Two days later, on December 28, Arsenal went to St James' Park to challenge the Magpies, Newcastle United, at the end of the match against Fulham at Highbury.
Arsenal's nervousness was relieved after they achieved a new unbeaten record in Europe's top competition.
The players might not be too obsessed with "unbeaten" because they were already the creators of the new record. As for whether they could create a record that future generations could only look up to but could not break, that would depend on luck. After all, there was no team that could not lose. This was the most basic common sense.
Everyone would just try their best to maintain a good performance, which would help them to play better.
Newcastle United had originally hoped to compete for the league title in recent years, but with the retirement of the old manager, Robson, and the beginning of the golden era of European football, Newcastle United's plan was ruthlessly hit.
The new manager, Sansouness, came to St James' Park with the club's high hopes of getting a share of the league title, but found that after half a season, not only did the Magpies not become a contender for the title, but they were not too far away from the relegation zone.
Newcastle United had just forced a draw with Blackburn Rovers in the Great Christmas War, and their morale was not high. Returning to their home ground to face Arsenal, who had just set a new unbeaten record, they naturally leaned towards pragmatically gaining points.
Arsenal was in good shape for the game, but Newcastle United focused on defense at home. They probably did not want their first home game of the new year to be destroyed by Arsenal because of their bold and unrestrained style of play. If that happened, the fans would be very dissatisfied, especially with Sansouness's results this season, which made the fans and the club's executives unhappy.
Alan Shearer was invisible in front of Arsenal's solid defense. He was indeed old, and the team's lack of support for the offense made Alan Shearer very frustrated.
Arsenal, however, encountered a tenacious sniper from the opponent in the battle.
Inside St James' Park Stadium, Newcastle United's penalty area was in constant danger.
Henry, Pires, and Ljungberg were constantly shooting in the penalty area, bombarding the Magpies' goal indiscriminately, but there were no results.
Qin Xiong and Vieira also tried to threaten the opponent with long shots from the periphery. At the same time, they also made the opponent pay attention, so that the rear defensive line would push forward and create more attacking space in the penalty area.
The Magpies fans did not have a happy Christmas at all.
The team could not even dream of qualifying for the Champions League, let alone compete for the title. Occasionally, they would even worry when they woke up: Damn it, are we going to play in the EFL Championship next year?
The Magpies fans did not have any expectations at all for this game against the defending champions, Arsenal. The defensive midfielder, Woodgate, had been poached by Real Madrid, causing the strength of the defensive line to drop significantly. Their fate was the same as many first-string clubs, and once their main players were poached, they might not even be able to maintain their status as a first-string club.
Qin Xiong had been setting things up for the entire match!
The more experience he accumulated in the battle, the better his mentality would be, and the more unpredictable his thoughts on the battlefield would be.
His stable passing and organization ensured that Arsenal's offense could advance to the frontline.
When the frontline players were unable to convert opportunities into goals, he would create opportunities for Vieira. At the same time, Vieira's forward plugging would also create opportunities for him. The two of them constantly used long shots to tear apart the opponent's rear defensive line and rear defensive line.
In the second half, when Vieira's long shot hit the crossbar of the opponent's goal, and Qin Xiong's long shot only grazed the goalpost and went out of the end line, Newcastle United's rear defensive line had a clear tendency to press forward.
At a glance, it was clear that they could not let Arsenal recklessly shoot long shots from the periphery. Qin Xiong and Vieira were both top long shot experts.
When the 71st minute of the match arrived, Qin Xiong decisively saw an opportunity. He did not pass the ball again, but made an extraordinary decision when Vieira plugged in and passed the ball horizontally.
Facing Aaron Hughes, Qin Xiong quickly knocked the ball horizontally with his left and right feet and pulled the ball back by one step.
Hughes was tricked and moved forward to steal, but his right foot missed. Qin Xiong's next move after pulling the ball back was to pass the ball forward!
He brushed past Hughes!
Hughes did not expect Qin Xiong to choose to pass him because Qin Xiong had been passing the ball for a long time and rarely broke through.
Now that Qin Xiong was playing more and more rationally, he would not rush to break through. As the team's commander, his first task was always to ensure that the team's offense flowed smoothly, not a personal performance.
After the basic effect of organizing the offense was completed, he would make more of his own play according to the situation on the field.
After the pass broke through Hughes, Qin Xiong passed the ball diagonally to Henry, who was retreating in the middle outside the penalty area.
Qin Xiong, who ran forward after the ball, and Henry's cooperation became more skillful and tacit. Henry was able to discern the purpose of Qin Xiong's attack through his running position and acceleration trend.
Henry attracted the opponent's center back and passed the ball to the right in front of the penalty area.
The other center back, Stephen Taylor, rushed forward to intercept, but Qin Xiong was one step ahead of him. He faced the penalty area from the side in front of him and used the outside of his right foot to kick the ball in the direction of the penalty area. After doing this, he immediately turned and rushed into the penalty area.
The live audience was shocked!
The Arsenal fans saw a familiar scene in their eyes!
Bergkamp, who was sitting on the substitutes' bench, could not help but stand up. All the Arsenal players and coaches stood up and stared at the place where Qin Xiong was. Amidst the shock, there was eager anticipation!
Qin Xiong had almost replicated the Ice Prince Bergkamp's world-shaking brilliance!
In front of Taylor, he kicked the ball with the outside of his right foot and let the football roll past Taylor's body to the right. He turned and quickly bypassed Taylor's body to the left. When Qin Xiong rushed forward into the penalty area, he was already in a one-on-one stance. His brilliance was like a work of art, and his continuous movements were pleasing to the eye!
The goalkeeper, Given, did not abandon the goal and leave. This allowed Qin Xiong to adjust the ball with his left foot after rushing into the penalty area and follow up with his right foot for a volley!
The football flew diagonally towards the goal. It was full of power and in the blink of an eye, it flew into the top left corner of the goal!
Most of the stands at St. James' Park were silent. The Arsenal fans who came from afar cheered. Some fans held their heads in disbelief, as if they could not believe what they had just seen with their own eyes!
"What a dream goal! Who is that? Who is that? That's not Bergkamp! It's Qin Xiong! It's Arsenal's number 11, Qin Xiong! He replicated Bergkamp's goal! Newcastle United will once again be the backdrop for the best goal in the Premier League this round! Qin Xiong nimbly and quickly broke through Hughes. When he received Henry's pass, he turned sideways and kicked the ball past Taylor! There are no words to describe the beauty of this goal. I'm sure, I'm sure many European sports television stations will play this goal repeatedly! The new golden boy of Europe is showing the world his unparalleled football skills! "
All of Arsenal's coaches and players were cheering and applauding Qin Xiong's goal. It was not only a wonderful goal, but the last player who shocked the world in this way was on Arsenal's bench. He was the 35-year-old Bergkamp.
Qin Xiong did not smile after he scored. Instead, he showed a wild domineering aura and roared with a ferocious expression as he ran along the sidelines.
In fact, Arsenal's unbeaten record could be said to have lost its practical significance.
They had created a new record that would go down in history.
But looking at the league table, Arsenal was only one point ahead of Chelsea!
The real reality was the league title!
They advanced under pressure, not to continue their unbeaten record, but to always be ahead of Chelsea and finally pick up the league title trophy!
Therefore, Qin Xiong's goal was to bring victory. As for the unbeaten record, it was no longer within their scope of consideration.
His teammates rushed over to surround Qin Xiong.
Now Qin Xiong played an important role in the team. His importance was self-evident.
Newcastle United was hit hard. They defended for most of the game but still lost the goal. Sansounes was also at his wit's end. He could only hope that the team would charge forward in the closing stages of the game and do their best to equalize the score.
But after Arsenal took the lead, the players did not relax.
The pressure of Chelsea's relentless pursuit behind them made them feel as if there was a dagger at their backs. No player dared to relax!
When Newcastle United began to press forward and used the English style long ball to attack Arsenal's defensive line, Campbell, Touré, Vieira, and Silva played a key role. They made Arsenal's penalty area unbreakable, like a fortress. If a Newcastle United player rushed into the penalty area, it was just walking into a prison!
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