Comain and Moyes both looked worried. They tried to remain serious and calm as they stood on the sidelines to supervise the game. The players of the two teams were carrying out the kick-off ceremony.
"Today, Everton starts with 4-231.
Goalkeeper: Howard.
Defenders: Hibbert, Jabo, Distin, Baines.
Midfielders: Villaletinov, Fellaini, Cahill, Heitinga, Pienaar.
Striker: Ruo.
Liverpool's starting lineup is also 4-231.
Goalkeeper: Reina.
Defenders: Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Aurelio.
Midfielders: Yossi Benayoun, Alonso, Gerard, Mascherano, Qin Xiong.
Striker: Kuyt.
The game is about to start. Let's look forward to what kind of exciting battle the Merseyside derby will bring! "
When the game started, Everton took the lead to kick off. They immediately organized a smooth positional attack. After the midfield passed the ball, the full-back Baines took the lead to attack from the left flank. He rushed past Benayoun and received Fellaini's pass just past the midfield. Then he strode with the football to the front field. Without waiting for Johnson to get close, he passed the ball at a 45-degree angle and tried to pass the ball to Ruo.
But the football was intercepted by Alonso midway.
After Alonso stopped the ball, he looked at the situation in the front field and immediately passed the ball diagonally to the left side of the front field.
Qin Xiong retreated to receive the ball. Everton was obviously prepared for Qin Xiong's restriction.
Heitinga, Fellaini, and Hibbert showed a three-point encirclement, but they did not dare to pounce too fiercely. They were afraid of Qin Xiong's quick attack and transfer, which would allow Everton's exposed flaws in other defensive areas to be exploited.
Qin Xiong turned around and dribbled forward after stopping the ball, but he did not speed up.
At this time, he knew that he had to bring a mentality of stability to Liverpool's offense.
In the past five rounds of the Premier League without a win, the psychological blow to the team was very big. Everyone was a little overwhelmed and did not even know how to face the game.
Sometimes, if they fought too quickly, it would cause many small problems to develop into big problems.
After arriving in front of Hibbert, Qin Xiong directly sent out a spinning ball on the spot.
Kuyt rushed for a header at the top of the arc in the penalty area. His header hit the goal range, but it was easily blocked by Howard.
Jabot and Distin looked at each other helplessly. They had seen Qin Xiong's ability, but that was more than three years ago. They really felt that Qin Xiong's strange passing was impossible to guard against.
The cheers from the stands were as passionate as fire. No matter how worried the fans of the two teams were before the game, when the game really started, the hostility would gradually heat up.
The Red Army fans looked forward to Qin Xiong. When the team was at its lowest point, Qin Xiong's comeback was the dawn of hope!
Everton's play was quite simple and direct.
In the eighth minute of the game, Pienaar bypassed Johnson on the left side of the front field and returned to the inverted triangle in front of the penalty area. Cahill rushed in front of Alonso and blocked the ball on the left side of the penalty area. He directly dribbled the ball into the penalty area and then shot with Carragher's blocking interference!
Reina hurriedly moved in the direction of the nearest goalpost and slowed down halfway. It was a false alarm!
Cahill's shot was off the goal.
"Everton used the fast impact from both wings to shake Liverpool's defense. Now Liverpool looks a little nervous and their defense is not as steady as it was two months ago."
"That's for sure. In the past five Premier League games, they have conceded an average of nearly two goals per game. In fact, Liverpool's defensive line has also been under pressure. They will naturally worry about whether their defense will have major problems. The defensive players actually need to be more confident than the offensive players!"
Liverpool's offense still started with Qin Xiong as the starting point in the front field, and Qin Xiong did not burst out with eye-catching energy.
In the 13th minute of the game, Qin Xiong leisurely controlled the ball on the left side of the front field. It looked as if his pace was still so slow, as if he could not run anymore.
But Everton still guarded him tightly. After attracting the attention of two Everton defenders, Qin Xiong passed the ball to Gerard in the narrow space.
Gerard found an opportunity to raise his leg for a long shot in front of the penalty area and did not hesitate to blast the goal with a heavy kick.
The football flew like a cannonball towards Everton's goal. The American goalkeeper, Howard, bravely pounced horizontally to neutralize the long shot!
"Gerard almost pierced Howard's fingers with a long shot! Gerard's shot was beautiful, and Howard's pounce was even more wonderful! "
The atmosphere at Goodison Park became more confrontational.
The Everton fans applauded their players' every good performance, and the Red Army fans cheered even louder.
Five minutes later, Cahill failed to break through Mascherano in the middle of the front field. After Alonso controlled the football, he sent the ball to Yossi Benayoun's feet with a long diagonal pass.
Everton's defense was slightly slanted towards Qin Xiong's side, so it gave Yossi Benayoun more space to play. He directly stuffed the ball diagonally into the penalty area, and Kuyt slanted to Distin's side to receive the ball. He half-turned and volleyed!
Unfortunately, the football slid out of the goal and did not cause any trouble for Howard.
Twenty minutes into the game, Everton seemed to realize that just keeping an eye on Qin Xiong could not reduce the threat of Liverpool's offense. In addition, Qin Xiong had been playing the role of organizing and coordinating the attack, which greatly reduced their vigilance!
And it was at this time that Liverpool's core tactical arrangement for the game was about to be implemented.
In the 23rd minute of the game, Fellaini passed the ball straight to the front in the middle. Cahill kicked the ball out to the right side, and Bilyaletinov crossed the ball to cut inside the penalty area. The Russian star was very confident in himself. When Mascherano and Aurelio came to attack him, he calmly handled the ball at his feet and crossed the ball to quickly roll from the front of the penalty area to the left side.
Pinar cut across the front of the penalty area in the middle, crossed the ball from Carragher's front, and then directly shot out a shot!
It was a threatening shot, flying towards the lower left corner of the goal. Reina was well prepared to make a horizontal save and blocked the ball with one hand. It was wonderful!
"Pinar's shot was saved by Reina. The two hostile teams on Merseyside are playing a little more openly today. But who will be the first to knock on the opponent's goal?"
Reina pounced on the football, and Ruo was about to grab the point to make a follow-up shot. Carragher turned around to block Ruo's forward path, and Johnson returned to the penalty area to take the lead to clear the ball with a big kick.
The football flew to the midfield. Gerard looked at the football flying towards him. Behind him, Fellaini was ready to compete with him. Gerard took the lead to lock his position, then ran forward a step and took off to cross the ball with a header!
After making sure that his header had passed the ball to Yossi Benayoun, Gerard landed and looked back. His eyes were locked on Qin Xiong!
Qin Xiong, it's time for you to stretch out your dragon's claws to tear Everton's heart!
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
