Chapter 349: Kill the game alone and defend the EFL Cup!
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Liu Nian Fei Shui
Chapter 349: Kill the game alone and defend the EFL Cup!
"Arsenal's counterattack was really quick. From the right corner of the penalty area to Martin's goal, the whole process only took 13 seconds..."
Speaking of this, Lex Sports commentator Zhan Jun said loudly: "But the most important thing is Martin's volley. If it were any other player, even Van Persie, who is good at volleys, would have a hard time scoring. It was done by running at high speed." The shooting action perfectly combines inertia and leg strength, and it is precisely because of this that De Gea, who has excellent goal-line skills, has no reaction."
The live director gave Martin a close-up shot.
A large number of female fans in front of the TV looked at that handsome face and smiled evilly. They couldn't help but squeeze their legs and let out an uncontrollable moan: "So handsome~"
The new Wembley Stadium has completely become a sea of joy for Arsenal fans, and the passion they released has completely driven neutral fans to shout Martin's name along with them.
Shouts were overwhelming, wave after wave.
He also seemed particularly excited to score the opening goal. He stood there with his hands raised behind his ears as if listening.
"Martin—"
The Arsenal fans and neutral fans at the scene were very knowledgeable and responded to Martin immediately.
Manchester United head coach Mourinho did not show any dissatisfaction with this conceded goal.
If Arsenal scored a goal through a regular counterattack, they would definitely have to vent, but Martin's volley was entirely the star's personal ability.
Perhaps it can be said that the players did not defend well.
But there are some players that you simply can't defend completely.
If you can't keep up with the speed, everything is in vain.
Looking at the high-spirited Martin, Mourinho thought of the summer of 2015 again.
"Farke! This guy Arsene is really cheap!"
The game restarts.
Manchester United, which was lagging behind, had no choice but to create opportunities by strengthening its offense.
The balance was broken, and the Manchester United players also knew that defending would not equalize the score, but on the contrary would widen the point difference.
Ibrahimovic is full of desire to score goals. When his teammates perform poorly, he is forced to open his arsenal and use his personal ability to create a threat to Ospina's goal.
It's a pity that my feet didn't feel good today. Two consecutive long-range shots were either too high or too high.
In the 63rd minute of the game, Manchester United took the lead in making personnel adjustments.
Rooney replaces Lingard and Rashford replaces Martial.
After completing the adjustment, Manchester United's offense has not changed much. On the contrary, the substitute players still need to re-adapt to the rhythm on the field and reduce the quality of the offense.
But this is also impossible.
Lingard and Martial have little effect on the court. Mourinho obviously wants to use Rashford, who has been in good form recently, and experienced veteran captain Rooney to break the game to see if he can create some opportunities.
Arsenal did not make personnel adjustments until the 68th minute of the game.
Xhaka replaces Ramsey.
2 minutes later, Walcott replaced Welbeck.
As the game entered the 10th minute, the physical fitness of the starting players on both sides dropped significantly, and the pace slowed down.
But neither team took it lightly, because it was also very easy to score goals during this period.
Decreased physical fitness means that concentration will decrease. Once the opponent's attack is smooth and coordinated, it will be too late to react.
No special reminder from Mourinho is needed, the Manchester United players on the field know what to do.
Stabilize the situation first.
It's true to be one goal behind, but as long as the score is not stretched, it will be easy to equalize the score.
Manchester United players played with the mentality of stability first, waiting until Arsenal's offensive rhythm slowed down before delivering a fatal blow.
It's a great idea, but it's a pity that it's very difficult to turn it into reality.
Wenger's use of Xhaka to replace Ramsey was mainly reflected in controlling the game.
Kante is the main defender and occasionally assists in transitional transfers. Xhaka, who cooperates with Martin, is increasingly adapting to the existing Arsenal tactical system and can well connect the two ends of the offense and defense.
Without the pressure of organization and defense, Martin can focus more on offense.
As time went on, Manchester United's defenders felt more and more pressure.
Mourinho, who was standing in the technical area commanded by the home team coach, frowned and stared at the court.
Obviously, he is looking for problems exposed on both ends of Arsenal's offense and defense.
As the best head coach in world football today, Mourinho is famous for his substitution adjustments.
What bothered him was that neither adjustment had even the slightest effect.
So, he was wondering whether to play the third card.
In the 76th minute, Martin received a cross pass from Walcott on the right side of the attack and made a slight adjustment. The cross he sent accurately found Cavani between Smalling and Bailly. The latter jumped high. The header is powerful.
Just as he was about to fly into the goal, De Gea turned sideways and just knocked the football out.
Smalling belatedly made a big-footed clearance and kicked the ball out of the sideline.
"wowowooooooo——"
Immediately, subconscious exclamations from Manchester United fans rang out over the new Wembley Stadium.
Mourinho on the sidelines breathed a sigh of relief.
Wenger shook his head regretfully and sighed.
If this goal is scored, there will be no suspense in the game.
One minute later, Martin again sent a wonderful pass from the right. Cavani turned his back to the goal from the penalty spot and used his chest to push the ball back. Then he inserted Xhaka who participated in the attack and reached the top area of the penalty area without stopping the ball. The quality of the low shot with the left foot is very high.
It was De Gea who performed bravely again. His De Gea blocked the ball, escaped from the outside of the left goal post, and hit the billboard behind the goal.
Mourinho couldn't sit still, he knew he had to make one last adjustment.
But not now, but wait.
When defending corner kicks, substitutions are the most taboo.
Manchester United's corner kick defense adopts man-to-man defense, focusing on marking Arsenal's players with excellent header ability.
Although this method can easily be taken away by the movement and create space, but after looking at several players with excellent header ability, the football was easily obtained by De Gea who hit the line of the small penalty area.
The broadcast showed the scene. Fellaini, who had an afro, was stuffing his jersey into his shorts. Next to him stood assistant coach Faria, who was holding a tactical manual. Mourinho was talking about tactics from time to time.
Regarding the use of Fellaini, Mourinho uses it as a defensive midfielder when he starts or leads the score. Most of his substitute appearances are used as a center.
I have to say, the effect is really good.
Of course, this is also related to the lack of strength of Manchester United's bench players.
If only Guardiola had full options to buy and sell players, Manchester United would definitely become the most difficult team to deal with in the Premier League.
Since there was no dead ball, Fellaini had to wait on the sidelines.
Manchester United's attack from the backcourt was passed down continuously, and the football was quickly given to captain Rooney.
Leshi sports commentator Zhan Jun said naturally: "I have Lu Xiaopang in my family, and I am blessed and healthy. I just don't know if I will score a goal in this game..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Rooney, who had received the ball, faked a shot from the front of the penalty area and deflected Xhaka away, and then shot.
Unexpectedly, Kanter's defense was very timely. He put his hands behind his back and stretched out his feet to block.
The football that originally flew towards the goal bounced back, but in the direction of Rooney's right rear.
Pogba, who was closest, pounced, intending to delay the attack.
Mourinho couldn't help but nodded when he saw Pogba's enthusiasm.
Normally, it's still very reliable.
However, Sanchez is not tall, but his kick frequency is faster. Before Pogba can get close to him, the arch of his right foot returned the football to Xhaka who was facing the attack.
Xhaka, who pressed forward to the top of the penalty area and was about two meters away, also kicked the ball and passed it straight to Martin.
Herrera has been used as a purely defensive midfielder in Manchester United's tactical system, so when Manchester United attacks, he will not be too far away from Martin, so he can meet him immediately, but because he has a yellow card on his back Will affect the quality of defense.
Martin had a wide field of vision and not only noticed Herrera who was following him, but also Cavani who was standing almost in a straight line with him.
Therefore, Martin, who was facing the football, diverged his legs the moment he touched the ball and missed the ball. Then he used his right foot as the axis and relied on his 98% balance ability to instantly complete two [-]-degree turns to the right.
Herrera saw the football rolling against the ground, and his instinctive reaction was to reach for it.
Naturally, the result was half a beat too late. By the time he raised his hand to grab someone regardless of the risk of receiving a yellow card, it was already too late.
Bailly saw Martin get away from Herrera and decisively kicked Cavani down after receiving the ball.
However, the referee Oliver did not blow the whistle for a foul. He held the whistle in his mouth and raised his hands forward to signal that the offensive game would continue.
Before Cavani fell to the ground, he took the lead and directed the ball towards Martin.
"aoaoaoaooaooooo——"
The Arsenal fans at the new Wembley Stadium became excited and the chants were deafening.
Mourinho, Faria and Fellaini, who were standing in the technical area commanded by the home team's coach, were all stunned, their solemn expressions completely showing their nervousness.
Martin, who was starting at full speed, used the toes of his left foot to lightly poke the football that Cavani had passed forward. He jumped up, dodged Valencia who was shoveling from the side, and pursued the football without losing speed.
Seeing this, Mourinho raised his hand to his forehead, turned his back, and closed his eyes in pain.
Let Martin take the ball out comfortably, but the defensive players are too scattered.
You can only think about it with your toes...
The eyes of the world are all on Martin, who dribbles at high speed.
Bailly fouled Cavani and he fell to the ground. Valencia made a reckless tackle and lost his position. The only player defending Martin was Smalling, who was not very fast. Facing Martin, who was getting closer and closer, he chose to fight and retreat, waiting to see if he could wait for Rojo to come over to help defend.
Two-person defense always has advantages over individual defense.
Martin would not give a chance to encircle him. He was very fast. He passed the center line in a few strides and rushed towards Smalling, who was five meters away.
The most direct way to face a big central defender who is over 1.9 meters tall and has little speed is to use his speed advantage to change direction in advance.
That way the opponent won't even have time to commit a foul.
There were still about three or four meters away. Martin moved the ball half a meter to the right with the outside instep of his right foot. Smalling, who was always nervous, instinctively moved half a step inward.
It was precisely this move that caused him to completely lose the opportunity to defend.
Martin used the outside instep to move the ball more than half a meter to the right in order to connect with the inside of the instep and dunk the ball in the direction of travel.
Smolin, who had just put his center of gravity in, looked at Martin who changed direction and suddenly became extremely desperate.
"Pretty!"
Lex Sports commentator Zhan Jun was waiting for this moment. As a die-hard Liverpool fan, it was very exciting to see Manchester United's defense easily broken through by Martin.
At the same time, the only thing Smalling can do is to take advantage of his height and long legs to take a small step out and stretch his right foot to trip someone.
He knows that it is impossible to steal the ball, and the only reason is to foul.
Even if he gets a red card, he won't hesitate.
Falling behind by one goal may equalize the score, but falling behind by two goals means there is no way back.
High risks come with high rewards, but in many cases they may not be rewarded.
Martin was fast and explosive, and he passed by with lightning speed in just a few strides. Smalling's step shovel only kicked up a ball of air.
"aoaoaooaoaooaoo——"
The Arsenal fans at the new Wembley Stadium became even more crazy, shouting like a mountain and a tsunami.
Martin broke through Smalling and reached the front of the penalty area in just three seconds.
Until then, De Gea, who was afraid of Martin's goal, roared in his heart and attacked from the center of the small penalty area.
Martin has never missed a single kick since the beginning of his career.
Facing De Gea, who lacked confidence, he kicked and hit the goal as soon as he crossed the penalty area line.
With a push from the arch of his right foot, the football was knocked away from De Gea's crotch, where his center of gravity was lowered.
De Gea, who had long planned to use De Gea to sit on the lotus, was half a beat too slow. The football running close to the ground rolled him over first, passed the goal line, and hit the snow-white net...
※※※※※
"Goooooooooooooooal—"
"The ball went in! Martin scored with a single shot!"
"Another wonderful solo goal! Arsenal leads Manchester United 2:0!"
"David De Gea didn't save Manchester United, Martin's game-killing goal!"
"Martin is as stable as ever! 2:0! Arsenal is in sight of defending the EFL Cup!"
……
The commentators in the live commentary box/live broadcast room were speaking passionately at this moment.
The visiting team coach directed Wenger in the technical area to applaud gracefully, then turned around and hugged his assistant to celebrate the goal.
The players on the bench also raised their arms and shouted, expressing their joy at expanding the score.
The Arsenal players on the field surrounded Martin and celebrated this wonderful goal that almost sealed the victory.
The Arsenal fans in the audience were as excited as children, dancing and dancing.
Although the gold content of this championship is not high, but... who would dislike having too many championships?
Manchester United fans had obviously guessed the final outcome, and they all looked decadent.
Their head coach Mourinho pursed his lips and didn't speak for a long time.
It was Fellaini who broke the silence. He scratched the back of his head and asked sheepishly: "My head, do I still want to go up?"
Mourinho hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Let's go, but the tactics have been slightly adjusted. You replace Ander, defend well first, and when the offense hits the wing, actively run into the penalty area..."
Many tactics have been practiced at the Carrington training base, and only the players on the field need to be told which tactics to use.
Replacing Herrera was a yellow card.
If his wealth were innocent, according to his style, he would have stopped people where they were.
Immediately, the live director restored the entire process of Arsenal's goal to expand the score.
Starting from the time Rooney's long-range shot was blocked, Sanchez and Xhaka both kicked the ball, and the cooperation was very enjoyable to watch. Martin's turn of the ball was amazing, and Cavani's non-stop ball return was just right.
Finally, it’s Martin’s one-man show.
Using his speed and technical advantages to get past Smalling, he was very calm when facing De Gea and succeeded with a low shot from three directions.
For Manchester United, a two-goal deficit has become a reality. They can only take advantage of the kick-off to create scoring opportunities as soon as possible, otherwise they will be completely out of luck when the game enters the 85th minute.
Arsenal, who are two goals ahead, are used to playing when they are ahead.
The defense is not impregnable, but Manchester United does not have many offensive routines in positional warfare.
It mainly plays around the two wings, and then uses the three high points of Ibrahimovic, Fellaini, and Pogba to compete for the top in the penalty area.
Arsenal's air defense is also good. Van Dijk, Koscielny and Martin all have strong header capabilities.
In the 83rd minute of the game, Arsenal played the last card.
Mertesacker replaced Kante after returning from injury.
Manchester United, who were eager to score, did not play in the middle at all, leaving Kante, who was less than 1.7 meters tall, of little use. Martin retreated and partnered with Xhaka.
In the remaining game time, focus on stability and wait for the opportunity to kill the game.
Mertesacker is 1.9 meters tall. He can act as a deterrent in the penalty area even if he cannot grab the landing spot.
Martin once again forced Fellaini to push the ball out of the penalty area. His clearance direction was very purposeful, and he gave it to Sanchez.
In order to prevent Arsenal from counterattacking and killing the game, Mata could only foul.
Arsenal are leading, so naturally they won't be in a hurry to kick off.
Delay within reasonable limits.
The same is true for short-distance free kicks taken out of the backcourt. Use passes to reasonably consume the game time.
Martin and Xhaka are both masters at controlling the rhythm of the game, and captain Martin has superb foot skills.
Anyway, according to Wenger, when in doubt, just give the ball to Martin.
If there are fewer people on defense, you can control the ball easily, but if you have more people, you can move the ball accurately.
Manchester United's defensive players were in trouble and didn't know what to do.
If there are more people grabbing Martin, there will be fewer people in other positions. In this case, he can always take the ball out and win the opportunity for the other side to beat more with less.
Had it not been for a serious decline in physical fitness, Cavani could have killed the game.
Time passed by second by second, and soon it came to the 88th minute of the game. The scoreboard still showed 0:2.
Mourinho couldn't help but sigh as he watched his side's attack return in vain again. His side switched from offense to defense and had nothing to do against Martin who was in possession of the ball.
He knew that there was no chance of his first championship.
When the referee Oliver blew the final whistle of the game, the scoreboard still showed 0:2.
"competition is over!"
"competition is over!"
"Congratulations to Arsenal! With Martin's two goals, they defeated Manchester United 2:0 at the New Wembley Stadium and won the 2016-2017 EFL Cup! Successfully defended the title!"
Leshi sports commentator Zhan Jun said impassionedly.
"aoaooaooooooooo——"
Meanwhile, Arsenal fans at the new Wembley Stadium erupted into hysterical chants, cheering for their team's successful title defense.
The Arsenal players who won the game hugged each other, and coach Wenger walked towards his old rival Mourinho with a smile and said some words of comfort.
Although Mourinho was very unhappy, as the saying goes, don't hit the smiling person.
Wenger had no skin at all. He patted Mourinho on the shoulder, turned around and went straight into the stadium to celebrate the victory with the players on the field.
The live director gave Martin a close-up shot.
There is no doubt that he is the best player in this game!
All the reporters in the mixed zone flocked to Martin.
The Arsenal captain, who led the team to victory, was in a very good mood and was very cooperative in interviews with media reporters.
As long as it doesn't involve personal privacy or team tactics, I can talk about everything I know.
The staff of the English Professional Football League took advantage of the Arsenal players to celebrate the victory and got busy one by one, setting up a temporary podium in the middle of the stadium facing the stands.
The most fanatical moment in the audience was undoubtedly the moment when captain Martin raised the championship trophy.
"Friends who are gun fans, are you ready?"
Martin took over the championship trophy that symbolizes the EFL Cup. Lexus sports commentator Zhan Jun's voice suddenly rose an octave higher. Seeing Martin holding the championship trophy high, he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Arsenal is the champion!"
(End of this chapter)
"Arsenal's counterattack was really quick. From the right corner of the penalty area to Martin's goal, the whole process only took 13 seconds..."
Speaking of this, Lex Sports commentator Zhan Jun said loudly: "But the most important thing is Martin's volley. If it were any other player, even Van Persie, who is good at volleys, would have a hard time scoring. It was done by running at high speed." The shooting action perfectly combines inertia and leg strength, and it is precisely because of this that De Gea, who has excellent goal-line skills, has no reaction."
The live director gave Martin a close-up shot.
A large number of female fans in front of the TV looked at that handsome face and smiled evilly. They couldn't help but squeeze their legs and let out an uncontrollable moan: "So handsome~"
The new Wembley Stadium has completely become a sea of joy for Arsenal fans, and the passion they released has completely driven neutral fans to shout Martin's name along with them.
Shouts were overwhelming, wave after wave.
He also seemed particularly excited to score the opening goal. He stood there with his hands raised behind his ears as if listening.
"Martin—"
The Arsenal fans and neutral fans at the scene were very knowledgeable and responded to Martin immediately.
Manchester United head coach Mourinho did not show any dissatisfaction with this conceded goal.
If Arsenal scored a goal through a regular counterattack, they would definitely have to vent, but Martin's volley was entirely the star's personal ability.
Perhaps it can be said that the players did not defend well.
But there are some players that you simply can't defend completely.
If you can't keep up with the speed, everything is in vain.
Looking at the high-spirited Martin, Mourinho thought of the summer of 2015 again.
"Farke! This guy Arsene is really cheap!"
The game restarts.
Manchester United, which was lagging behind, had no choice but to create opportunities by strengthening its offense.
The balance was broken, and the Manchester United players also knew that defending would not equalize the score, but on the contrary would widen the point difference.
Ibrahimovic is full of desire to score goals. When his teammates perform poorly, he is forced to open his arsenal and use his personal ability to create a threat to Ospina's goal.
It's a pity that my feet didn't feel good today. Two consecutive long-range shots were either too high or too high.
In the 63rd minute of the game, Manchester United took the lead in making personnel adjustments.
Rooney replaces Lingard and Rashford replaces Martial.
After completing the adjustment, Manchester United's offense has not changed much. On the contrary, the substitute players still need to re-adapt to the rhythm on the field and reduce the quality of the offense.
But this is also impossible.
Lingard and Martial have little effect on the court. Mourinho obviously wants to use Rashford, who has been in good form recently, and experienced veteran captain Rooney to break the game to see if he can create some opportunities.
Arsenal did not make personnel adjustments until the 68th minute of the game.
Xhaka replaces Ramsey.
2 minutes later, Walcott replaced Welbeck.
As the game entered the 10th minute, the physical fitness of the starting players on both sides dropped significantly, and the pace slowed down.
But neither team took it lightly, because it was also very easy to score goals during this period.
Decreased physical fitness means that concentration will decrease. Once the opponent's attack is smooth and coordinated, it will be too late to react.
No special reminder from Mourinho is needed, the Manchester United players on the field know what to do.
Stabilize the situation first.
It's true to be one goal behind, but as long as the score is not stretched, it will be easy to equalize the score.
Manchester United players played with the mentality of stability first, waiting until Arsenal's offensive rhythm slowed down before delivering a fatal blow.
It's a great idea, but it's a pity that it's very difficult to turn it into reality.
Wenger's use of Xhaka to replace Ramsey was mainly reflected in controlling the game.
Kante is the main defender and occasionally assists in transitional transfers. Xhaka, who cooperates with Martin, is increasingly adapting to the existing Arsenal tactical system and can well connect the two ends of the offense and defense.
Without the pressure of organization and defense, Martin can focus more on offense.
As time went on, Manchester United's defenders felt more and more pressure.
Mourinho, who was standing in the technical area commanded by the home team coach, frowned and stared at the court.
Obviously, he is looking for problems exposed on both ends of Arsenal's offense and defense.
As the best head coach in world football today, Mourinho is famous for his substitution adjustments.
What bothered him was that neither adjustment had even the slightest effect.
So, he was wondering whether to play the third card.
In the 76th minute, Martin received a cross pass from Walcott on the right side of the attack and made a slight adjustment. The cross he sent accurately found Cavani between Smalling and Bailly. The latter jumped high. The header is powerful.
Just as he was about to fly into the goal, De Gea turned sideways and just knocked the football out.
Smalling belatedly made a big-footed clearance and kicked the ball out of the sideline.
"wowowooooooo——"
Immediately, subconscious exclamations from Manchester United fans rang out over the new Wembley Stadium.
Mourinho on the sidelines breathed a sigh of relief.
Wenger shook his head regretfully and sighed.
If this goal is scored, there will be no suspense in the game.
One minute later, Martin again sent a wonderful pass from the right. Cavani turned his back to the goal from the penalty spot and used his chest to push the ball back. Then he inserted Xhaka who participated in the attack and reached the top area of the penalty area without stopping the ball. The quality of the low shot with the left foot is very high.
It was De Gea who performed bravely again. His De Gea blocked the ball, escaped from the outside of the left goal post, and hit the billboard behind the goal.
Mourinho couldn't sit still, he knew he had to make one last adjustment.
But not now, but wait.
When defending corner kicks, substitutions are the most taboo.
Manchester United's corner kick defense adopts man-to-man defense, focusing on marking Arsenal's players with excellent header ability.
Although this method can easily be taken away by the movement and create space, but after looking at several players with excellent header ability, the football was easily obtained by De Gea who hit the line of the small penalty area.
The broadcast showed the scene. Fellaini, who had an afro, was stuffing his jersey into his shorts. Next to him stood assistant coach Faria, who was holding a tactical manual. Mourinho was talking about tactics from time to time.
Regarding the use of Fellaini, Mourinho uses it as a defensive midfielder when he starts or leads the score. Most of his substitute appearances are used as a center.
I have to say, the effect is really good.
Of course, this is also related to the lack of strength of Manchester United's bench players.
If only Guardiola had full options to buy and sell players, Manchester United would definitely become the most difficult team to deal with in the Premier League.
Since there was no dead ball, Fellaini had to wait on the sidelines.
Manchester United's attack from the backcourt was passed down continuously, and the football was quickly given to captain Rooney.
Leshi sports commentator Zhan Jun said naturally: "I have Lu Xiaopang in my family, and I am blessed and healthy. I just don't know if I will score a goal in this game..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Rooney, who had received the ball, faked a shot from the front of the penalty area and deflected Xhaka away, and then shot.
Unexpectedly, Kanter's defense was very timely. He put his hands behind his back and stretched out his feet to block.
The football that originally flew towards the goal bounced back, but in the direction of Rooney's right rear.
Pogba, who was closest, pounced, intending to delay the attack.
Mourinho couldn't help but nodded when he saw Pogba's enthusiasm.
Normally, it's still very reliable.
However, Sanchez is not tall, but his kick frequency is faster. Before Pogba can get close to him, the arch of his right foot returned the football to Xhaka who was facing the attack.
Xhaka, who pressed forward to the top of the penalty area and was about two meters away, also kicked the ball and passed it straight to Martin.
Herrera has been used as a purely defensive midfielder in Manchester United's tactical system, so when Manchester United attacks, he will not be too far away from Martin, so he can meet him immediately, but because he has a yellow card on his back Will affect the quality of defense.
Martin had a wide field of vision and not only noticed Herrera who was following him, but also Cavani who was standing almost in a straight line with him.
Therefore, Martin, who was facing the football, diverged his legs the moment he touched the ball and missed the ball. Then he used his right foot as the axis and relied on his 98% balance ability to instantly complete two [-]-degree turns to the right.
Herrera saw the football rolling against the ground, and his instinctive reaction was to reach for it.
Naturally, the result was half a beat too late. By the time he raised his hand to grab someone regardless of the risk of receiving a yellow card, it was already too late.
Bailly saw Martin get away from Herrera and decisively kicked Cavani down after receiving the ball.
However, the referee Oliver did not blow the whistle for a foul. He held the whistle in his mouth and raised his hands forward to signal that the offensive game would continue.
Before Cavani fell to the ground, he took the lead and directed the ball towards Martin.
"aoaoaoaooaooooo——"
The Arsenal fans at the new Wembley Stadium became excited and the chants were deafening.
Mourinho, Faria and Fellaini, who were standing in the technical area commanded by the home team's coach, were all stunned, their solemn expressions completely showing their nervousness.
Martin, who was starting at full speed, used the toes of his left foot to lightly poke the football that Cavani had passed forward. He jumped up, dodged Valencia who was shoveling from the side, and pursued the football without losing speed.
Seeing this, Mourinho raised his hand to his forehead, turned his back, and closed his eyes in pain.
Let Martin take the ball out comfortably, but the defensive players are too scattered.
You can only think about it with your toes...
The eyes of the world are all on Martin, who dribbles at high speed.
Bailly fouled Cavani and he fell to the ground. Valencia made a reckless tackle and lost his position. The only player defending Martin was Smalling, who was not very fast. Facing Martin, who was getting closer and closer, he chose to fight and retreat, waiting to see if he could wait for Rojo to come over to help defend.
Two-person defense always has advantages over individual defense.
Martin would not give a chance to encircle him. He was very fast. He passed the center line in a few strides and rushed towards Smalling, who was five meters away.
The most direct way to face a big central defender who is over 1.9 meters tall and has little speed is to use his speed advantage to change direction in advance.
That way the opponent won't even have time to commit a foul.
There were still about three or four meters away. Martin moved the ball half a meter to the right with the outside instep of his right foot. Smalling, who was always nervous, instinctively moved half a step inward.
It was precisely this move that caused him to completely lose the opportunity to defend.
Martin used the outside instep to move the ball more than half a meter to the right in order to connect with the inside of the instep and dunk the ball in the direction of travel.
Smolin, who had just put his center of gravity in, looked at Martin who changed direction and suddenly became extremely desperate.
"Pretty!"
Lex Sports commentator Zhan Jun was waiting for this moment. As a die-hard Liverpool fan, it was very exciting to see Manchester United's defense easily broken through by Martin.
At the same time, the only thing Smalling can do is to take advantage of his height and long legs to take a small step out and stretch his right foot to trip someone.
He knows that it is impossible to steal the ball, and the only reason is to foul.
Even if he gets a red card, he won't hesitate.
Falling behind by one goal may equalize the score, but falling behind by two goals means there is no way back.
High risks come with high rewards, but in many cases they may not be rewarded.
Martin was fast and explosive, and he passed by with lightning speed in just a few strides. Smalling's step shovel only kicked up a ball of air.
"aoaoaooaoaooaoo——"
The Arsenal fans at the new Wembley Stadium became even more crazy, shouting like a mountain and a tsunami.
Martin broke through Smalling and reached the front of the penalty area in just three seconds.
Until then, De Gea, who was afraid of Martin's goal, roared in his heart and attacked from the center of the small penalty area.
Martin has never missed a single kick since the beginning of his career.
Facing De Gea, who lacked confidence, he kicked and hit the goal as soon as he crossed the penalty area line.
With a push from the arch of his right foot, the football was knocked away from De Gea's crotch, where his center of gravity was lowered.
De Gea, who had long planned to use De Gea to sit on the lotus, was half a beat too slow. The football running close to the ground rolled him over first, passed the goal line, and hit the snow-white net...
※※※※※
"Goooooooooooooooal—"
"The ball went in! Martin scored with a single shot!"
"Another wonderful solo goal! Arsenal leads Manchester United 2:0!"
"David De Gea didn't save Manchester United, Martin's game-killing goal!"
"Martin is as stable as ever! 2:0! Arsenal is in sight of defending the EFL Cup!"
……
The commentators in the live commentary box/live broadcast room were speaking passionately at this moment.
The visiting team coach directed Wenger in the technical area to applaud gracefully, then turned around and hugged his assistant to celebrate the goal.
The players on the bench also raised their arms and shouted, expressing their joy at expanding the score.
The Arsenal players on the field surrounded Martin and celebrated this wonderful goal that almost sealed the victory.
The Arsenal fans in the audience were as excited as children, dancing and dancing.
Although the gold content of this championship is not high, but... who would dislike having too many championships?
Manchester United fans had obviously guessed the final outcome, and they all looked decadent.
Their head coach Mourinho pursed his lips and didn't speak for a long time.
It was Fellaini who broke the silence. He scratched the back of his head and asked sheepishly: "My head, do I still want to go up?"
Mourinho hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Let's go, but the tactics have been slightly adjusted. You replace Ander, defend well first, and when the offense hits the wing, actively run into the penalty area..."
Many tactics have been practiced at the Carrington training base, and only the players on the field need to be told which tactics to use.
Replacing Herrera was a yellow card.
If his wealth were innocent, according to his style, he would have stopped people where they were.
Immediately, the live director restored the entire process of Arsenal's goal to expand the score.
Starting from the time Rooney's long-range shot was blocked, Sanchez and Xhaka both kicked the ball, and the cooperation was very enjoyable to watch. Martin's turn of the ball was amazing, and Cavani's non-stop ball return was just right.
Finally, it’s Martin’s one-man show.
Using his speed and technical advantages to get past Smalling, he was very calm when facing De Gea and succeeded with a low shot from three directions.
For Manchester United, a two-goal deficit has become a reality. They can only take advantage of the kick-off to create scoring opportunities as soon as possible, otherwise they will be completely out of luck when the game enters the 85th minute.
Arsenal, who are two goals ahead, are used to playing when they are ahead.
The defense is not impregnable, but Manchester United does not have many offensive routines in positional warfare.
It mainly plays around the two wings, and then uses the three high points of Ibrahimovic, Fellaini, and Pogba to compete for the top in the penalty area.
Arsenal's air defense is also good. Van Dijk, Koscielny and Martin all have strong header capabilities.
In the 83rd minute of the game, Arsenal played the last card.
Mertesacker replaced Kante after returning from injury.
Manchester United, who were eager to score, did not play in the middle at all, leaving Kante, who was less than 1.7 meters tall, of little use. Martin retreated and partnered with Xhaka.
In the remaining game time, focus on stability and wait for the opportunity to kill the game.
Mertesacker is 1.9 meters tall. He can act as a deterrent in the penalty area even if he cannot grab the landing spot.
Martin once again forced Fellaini to push the ball out of the penalty area. His clearance direction was very purposeful, and he gave it to Sanchez.
In order to prevent Arsenal from counterattacking and killing the game, Mata could only foul.
Arsenal are leading, so naturally they won't be in a hurry to kick off.
Delay within reasonable limits.
The same is true for short-distance free kicks taken out of the backcourt. Use passes to reasonably consume the game time.
Martin and Xhaka are both masters at controlling the rhythm of the game, and captain Martin has superb foot skills.
Anyway, according to Wenger, when in doubt, just give the ball to Martin.
If there are fewer people on defense, you can control the ball easily, but if you have more people, you can move the ball accurately.
Manchester United's defensive players were in trouble and didn't know what to do.
If there are more people grabbing Martin, there will be fewer people in other positions. In this case, he can always take the ball out and win the opportunity for the other side to beat more with less.
Had it not been for a serious decline in physical fitness, Cavani could have killed the game.
Time passed by second by second, and soon it came to the 88th minute of the game. The scoreboard still showed 0:2.
Mourinho couldn't help but sigh as he watched his side's attack return in vain again. His side switched from offense to defense and had nothing to do against Martin who was in possession of the ball.
He knew that there was no chance of his first championship.
When the referee Oliver blew the final whistle of the game, the scoreboard still showed 0:2.
"competition is over!"
"competition is over!"
"Congratulations to Arsenal! With Martin's two goals, they defeated Manchester United 2:0 at the New Wembley Stadium and won the 2016-2017 EFL Cup! Successfully defended the title!"
Leshi sports commentator Zhan Jun said impassionedly.
"aoaooaooooooooo——"
Meanwhile, Arsenal fans at the new Wembley Stadium erupted into hysterical chants, cheering for their team's successful title defense.
The Arsenal players who won the game hugged each other, and coach Wenger walked towards his old rival Mourinho with a smile and said some words of comfort.
Although Mourinho was very unhappy, as the saying goes, don't hit the smiling person.
Wenger had no skin at all. He patted Mourinho on the shoulder, turned around and went straight into the stadium to celebrate the victory with the players on the field.
The live director gave Martin a close-up shot.
There is no doubt that he is the best player in this game!
All the reporters in the mixed zone flocked to Martin.
The Arsenal captain, who led the team to victory, was in a very good mood and was very cooperative in interviews with media reporters.
As long as it doesn't involve personal privacy or team tactics, I can talk about everything I know.
The staff of the English Professional Football League took advantage of the Arsenal players to celebrate the victory and got busy one by one, setting up a temporary podium in the middle of the stadium facing the stands.
The most fanatical moment in the audience was undoubtedly the moment when captain Martin raised the championship trophy.
"Friends who are gun fans, are you ready?"
Martin took over the championship trophy that symbolizes the EFL Cup. Lexus sports commentator Zhan Jun's voice suddenly rose an octave higher. Seeing Martin holding the championship trophy high, he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Arsenal is the champion!"
(End of this chapter)
