Kerslake used his loud voice to relay Tang En's latest instructions to the players on the field, telling them to stop defending and start trying to attack more. Since Liverpool was attacking with all their might, Forest had to return the favor.
It was impolite not to return the favor.
Forest began to counterattack.
Liverpool pressed very high up, which gave the Forest team a chance to attack. Nottingham Forest tore off their defensive jackets, revealing the sharp daggers hidden underneath. The blades still flashed with a cold green light.
Mascherano was an iron gate that Liverpool had set up in the midfield. He would be responsible for cutting off the connection between Forest's middle and back fields and blocking the opponent's counterattack. This was the weapon that Benítez had arranged to deal with Forest's counterattack.
The Argentine defensive midfielder was a player that Tang En had always admired before he transmigrated to become a manager. He had excellent physical qualities, top-notch awareness, and his skills were not crude. He was a very good defensive midfielder. At present, Liverpool only had him on loan, but Benítez was already considering buying him completely at the end of the season. To this end, he gave up on Sissoko, who was equally good in defense but not as well-rounded as Mascherano, and put the Malian on the bench.
If Forest did not have George Wood, Tang En would certainly have used his prophetic ability to take down Mascherano two years ago.
Since he liked Mascherano, he naturally understood him and knew how to deal with him.
Benítez put the Argentine defensive midfielder in the midfield. In order to disrupt Forest's counterattack, he did not hesitate to run and fiercely tackle, as well as his well-timed fouls, which indeed caused some trouble for Forest's offense in the previous games.
However, that was because Forest did not intend to attack at full force at that time. It was just a small skirmish, with only two or three players going up. They would shoot when there was a chance and retreat immediately when there was no chance, not giving the opponent a chance to seize the space behind them.
Now it was different.
Mascherano discovered that it was impossible for him to stop the Forest team's counterattack wave alone. Beckham, van der Vaart, Ribéry, and even the center-back, Pepe, as well as the defensive midfielder, George Wood, could all be the starting point of the Forest team's offense.
He went to pounce on Beckham, but the football was passed to Wood's feet. Gerrard went to defend against Wood, but Wood passed the football to Pepe who plugged in from behind!
The Brazilian-born center back, who had become a Portuguese citizen, had the offensive nature of the Brazilians. He took advantage of the fact that Liverpool's midfield was busy defending against the Forest team's attacking players to dribble the ball from the middle and charge straight to Liverpool's thirty-meter zone. Although his breakthrough was stopped by Hyypia in the end, the breakthrough won Pepe the cheers of the Forest fans in the stands.
It also boosted morale.
Don't think that offense is only the job of the players in the front field. The center backs can also be the sharpest knife.
Apart from the abdomen, a hedgehog was covered with spikes all over its body. Nottingham Forest was a hedgehog that was not to be trifled with.
Does a hedgehog have a weakness? Of course it did. Its soft abdomen was its fatal weakness. But the Forest team's insistence on defensive tactics was tantamount to curling up their bodies and wrapping their soft abdomen inside. Their multi-point offensive strategy was like erecting the spikes on their back, like a prickly ball, so that the enemy could not bite down.
The Forest team's sudden activity in offense surprised Benítez. He looked at his watch. It was not even halfway through the second half … Why did they suddenly not shrink in the back to defend to the death?
He turned his head to look at the Forest team's technical area. He could not see anything except the pair of crossed legs.
The Forest team's sudden counterattack flustered Liverpool. In a panic, they defended against Ribéry's breakthrough and tripped him, giving the Forest team a free kick in the front field.
As an opponent in the Premier League, Benítez must have remembered how the Forest team won the first game of the season.
When he saw the Forest team get a free kick in front of the penalty area, he got up from his seat and walked to the sidelines for the second time, watching the field nervously.
Fortunately, in the end, Beckham's free kick did not enter the goal. It was slightly off the mark, but it was enough to make the Liverpool supporters break out in a cold sweat.
Benítez made a dissatisfied gesture. He said not to easily give the opponent a free kick. This foul was really fearless — they had set up a defensive formation, and the Forest team could only move the football horizontally at most. The threat to the team's goal was not great. As soon as you foul, you gave the opponent a chance to attack vertically without interference. What's more, the Forest team now had a number of free kick masters in the team. Bale had long proved the power of his left foot free kicks in the Premier League. As for David Beckham, did he still need to prove it?
After Liverpool kicked the ball out of the goal, Benítez made another gesture for the team to press up and attack. They had to score as soon as possible.
He was aware of Tang En's series of provocations before the game. Even if he could endure it, could his men? They were a group of talented, hot-blooded young people. If they really wanted to be impulsive, there was no need for any reason.
If the time dragged on and the score was still 1: 1, it was hard to guarantee that his men would not become anxious. At that time, even if he was the manager, there would be times when he could not control the situation. So, during the halftime interval, he said to fight to take the lead again in the first half of the second half, because he knew that his players had long been angered by Tang En's arrogant provocations. He could use this anger to increase Liverpool's fighting power in a short period of time, but he could not control it for a long time. Being angered by the opponent was a double-edged sword. It could increase the fighting power, but it could also make the players lose their cool.
The provocations before the game, coupled with the defensive counterattack in the game, plus the current score …
As time went on, Benítez believed that his control over the anger in the middle of the team was slowly weakening.
If they could not destroy the opponent before then, they were likely to self-destruct in the end.
The Forest team strengthened their offense, but they did not relax their control over their defense. Don't think that after the Forest team began to increase the intensity of the attack, Liverpool would have the opportunity to fight back against the Forest team. Tang En, who was good at counterattacking, would not be stupid enough to give the opponent a chance to fight back against him.
It was still defensive counterattack, but when there was a chance to fight back, the Forest team dared to put in forces and pressed up on the two flanks. Although the tactics did not change, the effect was different.
The attack was more three-dimensional, with more layers and more variations.
The tactics were still defensive counterattack, but it was more threatening than before, making the Liverpool people break out in a cold sweat every time.
They could not take down the opponent for a long time, and they had to be on guard against the opponent's quick counterattack at all times. The Liverpool people were slowly getting restless.
What the Forest team needed to do now was very simple: wait patiently for the opportunity to appear, and then seize it!
Benítez made a very bold substitution after the long attack. He did not adjust the defense, but he adjusted the strikers.
He replaced Kuyt, who played mediocre in the normal game, with the tall Crouch.
It was a substitution with the nature of a gamble. Benítez's courage in making this substitution was commendable, but it was definitely not an impulsive and random adjustment.
Crouch was different from Kuyt. Kuyt was well-rounded, but the other meaning of well-rounded was "overall mediocrity." Crouch was very outstanding in one area, which was a good choice to break the deadlock. Although Crouch was now gradually losing his position as the starting striker in Liverpool, he was still quite useful on certain occasions.
For example, at this time, the Forest team's intensive defense and the tactic of guarding against long shots made Liverpool unable to find a better way to score. Torres was not a strong standing center forward, and Kuyt was even less so.
Under such circumstances, was there anyone more suitable to play than Crouch? His height and ability to head the ball was like a lighthouse in front of the Forest team's goal, guiding the way forward for Liverpool's offense. After Crouch came on, the Liverpool players understood — it was time for aerial combat.
Whether it was a direct header or a passing header to create opportunities for his teammates, Crouch could do better than Kuyt.
Liverpool made adjustments, but Nottingham Forest did nothing. Twain was not worried.
Were Pepe and Piqué just standing in front of the goal as decorations?
The ball that Liverpool passed to Crouch's head was directly caught by Edwin van der Sar, and Crouch did not jump under the pincer attack of the two tall center backs.
Twain did not let Ayala start in the game because he was wary of Benítez's hand. There were several ways to break a tight defense, the most commonly used of which was long shots and set pieces. A strong standing center forward was also one of the means to break a tight defense. Although Crouch did not look as strong as Vieri, he was not as thin and weak as he looked. Twain was well aware of this because Crouch had once played under him. After a few years, Crouch was no longer the inexperienced kid. He had accumulated more experience on the football field and knew how to make the best use of his God-given body.
How to deal with Liverpool's adjustment? It was enough for the tall center back and the goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar, to expand the defensive area.
The key to solving the problem was not how to freeze Crouch, but to score another goal.
After Crouch came on and had a few headers, he fell silent again. Because the Forest team's offensive was getting fiercer, Liverpool's momentum was pressed back. Without the support of the middle and back field and the two wings, Crouch's role was much smaller.
Van der Vaart held the ball in front of the Liverpool penalty area. He made a posture for a long shot, but he diverted the football. After Beckham received the ball, Rafinha plugged in from behind at a high speed. Liverpool's left back, Riise, saw Rafinha sweep past Beckham at a high speed and plugged straight behind the defensive line. He did not dare to neglect and followed suit to defend.
Rafinha was just feigning his run. His role was not to receive the pass, but to create the illusion of receiving and attract the attention of the opponent's defense. The reason for this time-tested trick was not that the receiving player ran like he was really going to receive the ball, but that as long as the full back ran up to assist, it would give the player holding the ball in the front field one more option. The defense had to follow and run. If they did not run, the opponent's pass would penetrate the entire defense.
Riise ran back with Rafinha, and Beckham took the opportunity to swing his leg to pass the ball.
The football drew a beautiful arc and fell straight to the back point!
Van Nistelrooy appeared there. He jumped high and prepared to head the ball. Van Nistelrooy was not a center forward who was famous for his headers, although he was 1.87 meters tall. But Beckham's pass was excellent. Even if someone did not know how to head the ball, at this moment, he only needed to jump to appear in the trajectory of the ball's flight and then block the football into the goal with his head.
The Danish center back, Agger, jumped with him.
In the fierce scramble, van Nistelrooy fell in the penalty area!
At that moment, no one saw clearly whether Agger pushed van Nistelrooy or van Nistelrooy fell to the ground himself. But they all heard the referee's whistle.
Was it a penalty for diving or a penalty?
The referee pointed to the penalty spot!
"Penalty! This is a big blow to Liverpool! "
Benítez, who had always been calm, jumped up from his seat and angrily rushed to the sidelines, waving his fists inside in protest.
His team had not been defeated by the Forest team's counterattack, nor had it been defeated by his own anger, but it had fallen under the referee's hands! He could not accept such a result, absolutely not!
Tang En was as agitated as him, but Tang En's action of waving his fists was not a protest, but a celebration.
He did not care if it was a dive or a real foul. He could not see it clearly from his position. Anyway, he now had a chance to take the lead and take advantage of the situation to win the game. There was no reason to spit out the fat meat that was sent to his mouth!
Liverpool's goal was a mess. The Liverpool players were protesting the call, while the Forest team's people were celebrating.
In the slow-motion replay, it clearly showed that Agger and van Nistelrooy did have physical contact in the air. But … no one knew if this level of physical contact was enough to cause van Nistelrooy to lose his balance and fall to the ground.
The referee's decision could not be changed. The referee and the assistant referee both agreed that it was a foul, so it was a foul.
The Liverpool players' protest was ineffective. The referee stood on the penalty spot and firmly pointed to his feet. He let the Forest team come over to take the penalty.
If the Liverpool players wanted to continue to pester, very well, the yellow card in his pocket was waiting.
Gerrard drove the other teammates out. He knew that the call could not be changed. Now was not the time to quarrel with the referee. He should vent his anger on the Forest team. Moreover, the goalkeeper, Reina, was very good at saving penalty kicks. The Forest team's goal was not certain to score.
In the second half, the stands behind the Liverpool goal were filled with the Liverpool fans. From the time the referee pointed to the penalty spot, the ear-piercing boos rang out. It reached its peak when van Nistelrooy walked to the penalty spot with the football in his arms.
With the loud noise interference and the inherent psychological pressure of the penalty kick, coupled with a goalkeeper who was good at saving penalties, the situation was not as bad as imagined.
After van Nistelrooy put the football in place, he retreated and prepared to run up to shoot.
Except for him and the goalkeeper, Reina, all the players on both sides were invited out of the penalty area.
The boos overhead did not stop. Amidst the boos, the referee blew the whistle in his mouth. The whistle was instantly drowned out by the boos from the Reds fans.
Van Nistelrooy ran up and raised his leg to shoot!
The Dutch striker pushed the shot in the middle and Reina pounced to the left. There was no doubt about it. But Reina hesitated at the moment he pounced. He did not have much strength and speed. When the football flew over, it hit his foot and bounced out!
"Reina!"
The boos turned into cheers in an instant, and then abruptly stopped in the next moment.
Reina did save van Nistelrooy's shot, but Nottingham Forest did not only have one van Nistelrooy. No one thought that the moment van Nistelrooy kicked the football, a thin figure would drill in. The timing was just right, and the referee had no way to rule that he had entered early.
The football was blocked by Reina's feet. It did not fly to the end line or to the side. It just flew straight back to the middle.
Van Nistelrooy hurriedly wanted to make a follow-up shot, but he could not pull his body away and could not kick the football.
Behind him, a man appeared in front of the football's landing point.
Without hesitation or any fancy moves, he kicked the football in the air into the empty goal in front of him.
"Freddy Eastwood! He appeared in the most fatal position. Reina can't do anything! "
Gerrard was the fastest person to react in the Liverpool team. He also rushed into the penalty area immediately after van Nistelrooy's shot. But he was on the left, and Eastwood was in the middle. The two were five meters apart. He could not do anything but watch.
There were loud cheers behind the Forest goal, but the Liverpool fans were silent.
This kind of great joy and sorrow was really … life was really full of ups and downs!
Eastwood was very excited after the goal. He raised his index finger to the Liverpool fans in the opposite stands and put it to his mouth, making a "shush" gesture. This brought him a tidal wave of scolding, but he did not care. He turned around and hugged his teammates.
Seeing that they had lost the ball, Benítez angrily clapped his hands. What did it mean to let Nottingham Forest take the lead? Look at Tang En's expression next door. Even a fool would know!
Tang En was jumping like a monkey on the sidelines with his arms raised high. His face was full of smiles, making those close to him happy and those who hated him.
What should they do after taking the lead? This question was really stupid.
Of course it was to attack! Attack! Attack again! They had to seize the opportunity. They should move slowly! Move slowly!
Tang En clenched his fist and swung it down.
This championship title, I'll take it!
After falling behind, Liverpool had planned to organize a crazy counterattack. But five minutes later, they found that Nottingham Forest's counterattack was even crazier.
All the Nottingham Forest players knew that "a one-goal lead is dangerous. It's even more dangerous to think that a one-goal lead can win."
In the face of such a situation, even if Liverpool wanted to equalize the score, they had to face a cruel choice: Should they counterattack regardless of everything and fight for their lives? Or should they wait for the end of the game because they were afraid of losing the ball again?
The Liverpool people chose the first option. Dying in a cowardly manner was never the tradition of the "Reds."
In the final moments of the game, the television audience, who wanted to sleep because of the dreary situation, finally saw more than ten minutes of exciting attacks.
The tenacious Liverpool people scored a goal in the 88th minute. Their captain, the most trustworthy Gerrard, forced open Edwin van der Sar's goal with a long shot.
But unfortunately, four minutes before that, the Forest team seized the opportunity of Liverpool's massive counterattack to sneak in again. Van der Vaart scored the Forest team's third goal with a close-range shot. The goal determined the result of the game, so Liverpool's last goal looked tragic. Gerrard rushed into the goal to pick up the ball, and Edwin van der Sar did not stop him. The rest of the Liverpool players also looked a little dejected.
They overturned one opponent after another, but they were powerless against the one in front of them. Because before they scored another goal, they were bound to seize on the loopholes in their rear defensive line to expand their results. Nottingham Forest was not a soft-hearted team. Thinking about their crazy counterattack after they scored the second goal, which was comparable to Liverpool's, every attack by the opponent was a chance for them to score.
The injury stoppage time was three minutes. During these three minutes, Benítez did not get up from his seat in the technical area.
Liverpool was still the traditionally strong Liverpool team, but today's Nottingham Forest was no longer the Nottingham Forest that had been promoted.
"The game is over! Congratulations to Nottingham Forest! They are the new UEFA Super Cup winners! This is the second time in their club's history that they have picked up this trophy! "
Amid the collective cheers of the Forest fans, Twain walked out of the technical area and raised his arms to greet his supporters.
"Tony Twain, a young manager at the age of 38, has already won three honors — the EFL Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the UEFA Super Cup. He is doing the same thing as the legendary manager, Brian Clough, but he is younger, so the Nottingham Forest fans have more joyous moments to look forward to."
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