Chapter 658: Chapter 657: The Premier League’s Big Three
The eighty-third minute.
Maicon and Ribery flew down the right wing side by side.
Maicon made a cross from the baseline.
Ribery received the ball on the baseline and dribbled into the penalty area.
Happia charged over, intending to either kick the ball away or knock Ribery off his feet.
Bang!
Ribery knew his opponent wouldn’t let him pass easily but still delayed a moment.
He only passed the ball after deceiving Happia into making a tackle.
The football rolled towards the goal.
Adriano and Deng Kai both sprinted forward like arrows.
Adriano slightly to the left,
Deng Kai slightly to the right, running towards the near post.
Bang!
Deng Kai lifted his right foot, and as the ball rolled past him, he hooked it behind him with his right foot!
The scorpion kick!
Everyone thought Deng Kai was going to pass the ball to Adriano or to David Silva at the top of the arc.
Unexpectedly, Deng Kai took a shot directly.
By the time the football rolled into the goal, Dudek hadn’t even reacted.
"GOAL! Deng Kai!"
"Hat-trick!"
"Five to two!"
"Manchester City has taken down Liverpool! There’s no doubt left in this match!"
After scoring, Deng Kai sprinted towards the corner flag area.
He waved his fingers, signaling the few fans in blue to follow his rhythm.
He leapt high.
The next moment, as if a god descended!
Though there were only a few hundred people, they erupted in a massive celebration: "Siuuuu!"
They had conquered Anfield!
Without surprise, after this game Liverpool’s league ranking would drop by three or four places.
Because of the intense competition in their points zone.
On the other hand, Manchester City... If Arsenal or Chelsea lost their games, would still be in the first group.
The Liverpool players watched Manchester City’s celebrations with a hint of helplessness.
However, Manchester City soon stopped celebrating.
Because Ribery, just after making the assist, had been knocked over by the unstoppable Happia and injured his leg.
Many on Manchester City’s side grew tense.
Brought on by Ribery’s significant role in the team’s offense.
This could be seen by his six assists leading the assist table so far.
Guardiola substituted Ribery with Torres.
The ninetieth minute.
David Silva made a straight pass.
The recently subbed-in Torres showed a style completely different from Ribery’s.
He kicked into overdrive!
Full sprint speed!
He broke out as fast as lightning!
Gerard subconsciously pulled and dragged down Torres, forgetting he had already received a yellow card.
As expected, the referee blew the whistle and then issued Gerard a second yellow followed by a red.
Double yellow turned into a red, Gerard was sent off the field.
Anguished cries filled Anfield.
Deng Kai helped Torres up, then took the football to the free-kick spot.
This was a spot twenty-four meters from the goal, a mid-range distance.
Deng Kai rotated the football in his hands, searching for the valve.
Then he set the ball down and took a step back.
Immediately, numerous jeering sounds reverberated around the stadium.
But if you could understand the jeers, you’d realize they were filled with nothing but fear.
Last season’s FA Cup final, last moments.
Deng Kai scored a sensational Elevator Ball, killing off the Gunners.
This season’s first match, the Community Shield.
Ronaldo finished off his hat-trick with an Elevator Ball during regular time, drawing Manchester City into overtime.
And now, the Elevator Ball was likely to appear a third time in the world of football.
With Deng Kai’s arms hanging down, he took the form of a caliper.
The booing from the crowd grew louder.
Bang!
Deng Kai kicked an Elevator Ball.
The football suddenly rose up.
Then, before the Liverpool fans could even crack a smile, it turned sharply downward, passing a stunned Dudek, and drilled into Liverpool’s goal.
Swoosh!
A surge of white spray erupted.
"GOAL!"
"Deng Kai’s Elevator Ball directly hits the net, completing a grand slam!"
"Too strong! This Manchester City is too strong!"
"Not only can they score big against weaker teams, but they can also hammer six goals against the top teams of the Premier League!"
"Who can withstand this?"
"This is Manchester City’s sixth consecutive victory across all competitions! It’s also their fourth consecutive win in the Premier League!"
"Since Chelsea and Arsenal’s matches haven’t ended yet, they are currently in first place in the Premier League!"
"Have you ever seen Manchester City in first place in the Premier League?"
"This is the first time in history that Manchester City has been ranked first in the Premier League!"
"This is a historic moment!"
In the end, the match ended with Manchester City defeating Liverpool by six to three.
The people of Manchester City proudly walked out of Liverpool, snatching three points along the way.
...
After the match, major media outlets waved their flags in support of Manchester City’s victory.
"Grand Slam! King Kai pushes back into the top five of the Premier League scorers with one game!"
"Ten goals, six assists! Deng Kai’s efficiency surpasses Adriano, once again becoming Manchester City’s best!"
"Six to Three! Manchester City conquers Anfield! Gerard’s red card exit, hard to hide the sorrow!"
"Fowler’s passes and shots bite back the old club, still hard for Liverpool to repel Manchester City! The Blue Moon storm is sweeping over the Premier League!"
"Manchester City defeats Liverpool, claiming a five-game winning streak in all competitions! Temporarily top of the Premier League!"
"Arsenal, Chelsea each beat their opponents, the three big teams still maintain an undefeated league record!"
So far, nearly three months into the season, only three teams haven’t lost a game in Europe’s top leagues.
That’s the Premier League’s top three!
Manchester United: ???
Liverpool: ???
Newcastle United: ???
In recent years, whether it’s been Leeds United or Newcastle United, they’ve all had their moments of glory.
Manchester United has even captured over half of the Premier League’s Championship Trophies with their own efforts.
How come you three are dubbed the top three?
And here, on October 25th, in the tenth round of the Premier League, Newcastle gave Manchester City a warning shot.
In this game, Desailly and Villa were starters, Ribery was injured in the previous game and it was expected to take more than a month to return to the team.
Manchester City opened the score in this game.
Deng Kai lofted a pass to the near post looking for Villa.
The latter received the ball, pulled wide, and sent in a semi-high cross.
Adriano’s header was off, but Deng Kai, who was charging in, broke through with a goal.
In the final moments of the first half,
Yaya Toure dribbled past defenders and delivered a cross from the right flank.
Villa received the ball and curled it into the net, scoring a spectacular worldie.
But as soon as the second half started, Desailly gave away a red card foul.
English Premier League legend Alan Shearer scored from the spot, pulling one back.
In the eightieth minute, a Newcastle full-back delivered a cross from the wing, Cech charged out and punched the football away.
But outside the box, bad boy Bowyer took a volley from distance, striking a wicked curve, equalizing Manchester City.
This ended Manchester City’s five-game winning streak.
Interestingly, Chelsea was also held to a draw in this round of matches.
Arsenal leads by two points.
Chelsea and Manchester City are tied on points, ranked second and third respectively.
Manchester United fourth, Newcastle fifth, Birmingham sixth, Liverpool seventh.
...
Team training day.
Feng Te actively approached Deng Kai, reporting some "civilian" situations.
Feng Te, "Because of Villa, Torres is very eager to compete. I think he needs some psychological guidance. Otherwise..."
