Chapter 311 Guardiola’s prayer

Li Qing found Mane with two consecutive passes. In addition to showing that Li Qing's passing skills are constantly improving, it can also be seen that there is indeed a problem with Manchester City's defensive system.

If the defense is good enough, it is impossible for Mane to receive the pass from Li Qing.

The on-site director showed a close-up shot of Guardiola, who was on the sidelines lecturing his players. Fans sitting in front of the TV could clearly see that Guardiola was very angry and expressed his strong dissatisfaction through excited body movements and words.

Liverpool head coach Klopp seemed relatively calm. He stood in the home team coach's command area and constantly encouraged the players on the field. It didn't matter if he didn't score, as long as he seized the opportunity next time.

Li Qing and Mane successfully connected in succession. Fernandinho and Jingdongan consciously paid more attention to Li Qing. Whenever Liverpool attacked, they pounced on him and did not give Li Qing a good chance to pass or get the ball. .

However, Liverpool's offense can still be organized by Wijnaldum and Henderson, and Salah and Mane's individual one-on-one abilities are outstanding. They can also pose a threat to Manchester City's defense, but this threat cannot be compared to Li Qing's. The threat created is par for the course.

In the blink of an eye, the game reached the 40th minute, and the scoreboard still showed the home team Liverpool leading the visiting team Manchester City 1:0.

De Bruyne, Sane and Sterling, who have high hopes from Manchester City fans, began to exert their strength and continuously threatened Liverpool's defense.

Sterling's cut-in shot from the left and Sane's cut-in shot from the right forced Karius to make wonderful saves, and a fanatical atmosphere hovered over Anfield.

Time passed by second by second, and it was about to reach the 45th minute of the game. The head coaches of both sides were ready to go to the locker room in advance to prepare for the second half.

The fourth official held up the electronic sign with one minute of stoppage time. The fanatical atmosphere at Anfield Stadium decreased. In their view, the score would not change again before the first half of the game.

At this moment, Kyle Walker suddenly sent a long pass from the right side of the center line, and the football flew to the attacking left side, where Arnold was guarding the right side.

Sane turned his back to the left sideline and made an action to stop the ball laterally with his chest. Arnold had adducted in advance, but Sane had good sense of the ball and stopped the ball towards the baseline instead.

Explosive power has never been Arnold's advantage, but it is precisely one of the assets of Saneli Football Stadium. He suddenly accelerated and cut into the penalty area from the outside. Facing Matip's defense, he used his body's change of center of gravity to avoid the shooting angle. He finished on the left rib of the penalty area. His left foot exploded with great force, and the football flew into the net from the near post...

"Goooooooooooal——"

Sky commentator Andy Gray's trademark drawl sounded.

Commentator Martin Taylor continued: "Liverpool's defense was too careless this time. Alexander-Arnold's mistake was certainly wrong, but Joel Matip's failure to protect him was also the key to Leroy Sane's score."

Klopp walked to the tunnel with a smile on his face. Suddenly, his smile stopped suddenly and he became extremely angry. He ran to the sidelines angrily and roared at the players!

Entering the locker room at 1:0 has obvious psychological advantages, but it is different at 1:1. In addition to the loss of one's own momentum, the opponent's momentum will also rise. This... is extremely detrimental to the second half of the game!

In sharp contrast, the visiting team's head coach Guardiola danced excitedly to vent the huge pressure released by the equalizer.

The points difference between Manchester City and Liverpool is now four points. If they lose in the away game, the point difference will widen to seven points. Therefore, a draw is the bottom line, and the criterion for winning is based on a draw!

The equalizer before the end of the first half will play a decisive role in the counterattack in the second half!

The Manchester City players were excited enough, but the Liverpool players who lost the ball were in a very depressed mood and were about to enter halftime...

Li Qing's expression on the broadcast screen was as calm as ever, and he was not affected by the loss of the ball. He also took the initiative to comfort his friend Arnold and cheer him up.

"Beep~"

After a few passes in the restarted game, referee Oliver blew the whistle to end the first half.

"The first half is over! Li Qing and Sane each scored a goal, and the two sides battled 1:1. If the game ends with the current score, the point difference between Liverpool and Manchester City will remain unchanged..."

China Channel 5 commentator He Wei said loudly.

The Liverpool players who returned to the home team's locker room were obviously affected by the loss of the ball before the end of the first half and were a little unhappy. Except for Li Qing, who performed well and looked normal, the other players bowed their heads and remained silent, worried about offending Klopp.

Unexpectedly, Klopp kept silent about conceding the ball at the end of the first half. He just hoped that the players could concentrate in the second half, maintain the offensive while avoiding conceding the ball, and try to score first in the second half.

In addition, Klopp also asked Henderson and Wijnaldum to appropriately share the pressure of Li Qing's offensive organization...

At the end, Klopp looked at Li Qing and said meaningfully: "Li, you have to shoulder more offensive responsibilities."

The teammates looked at Li Qing, who nodded solemnly: "I will do it."

In fact, the 1:1 draw in the first half was directly related to Li Qing's limited forward movement, so Klopp hoped that Li Qing could get closer to the Manchester City penalty area in the second half to get better shooting opportunities.

The fifteen-minute intermission passed quickly, and players from both sides returned to the court one after another to prepare for the second half of the game.

"Beep~"

Accompanied by a whistle from the referee Oliver on duty. In the 23rd round of the 2017-2018 Premier League season, the second half of Liverpool's home game against Manchester City was officially announced.

Another huge roar like a tsunami sounded over the Anfield Stadium, one wave after another.

The home team players reversed their decline at the end of the first half in a fanatical atmosphere and showed their best competitive form.

Li Qing, who had restrained his performance in the first half, suddenly showed strength at the beginning of the second half. He made continuous breakthroughs in the middle and caused a foul on Otamendi, who was attacking, helping the team win a well-positioned direct free kick.

"aoaooaoaooooooo——"

The Liverpool fans in the audience cheered collectively.

Of course, I am not cheering for Otamendi's foul, but the position where Li Qing was knocked down is approximately 90 degrees to the goal, about 30 meters away from the goal.

A very suitable location for Li Qing to take free kicks!

The broadcaster gave the straight-line distance between the foul location and the goal - 31.5 meters.

China 5 commentator He Wei said passionately: "Li Qing has scored seven direct free kicks in all competitions this season, a quite terrifying direct free kick scoring efficiency. Otamendi has led Manchester City's defense. Comes with hope, but also brings despair to the team!”

Guardiola, who was standing in the visiting team coach's command area, frowned and looked at Li Qing with a hint of prayer.

Don't score a goal...