Chapter 143

February 4, the 24th round of the Premier League.

On this day, Chelsea's bus rumbled into Manchester and arrived at the Blue Moon's home stadium, the Etihad Stadium.

In this battle, they will challenge their biggest direct competitor for the championship. This duel is related to the championship prospects of the two teams and can be called a key battle in the league.

Just after the New Year, Chelsea's players have put the festive atmosphere behind them and re-entered a highly concentrated state of preparation.

Li Lei followed the team here and felt the warm atmosphere here.

The halftime whistle sounded, and the first half of the confrontation ended in a 0-0 draw.

This championship battle between Chelsea and Manchester City fell into a stalemate, and neither side scored a goal in the first half.

The two teams are equally strong, but they are trying their best to fight for opportunities, but they lack concentration in front of the goal and have missed several opportunities.

At the beginning of the second half, Li Lei set off the exclamations of the home fans. They were really scared by this Chinese player.

He fired a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, and the ball went straight to Manchester City's goal like a cannonball, but goalkeeper Joe Hart, who was in great form, quickly jumped to save the ball and successfully resolved the threat.

Facing this near-miss, Joe Hart angrily shouted at his teammates on the back line,"What are you doing?"!"

"It's so easy to let the opponent shoot at the goal. Are you defending?"

"Sorry, the guy I was marking moved too fast and I couldn't keep up."Defender Matija Nastasic said embarrassedly

"This kind of tacit understanding and cooperation is not enough!" Hart continued:"I just made up for your mistake, but I may not be so lucky next time! Everyone must concentrate, don't let me waste my energy in vain!" The other defenders were also a little embarrassed. This mistake made them lose face in front of the goalkeeper.

"We promise to learn from this lesson!" Captain Kompany said firmly:"We will never let it happen again! We will be more united and help you hold the last line of defense!"

However, in Gao Yi's live broadcast room, fans burst into regret after seeing Li Lei's world wave being saved.

" Oops, why did the ball go off target? It was so close, why not just shoot it directly?!"

" What a pity! Li Lei's kick was powerful and courageous, but the aim was a little off."

" It was not easy for Hart to make this flying save. He was in great form today."

" It’s okay, it’s okay, Leilei, keep going! You have already proved that you have the ability and courage to score goals, just keep doing it and you will score.!"

" That's right, believe in yourself, there are still many opportunities. Don't lose confidence just because the first one fails."

" There is still a lot of time left in the second half. Lei Lei will surely score a beautiful goal if he keeps working hard.!"

Compared to the regrets of the fans, in the Sky Sports live broadcast room, commentators Keane and Jones gave a more professional evaluation of Li Lei's long shot.

"Li Lei's long shot was very thrilling, with excellent speed and drift. Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart reacted quickly, otherwise the ball might have gone straight into the net."

"I agree with Keane's point of view. Li Lei's long-range shooting ability is very outstanding. This is also his first Premier League shot after joining Chelsea."

"Although he failed to score in the end, it showed his positive and enterprising attitude."

"Yes, this also sounded a wake-up call for Manchester City, reminding them that they must focus on defending Li Lei and not give him similar shooting opportunities."

"Chelsea will continue to work hard in the second half to break the record."

At this time, Li Lei bent down in the stadium and gasped for breath.

He felt very good in the shot just now, and the force control was just right, enough to test the opponent's goalkeeper. What made

Li Lei even more proud was that he also used the active skill of shooting, wanting to give his opponent a surprise.

However, Hart's heroic performance was unexpected, and he saved this carefully planned shot.

Li Lei couldn't help feeling a little regretful, but he also admired his opponent's outstanding performance.

If this shot could go in, the game would become much easier for Chelsea.

Although the shot was resolved by Hart, this shot still worked.

It successfully distracted the attention of Manchester City's defense, which made the goalkeeper loudly reprimand his teammates to vent his inner dissatisfaction.

Although Li Lei's shot failed to score a goal, it caused the opponent's defense to be upset. Chaos, which can also be seen as a successful tactical application.

Li Lei came to the penalty spot and prepared to take a corner kick. He raised his right hand and extended three fingers, and his teammates understood.

With the referee's whistle, Li Lei accurately kicked the ball to the front point.

Chelsea player Eto'o took the lead in jumping and heading the ball, but the tall Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart still took control of the header.

Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart quickly launched a counterattack after receiving the corner kick and threw the ball to captain Kompany with force.

Kompany made a long pass and kicked the ball to his teammate Dzeko near the center circle. Obviously, Manchester City intended to use this opportunity to counterattack.

Chelsea's players had no time to return to defense and could only watch Manchester City quickly organize a counterattack.

Dzeko started the breakthrough mode after receiving the ball. Chelsea captain Terry, as Dzeko Dzeko's direct defender quickly retreated to follow his movement and used his body to block his path.

Other Chelsea defenders also quickly retreated to their positions, forming a multi-layered defense to block Manchester City's possible passing routes.

Terry used his rich experience to constantly interfere with Dzeko, making it difficult for him to organize attacks easily.

Dzeko, who was alone, quickly lost the ball under the siege of Chelsea's multiple players.

At this time, Chelsea players were retreating, while Manchester City players were advancing in the opposite direction, which created an opportunity for a counterattack on the court.

Captain Terry, who got the ball, immediately judged this opportunity and made a long pass to midfielder Luis without hesitation.

Luis immediately started a fast break after receiving the ball, and Chelsea players also quickly advanced in position to cooperate with the counterattack.

Terry's pass was accurate and fast, perfectly grasping the opportunity. The opponent's defense was switched. The offense and defense of both sides switched in an instant. Manchester City had just organized a fast break when the situation was reversed in an instant, and the offense and defense switched.

Li Lei was originally on his way back. After seeing the ball being intercepted, he immediately stopped and turned around, rushing into the Manchester City penalty area at full speed.

Midfielder Luis's judgment was also very accurate, so he seized the opportunity to lob the ball into the penalty area.

The ball drew a perfect parabola and landed on Li Lei's running route. Li Lei was waiting at that landing point.

He jumped up and stopped the ball with his chest, and before the ball landed, he volleyed it!

The whole counterattack process was as fast as lightning. Manchester City's defense was broken by Chelsea before it had time to reorganize. Li Lei's running position and Luis's passing were perfectly coordinated.

"gooooooal!"