Although in the eyes of all the spectators, Qin Xiong was about to become a one-on-one, Qin Xiong knew that he was facing a lot of pressure.
Makelele, who had been on guard against Ljungberg cutting inside, did not completely relax.
The moment Qin Xiong rushed into the penalty area, Makelele's tackle also came from the side!
Makelele was bold because of his skill. Through his understanding of Qin Xiong, he already knew that Qin Xiong's speed of impact was the limit!
Therefore, he was not worried that Qin Xiong would suddenly accelerate and make the first touch or shoot, or that he would be fouled by his tackle and be awarded a penalty kick.
Qin Xiong did not rush to shoot at the last step. He knew that it was too late. Maybe it was only 0.1 seconds late. But it was too late. Makelele's toe poked the ball away first, so Qin Xiong chose to jump at the last step and just rolled over Makelele's body.
The moment he passed, Qin Xiong closed his eyes for a second and showed a trace of regret.
The good opportunity to attack was gone!
Perhaps letting Ljungberg cut inside and Pires to support was the perfect configuration for this attack.
But there was never a set of complex offensive routines on the football field. Ninety-nine percent of the time, it was improvised on the spot to generate team chemistry, rather than copying a tactical move or coordination design by the book.
There was a huge sigh in Highbury.
The singing in the stands came to an abrupt end. Most of the Arsenal fans held their heads and felt pity for Qin Xiong. What a good opportunity it was!
Just as Qin Xiong rolled up from the ground, Čech had already passed the ball to the right flank. Ferreira ran forward to receive the football and immediately launched Chelsea's counterattack.
Robben the Peter Pan's lightning-fast dribbling speed allowed Chelsea's attack to push into Arsenal's half of the field.
This caused a fault in Arsenal's overall formation.
Qin Xiong, Henry, Pires, and Ljungberg were unable to support the backfield defense at this time.
However, Arsenal's rear defensive line was still very stable.
Joe Cole, Drogba, Robben, Lampard.
4VS6？
Fàbregas already had a certain amount of experience in defending against Lampard. He calmly observed Lampard's running position, predicting in his heart when Lampard would accelerate forward and which empty area he would insert himself into.
Chelsea's offensive still needed a new point of attack to be able to truly shake Arsenal's current tacit defensive system.
When Robben moved along the flanks in the front field, forcing Flamini to be unable to directly enter the inside line, and when he moved inside to pin down Silva before the two met, Chelsea's new attacking point appeared!
Mourinho had always been calm and serious, but at this moment, he couldn't help but clench his fists and raise his chin slightly, revealing a sharp look in his eyes.
There was a player he had focused on this season and had high hopes for. However, in the first half of the season, the player's potential had not been fully unleashed. After all, the new signing needed to adapt to the Premier League. First, he had to establish a firm foothold here.
The outside world criticized Chelsea's offense for its lack of variety. Did Mourinho himself not know?
He knew the Blues team he had personally built better than anyone else!
Winger flow?
No!
From this season onwards, Chelsea in the Blues team would be attacking from three fronts!
Not only Lampard, who was aiming to be the world's number one midfielder, but also a new beast midfielder whom Mourinho dared to take away last season's midfielder to support!
Essien!
He was definitely not just a defensive midfielder!
He could attack and defend!
When Robben passed the ball across, not to Lampard, but to Essien, who rushed out from behind like a rhinoceros from the sky and messed up Arsenal's defensive formation, got the ball. Arsenal's defensive line really had a huge mess all of a sudden.
Fàbregas became hesitant to switch targets.
He knew that if he went to intercept Essien, whether he could catch up was one thing. After he left, Lampard would be released and become a new threat!
And he was a bigger threat than Essien, who dribbled to advance!
Silva retreated to the front of the penalty area to block Essien. Robben cut inside strongly and Essien decisively passed the ball straight to Drogba.
Drogba took the ball with his back facing Senderos in front of the penalty area and almost ignored Senderos's defensive pressure. After forcibly turning 90 degrees, he slotted the ball diagonally into the space behind Senderos and Flamini!
Peter Pan Robben successfully reversed the offside position at just the right time!
At this time, he was diagonally facing the goal and decisively rubbed the ball to the inside of the far post.
Lehmann pounced and blocked the ball with one hand, but the football only had a 30-degree change in direction and bounced out.
The football that had just bounced out had not yet landed when it was sent back to the goal by Joe Cole, who was originally flanking the back of the goal from the other flank, with a volley.
Lehmann fell to the ground and helplessly watched the football fly into the goal from the top left side of his head!
The atmosphere in the Highbury stadium suddenly dropped to freezing point.
The Blues fans began to roar passionately. Joe Cole was surrounded by the Blues players on the sidelines. Mourinho also showed a slightly ferocious look and waved his fist fiercely.
Wenger frowned slightly, but it was not the end of the world.
The score was equalized.
However, Wenger's thoughts were more about Arsenal's situation if they did not play two league games with Chelsea in the first half of the season, but in the second half of the season.
First of all, Mourinho would definitely find ways to make up for the flaws of the left back, such as Bridge's return from injury. Another point was that Essien had completely integrated into Chelsea after establishing a firm foothold in the Premier League. After being trained by Mourinho, he would be even more capable.
In that case, Arsenal's originally thin lineup would be distracted by the Champions League knockout stage in the second half of the season. If they were to face Chelsea, their direct rival for the title, directly in the league, the consequences would be unthinkable!
There was a little bit of wishful thinking.
Originally, it was thought that the Football Association's match schedule was terrible. Now it seemed that it might be more advantageous for Arsenal to compete with Chelsea for the title this season.
"Chelsea equalized the score! Chelsea's quick counterattack this time was so beautiful that it made people's hearts explode! They used lightning speed to push the attack into the danger zone, and then Robben, Essien, and Robben completed a beautiful triangular pass. Robben cut into the penalty area and formed a shot. Lehmann and Čech were the same. The two outstanding goalkeepers were the most painful players in the game. They played world-class in the saves, but they could not withstand the opponent's second attack! Joe Cole, who was brought on by Mourinho, became a surprise soldier. His volley shot into Arsenal's goal! There are 13 minutes left in the game. Arsenal and Chelsea are tied at 2: 2. Will there be a final kill in the final time? Let's wait and see. "
Arsenal's situation after conceding the goal was not good.
It was not that they had no fighting spirit, but compared to Chelsea, who was strong and able to defend against counterattacks, their overall physical fitness was not as good as the opponent.
It was not to the extent that they could not keep up with Chelsea, but in this kind of pinnacle match, a slight difference in physical fitness would be a fatal factor. Arsenal was somewhat powerless.
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