard, ever-alert, immediately closed in with aggressive pressure.
He managed to disrupt Arteta's pass—
But just as Gerrard brought the ball under control...
Kai, who had just completed a clean slide tackle seconds ago,
had already scrambled back to his feet and charged straight at Gerrard with another fierce tackle!
The Arsenal supporters in the away section erupted into wild cheers!
In just a few seconds—
he delivered two critical tackles in a row!
The Gunners fans were in absolute ecstasy!
On the field, Gerrard's brows furrowed tightly.
Kai's sudden challenge caught him completely off guard!
The ball deflected off Gerrard's touch and rolled to Rosický, who was making a late run.
Under Kai's direction, Arsenal's midfield began executing a tight sequence of short, quick passes.
Eventually, the ball was returned to Kai's feet.
The stadium roared once again!
The eyes of the Liverpool supporters trembled.
They'd watched Arsenal's matches before—
and they knew this moment well:
Whenever Kai had the ball and moved forward,
that was the signal for Arsenal's deadly counterattack!
"Fall back! Fall back!"
"Cover your positions!"
Gerrard shouted loudly!
Henderson sprinted back at full speed,
trying to stick close and mark Kai.
The two of them flanked Kai from both sides—
attempting to completely shut down his dribbling space.
But something unexpected happened—
Despite the intense pressure,
Kai didn't panic in the slightest.
A quick push, a slick drag, a sudden pause—
And just like that, he breezed past Henderson cleanly!
With his maxed-out dribbling, every move was smooth and effortless,
as if it came naturally!
Henderson's mind went blank for a second!
Even Gerrard, who was closing in to help, was stunned.
He hadn't expected Kai's dribbling to be this good!
Was it just luck?
With years of experience, Gerrard didn't dare let his guard down.
He gave Kai the utmost respect.
He lunged in with a precise, aggressive sliding tackle,
aiming to completely stop Kai's advance!
But right at that moment—
Anfield erupted!
Gerrard's fierce challenge was beautifully dodged by Kai
with a fluid, rhythmic movement that felt like a dance!
A slick feint, a sudden shift, his footwork was like art!
Gerrard's challenge turned into a complete miss!
Having effortlessly escaped the double-team from both Liverpool midfielders,
Kai quickly angled the ball forward—
And in an instant, he charged past the halfway line with the ball at his feet!
A massive cheer burst from the crowd!
Liverpool fans in the stands clutched their heads in shock!
What had they just witnessed?
The captain known for his toughness and experience...
had just been toyed with so easily!
On the sidelines, Dalglish stood frozen,
while Wenger stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Kai's dribbling and control were far beyond his expectations!
Then, a flash of realization struck Wenger—
his expression lit up with excitement!
He pumped his fist and locked his gaze onto the black-haired star on the pitch!
Kai pushed the ball past the halfway line,
dribbling straight to the top of the center circle.
Once again—that familiar position!
The Arsenal fans in the stands immediately perked up!
They had seen Kai countless times make deadly passes from this very spot!
But this time—
the moment he arrived at the center circle's arc,
a brilliant golden line burst forth in his vision!
At the end of that golden line—
was the goal, several dozen meters away!
Without hesitation!
Kai nudged the ball slightly to the side,
took a sharp step forward, and raised his leg to strike with full force!
Anfield erupted in shock once more!
The Liverpool fans had watched many of Kai's games.
They knew he often made precision passes from this zone.
No team ever dared ignore his threat here.
But what stunned them now was—
Kai's stance didn't look like a pass at all!
The crowd stared in disbelief—
Was he about to shoot?!
That spot… it was at least 50 meters away from the goal!
On the pitch—
Liverpool's full-back Johnson, rushing in for cover, instantly sensed danger.
He instinctively lunged forward to try and intercept!
But in that very moment—
Kai's lower leg snapped back sharply.
His right foot smashed into the ball with explosive force!
"BOOM!"
The football exploded off the ground,
spiraling upward with a violent gust of power!
In an instant, it tore through the skies above Anfield!
In that moment—
The entire stadium erupted into a thunderous roar of disbelief!
A super long-range cannon blast—from a full 50 meters out!!
Not far away, Gerrard, who had just been humiliated by Kai's dribbling,
stared in shock, his eyes wide with terror.
Even his body trembled slightly!
On the sidelines, Dalglish clutched his head in disbelief.
Though once hailed as the King of Anfield during his playing days,
and despite having weathered countless intense battles—
even he, the legendary Liverpool manager, couldn't hide the shock on his face!
All 60,000 eyes at Anfield were now locked onto the path of the ball
that had just been unleashed by Kai's rocket shot!
The football roared with violent energy,
soaring over the heads of every single defender on Liverpool's back line.
After reaching its apex—
It plunged downward like a meteor,
screaming straight toward Liverpool's goal!
In the stands, Liverpool fans' scalps tingled with dread.
Under the cover of night—
Liverpool goalkeeper Brad Jones stared at the ball in sheer disbelief.
He dared not relax for even a second!
On the goal line, he shuffled quickly with short, frantic steps,
trying to find the right position—
But just as he finally decided to leap up
and try to deflect this insane long-range shot—
A flash of despair burst into his eyes!
He had underestimated the sheer power and precision of Kai's cannon blast!
The ball skimmed just above Jones' fully outstretched fingertips—
And before the 60,000 horrified fans at Anfield—
It grazed the top corner where the crossbar and post meet—
And slammed into the back of the net!
Top corner!
A 50-meter, top-corner, super long-range missile!
The ball had torn through Liverpool's entire half,
ripped apart the night sky above Anfield,
and surged forward like an unstoppable storm—
Roaring through Liverpool's defenses and blasting open the gates!
In an instant—
A deafening eruption blasted from the stands!
Under the night sky, Anfield Stadium shook with thunderous roars!
The crowd's frenzied howls and cheers
spiraled upward into the skies above the battlefield!
~~----------------------
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