Chapter 149 The FA Cup final after five years

Atkinson, the famous blind whistler of the Premier League, blew his whistle and pointed at the penalty spot. The fanatical atmosphere above the White Hart Lane stadium instantly decreased to a minimum, and there was a brief silence.

"aoaoaooaooooooo——"

Moments later, the Liverpool fans who came with the team made a deafening roar and cheered for Atkinson.

Sun Xingmin, who committed the foul, is an honest man. He knew clearly that he had kicked Li Qing. He lay on the ground depressed, covering his face with his hands, feeling as if he was ashamed to face all the Tottenham fans.

Being a guest at Anfield in the second half of this season was the reason why Tottenham lost. Unexpectedly... he was still the reason for this FA Cup semi-final at White Hart Lane.

You must know that Tottenham had a chance to equalize the score, but... his reckless foul ruined the team's good situation.

Captain Lloris did not see whether Son Heung-min committed a foul, but as the captain he must benefit the team. He excitedly walked towards the referee Atkinson.

Other Tottenham players also surrounded Atkinson, saying that Sun Xingmin did not kick Li Qing and it was entirely Li Qing's diving.

Although Atkinson has a reputation for being blind, he is still very firm in his penalty decisions. He simply ignores the complaints from Tottenham players, insists on making penalties, and drives away the Tottenham players who complained.

At the same time, the on-site director gave a slow-motion replay, starting from Li Qing's pass over Vertonghen, until he broke through Sun Xingmin. Based on the replays from several angles, Lex Sports commentator Zhan Jun firmly said: "The referee Atkinson made no mistake in the penalty. Sun Xingmin did hit Li Qing. The penalty kick is undisputed!"

Park Ke-ho, the commentator of Bangziguo SBS Sports TV, also tried to defend: "The referee Atkinson's penalty was too harsh. This kind of confrontation is too common in the Premier League. This physical contact can be ruled or not. It is impossible for Premier League referees under normal circumstances. The penalty kick was awarded! It was unfair to Son Heung-min..."

People who study and work in the Bangzi Country sneer at this. Such an obvious foul can be punished or not. No wonder this inferior nation is still complacent about the World Cup fifteen years ago.

Shameless!

Tottenham head coach Pochettino spread his hands and expressed his helplessness.

When VAR has not yet spread to the English league, it is basically impossible to cancel the penalty kick awarded by the referee unless the assistant referee sees it more clearly. However, it is obvious that the assistant referee agrees with the referee's decision. At that time, there was also the first Shiji raised his flag to signal Sun Xingmin for a foul.

In this case, it is impossible to change the sentence.

Pochettino's current thoughts are more on goalkeeper Lloris, hoping that the captain can turn the tide.

Facts have proved that praying is of no use. Milner, Liverpool's number one penalty kicker this season, has always missed a shot. Facing Lloris, he chose to volley violently, and the football hit the upper right corner of the goal.

1:3

The score displayed on the scoreboard changed again.

Liverpool head coach Klopp's face glowed with confidence again, and he high-fived his assistants Buvac and Kara in celebration.

The cheers generated by the Liverpool fans at White Hart Lane once again surpassed those of the Tottenham fans, wave after wave.

Tottenham players, who had a kick-off advantage, were very active on the offensive end. Unfortunately, Liverpool players were very good at executing tactics and did not give Son Heung-min, Eriksen and Harry Kane a chance at all.

A few more minutes passed and Tottenham began to make substitution adjustments.

No. 2 goes up, No. 7 goes down.

Park Hyuk-ho, the commentator of SBS Sports TV station in Bangkok, had an incredible light in his eyes: "What was Pochettino thinking? Son Heung-min was in good condition and was running aggressively. He was replaced just when the result was coming. It was so hard to understand. ! Kyle Walker is indeed faster than Sun Heung-min, but Sun Heung-min is better at scoring..."

Lux Sports commentator Zhan Jun said in a deep voice: "Sun Xingmin's condition has declined significantly during this period. He made certain mistakes in dribbling and passing. It was obviously affected by the penalty kick. Pochettino made a prompt substitution and stopped the loss early. Kyle ·Walker’s scoring ability is certainly not comparable to that of Sun Heung-min, but Kyle Walker is fast and has strong assist ability, which greatly inhibits Liverpool’s left-side attack...”

Three minutes later, Liverpool also made adjustments.

Lucas replaced fellow Brazilian Coutinho to strengthen the defense in the middle.

There are about twenty minutes left in the game, and the two-goal lead is already very obvious to Liverpool. As long as they don't make any mistakes, there will be no problem in maintaining the current score until the end of the game.

Four days later, there was another make-up game at home against Burnley. In order to ensure the safety of the league, the FA Cup semi-finals should naturally reduce losses when victory is confirmed.

The FA Cup is not as good as the league. Li Qing did not skimp on the physical potion. He used the physical potion when he felt that his physical energy was severely depleted. Suddenly, his whole person felt as comfortable as a spring breeze.

Just another twenty minutes is definitely out of the question.

Tottenham's situation is almost exactly the same as Liverpool's. The bench depth is not enough, and there is a big gap between the substitutes and the starting players. For Pochettino, instead of using substitute players, it is better to urgently trust the players on the field.

The main reason for replacing Sun Xingmin is Sun Xingmin's decline in form. Replacing him will do no harm to Sun Xingmin or the team.

In the blink of an eye, the game reached the 80th minute. The physical fitness of the players on both sides dropped greatly, and the offensive rhythm dropped to a very low level, so much so that the Tottenham fans in the audience lost confidence in the home team.

Li Qing, who used the stamina potion, regained his physical strength. Vertonghen and Wanyama, who had always defended him, had no cheats. It became increasingly difficult for them to defend Li Qing as their physical strength was nearly exhausted.

Just when Pochettino was about to replace Vertonghen, who had a yellow card, there was a huge change on the field.

After receiving the football, Li Qing faced Vertonghen's defense very directly. He did not delay at all and directly changed direction with speed. Vertonghen, who was tall and long-legged, slipped when he retreated. He was dissatisfied and tripped with his feet. Li Qing completed the breakthrough.

The assistant referee waved the flag in his hand excitedly, and the referee Atkinson blew his whistle. When he ran to the scene of the incident, he thought that Vertonghen had committed multiple fouls against Li Qing, and while counting 1, 2, 3, he took something out of his trouser pocket. A yellow card was taken out, and then a red card was taken out.

Two yellows turn one red!

At the critical moment, Tottenham has one less player to play!

"This... is a fatal blow to Tottenham!"

The broadcast showed Tottenham coach Pochettino. He shook his head in disappointment, walked straight back to the coaching bench, and sat down. It was not clear whether he was dissatisfied with Vertonghen or the referee.

Being two goals behind and missing one player, for Tottenham... basically means there is no way back.

The score on the scoreboard did not change until the full-time whistle sounded. Liverpool defeated Tottenham 3:1 at White Hart Lane with Li Qing's two goals and a penalty kick, winning again after five years. Reached the FA Cup final.