Capítulo 427: Chapter 427: The Pole - Romelu Lukaku!
Chapter 427: The Pole - Romelu Lukaku!
Good things often come with struggles. In the third round of the Premier League, Manchester City faced Everton away.
In the first half, neither team managed to score. Manchester City created numerous chances, but their forwards seemed to have forgotten their shooting boots, continuously missing scoring opportunities. Everton's goalkeeper, 36-year-old American Tim Howard, was in exceptional form, making multiple crucial saves, even stopping a sure goal from Lin Quan.
With Everton's goalkeeper performing so well, those on Manchester City's bench couldn't help but worry: Everton's home ground seemed hard to conquer. As Manchester United's little brother, Everton was bound to fight to the death against Manchester City, otherwise, they couldn't face their big brother.
Seeing Manchester City's fierce attacks, Everton retreated completely into defense, giving up on winning and aiming for a draw. As long as they could hold Manchester City to a draw, they could slow down Manchester City's progress and create an opportunity for Manchester United.
With the team unable to break through, Son Heung-min, sitting on the bench, began to worry. The team hadn't scored yet, and this was a situation of attacking against a fortified defense, which wasn't his strong suit. In such circumstances, Guardiola probably wouldn't bring him on. Did this mean his debut for Manchester City would be delayed again?
Just as Son Heung-min was feeling dejected, something unexpected happened. In the 67th minute, Toni Kroos took a powerful long shot that hit the post. The rebound should have flown far from the goal, but it hit the head of a tall, bald black player standing in the penalty area and flew into Everton's net before the goalkeeper could react...
Everton's fans were momentarily stunned, then an uproar ensued. What just happened? How did their own forward score an own goal? Could he be an undercover agent sent by the opponent? But he was from Chelsea before, wasn't he?
Not just Everton's fans, but even Manchester City's fans and players were dumbfounded. Lin Quan stared at Lukaku in disbelief. Had this guy activated the "Pole" attribute early? Lin Quan remembered that Lukaku activated this attribute at Manchester United, reaching its peak at Inter Milan.
In his previous life, Lin Quan saw a meme online where Lukaku, unable to distinguish his own goal, helped Manchester City score twice against Manchester United, making Mourinho furious. Seeing Lukaku's classic blunder today, Lin Quan couldn't help but laugh.
Lukaku seemed to have a knack for own goals. Despite being a forward, he often caused own goals. It was one thing to mess up in regular games, but even in crucial matches like the Champions League final, he managed to block his teammate's sure goal, costing Inter Milan the championship.
Making the own goal, Lukaku stood in disbelief. He had only been focused on defending, trying to help in the penalty area, but ended up making things worse.
"Tim, I didn't mean to!" Lukaku said with an innocent look as Howard and his teammates glared at him angrily. He really hadn't meant it; it was just poor positioning and bad luck that led to such an inexplicable goal.
Howard suppressed his urge to punch someone. He had been in top form this match, thinking he could keep a clean sheet against Manchester City, but hadn't expected to be betrayed by his own teammate.
"Go on, attack now. We're behind and need goals," Howard said, controlling his anger and telling Lukaku to stay away from his goal and get upfield to attack. There was still time, and if they hurried, they might equalize. A clean sheet was out of the question, but getting a point would still be a mission accomplished for Everton.
However, leading the game gave Manchester City a significant advantage, making breaking down Everton's defense much easier. With Everton forced to attack, they couldn't commit as many players to defense, exposing their weaknesses.
In the 72nd minute, Manchester City executed a series of combinations on the wing. Lin Quan and De Bruyne used wall passes to break through, and both entered the penalty area. Howard, thinking Lin Quan would shoot, came out to block him, but Lin Quan passed to De Bruyne, who calmly slotted the ball into the empty net, making it 2-0.
Everton's fans felt like they had been doused with cold water. In just five minutes, the game had turned completely. Their team had fallen from the sky to the depths. Forget about winning; even holding on for a draw seemed impossible.
Seeing his team extend the lead, Guardiola smiled and applauded. Despite the struggles, the result was satisfactory. Glancing at the match time, Guardiola turned to Son Heung-min on the bench.
"Son, go warm up!"
"Yes, boss!" Son Heung-min sprang from the bench and quickly ran to the sidelines to warm up.
"This kid is full of fight!" Assistant coach Torrent said, smiling at Guardiola.
"Yes, that's a good thing!" Guardiola nodded, expecting a good performance from Son Heung-min. He had surprised him in the European Super Cup; let's see how he would do in this match.
A few minutes later, after warming up, Son Heung-min came on, replacing De Bruyne, who had scored. Position-wise, it would have made more sense to replace Lin Quan, but Son Heung-min had the best understanding with Lin Quan among his new teammates. If Lin Quan was taken off, Son might struggle to even get the ball as his teammates would subconsciously pass to more familiar players.
Guardiola's consideration showed he was taking care of Son Heung-min.
At Goodison Park, some Korean fans were present, including Korean students studying in Europe and fans who had traveled from Korea just for this match. Needless to say, they were there for Son Heung-min. After his transfer from Leverkusen to Manchester City, his popularity in Korea had skyrocketed, making him a national star.
Although Manchester City isn't a top club like Barcelona or Real Madrid, they have been the strongest team in Europe over the past two years. Joining Manchester City means having a bright future and countless honors, just like Park Ji-sung when he joined Manchester United. Moreover, compared to Park Ji-sung, Son Heung-min is an attacking player, closer to the opponent's goal, with more opportunities to shoot and score. This means he will appear more often on camera and have more chances to shine.
As a result, the support from South Koreans for Son Heung-min is even greater than what Park Ji-sung received. Seeing Son Heung-min finally take the field, these South Korean fans cheered loudly, chanting his name and holding up banners to support him.
Hearing the cheers from his home fans, Son Heung-min felt his blood boil with excitement, eager to sprint down the field and score against Everton. However, after he came on, it seemed like his teammates didn't notice him at all and rarely passed him the ball.
Manchester City's players were still more accustomed to passing the ball to Lin Quan. After all, giving the ball to Lin Quan was the safest option. If they rashly passed to the newcomer and lost possession, it could lead to a dangerous counterattack from the opponent. Lin Quan had no prejudice against Son Heung-min but noticed that he often had defenders close by. Lin Quan knew Son Heung-min's dribbling skills well; passing to him when marked would be useless or even lead to losing the ball. So, Lin Quan didn't pass to him either.
Guardiola frowned but didn't blame the players on the field. Instead, he gestured to Son Heung-min, telling him to move and find open spaces so he could receive passes from his teammates. Seeing Guardiola's gesture, Son Heung-min immediately complied. The Everton player marking him had played over seventy minutes and couldn't keep up with the fresh-legged Son Heung-min.
In the 83rd minute, Lin Quan seized the opportunity and finally passed the ball to Son Heung-min. The timing and power of the pass were perfect, allowing Son Heung-min to comfortably control the ball and accelerate into the penalty area. Perhaps underestimating him because he hadn't received the ball much before, Everton's defense was slow to react, leaving Son Heung-min with a clear path to the goal.
Guardiola stood up from the bench, watching intently to see Son Heung-min's decision. Everton's goalkeeper, Howard, came out to block the shot. Given Howard's current form, Son Heung-min's chances of scoring weren't high. However, if he passed the ball across the goal, Lin Quan, who was following up in the middle, would have a guaranteed scoring opportunity.
Facing the temptation to score, Son Heung-min chose to pass. He saw his teammate in the middle with his peripheral vision and passed the ball before Howard could reach him. Although the pass was a bit too close to the goal and fast, it worked out because the defender couldn't clear it in time. Lin Quan slid in and scored, making it 3-0.
Manchester City had effectively sealed the game. After scoring, Lin Quan quickly got up, smiling and pointing at Son Heung-min, signaling him to celebrate together. Son Heung-min was thrilled; he had worried his pass was poor, but Lin Quan still managed to score, giving him an assist.
In the end, Manchester City defeated Everton 3-0 away, maintaining their lead at the top of the table. Son Heung-min, who came on as a substitute, played 21 minutes, providing one assist. It was a great debut for him. However, the lack of understanding with his teammates was an issue he needed to address. Gaining their trust would require consistent effort in training and matches.
After the third round of the Premier League, the standings changed significantly. The four previously unbeaten teams all stumbled in this round, except for Manchester City, who secured their third consecutive victory. Manchester United, Leicester City, and Liverpool's winning streaks were all broken.
Manchester United was held to a 0-0 draw by Newcastle at home, Liverpool played a goalless draw against Arsenal away, and Leicester City drew 1-1 with Tottenham at home. With these three teams dropping points, Manchester City emerged as the biggest beneficiary, leading the table by two points after just three rounds. As predicted, it seemed like the Premier League title was theirs to lose this season.
Interestingly, Mourinho, who had made bold claims earlier, faced backlash after Manchester United's draw with Newcastle, especially from Chelsea fans. Chelsea, meanwhile, had narrowly beaten West Bromwich Albion away, earning valuable three points and seeing a glimmer of hope to escape their slump.
Furthermore, Chelsea's owner, Abramovich, had agreed with Hiddink to take over the team again. With Hiddink at the helm, Chelsea's chaotic situation might soon stabilize, allowing them to catch up with teams like Manchester United. With only a three-point gap, one win could close the distance, and Chelsea had the potential to do so.
On August 27, the draw for the 2015-2016 Champions League group stage took place in Monaco. As the top favorite, Manchester City's group placement was a major concern for fans of all teams. No one wanted their team to face Manchester City in the group stage.
The draw placed Manchester City in Group D, alongside last season's Champions League opponents, Juventus. Juventus fans were dismayed, recalling how Manchester City knocked them out in the quarterfinals last year. Meeting this formidable opponent in the group stage this year seemed like a tough fate, likely relegating them to second place and a challenging path in the knockout stages
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