At the start of the second half, the Forest fans were still paying attention to the latest developments. When they heard from the radio that Robinho had been substituted at the start of the match, they all started scolding McClaren. Even a fool would know what it meant when the main striker was substituted for a young man.
Tang En also heard the news from Kerslake. He shrugged. Others were ultimately unreliable, and he could only believe in himself …
Sunderland seemed to be on stimulants at the start of the second half, launching a fierce attack on Forest's core. Manager Nielsen's words at halftime had an effect.
But were Tang En's words useless?
Sunderland's full field pressing was prone to errors when they were all hot-headed. It was the so-called "stealing the ball and then losing the ball."
Forest took advantage of Sunderland's errors and launched a counterattack after stealing the ball, directly threatening Sunderland's goal.
While the Sunderland players were daydreaming, hoping to crush Nottingham Forest in one fell swoop in the second half, they did not expect that they had already become Forest's prey. Scotland's national goalkeeper, Gordon, finally raised his hands in surrender after trying twice.
At that time, Forest launched an attack from the flank. Bale rushed up and played a one-two with Fernández on the flank, then passed the ball. The ball was punched out by Gordon, but it did not go far. Gago, outside the penalty area, swung his leg for a long shot. The ball hit the Irish defender, Paul McShane and was deflected.
The ball did not deflect into the goal. Instead, it landed at the feet of Forest's striker, Ibišević. The Bosnian did not hold back and swung his leg for a shot. The ball flew into the empty goal without any suspense.
"Nottingham Forest leads Sunderland by 2: 0!!"
Just four minutes into the second half, Nottingham Forest had extended their lead. This goal was a very heavy blow to Sunderland. They had wanted to score against Forest, but did not expect Forest to score against them instead. What about avoiding relegation … at this moment, it all seemed like a joke.
After the goal, Ibišević clenched his fist and waved it towards the sky.
Forest could not control the match between Arsenal and Manchester City. The only thing they could do was try to score as many goals as possible in the match against Sunderland and vent their anger on Sunderland.
It was just that if Manchester City could not force a draw or defeat Arsenal, it would be futile no matter how many goals Forest scored. It was more like a helpless resistance.
Tang En was not as excited as usual when his team scored a goal. He only waved his fist at the side of the field and sat back down. He continued to wait for news from the Emirates Stadium.
※ ※ ※
"Arsenal's two goals in the first half have pushed the game into garbage time. This is not what we want to see … Manchester City looks like they have no fighting spirit at all. If they continue to play like this in the second half, the officials from the Football Association can congratulate Arsenal's chairman, Hillwood, in advance." The neutral commentator was obviously dissatisfied with how one-sided the highly anticipated match was.
What he wanted to see was an exciting and intense match where neither side was willing to admit defeat and fight until the very last moment. Coupled with the match between the Forest team and Sunderland in another stadium, the life-and-death battle between the four teams kept the suspense of winning the title until the last second.
This was a match worthy of the intense competition ahead of this season's Premier League.
If Arsenal were to win the title so easily, it would be too unfair to Nottingham Forest, who had been working hard to catch up … At the very least, Manchester City should try to bring some excitement to Arsenal.
The Arsenal fans' thoughts were definitely the opposite of the commentator's. They were singing and dancing in the stands, jumping up and down, even hoping that the referee would blow the whistle to end the match. The beer prepared to celebrate winning the title had already been carried out. The fans in the stands could not wait to raise banners and slogans to celebrate their success in winning the title.
Arsenal's substitutes sat on the substitutes' bench, chatting and laughing, looking relaxed and content. Wenger became the person who paid the most attention to the match. He was not blindly optimistic. Even if they had a 99% chance of winning the match, he did not want to appear too excited before the end of the match.
Les Pat had just told him that Nottingham Forest had also scored. Now, they were like Arsenal, leading by two goals.
Wenger smiled. He knew that Sunderland would not be able to cause trouble for Forest. Even if they could explode with 200% of their energy to stay in the league and survive, they were still 300% behind Nottingham Forest. What was the use?
Therefore, before the match, his team still had a one-point advantage, which was enough for him. The rest was simple. Arsenal just had to play their game well and ensure that they did not make any mistakes and not be forced into a draw by Manchester City. Les was very concerned about Nottingham Forest, but he did not care much about Tony Twain's situation.
Manchester City's Jack Reed, who came on in the second half, did not have much experience. Other than being able to run, he could not cause any trouble for Arsenal. Wenger did not even bother to arrange for someone to mark him. But that Bendtner … was still a problem.
Half of Arsenal's defensive line was guarding against him, but he was still as active as he was in the first half. He was simply an anomaly for Manchester City.
What was he after?
※ ※ ※
"There's still no news from Arsenal. Arsenal slowed down their attacking pace and began to intentionally control the ball. Their players have already begun to celebrate their victory. Manchester City still do not have much of a chance … "
Kerslake whispered into Twain's ear.
Twain was silent for a while. He shouted the names of the players on the sidelines for them to continue attacking.
He could only vent his anger on Sunderland …
Ten minutes later, Nottingham Forest scored their third goal. The scorer was Pepe.
This time it was a corner kick. After Bale drove out, Pepe went forward to grab the ball and with a header, the ball flew past the goalpost and into the goal.
With a three goal lead, Sunderland had completely lost their fighting spirit. The lofty aspirations they had accumulated during the halftime interval had long been destroyed by the two goals in the second half. Next was Nottingham Forest's time to perform.
※ ※ ※
When the news of Nottingham Forest's 3: 0 lead reached Portsmouth's Fratton Park stadium, there was a thunderous cheer. The Portsmouth fans knew that their team would definitely stay in the Premier League, and Sunderland would replace them in the English Football League Championship. Everyone was grateful for Nottingham Forest's "righteous act" and wished them to win the league title as they wished.
The Tottenham fans also did not want to see their city rival lift the league title trophy. Since the result of this game did not matter, there was no need for the two teams to continue opposing each other in the stands. Hence, the Tottenham fans cheered along with Portsmouth, congratulating them for avoiding relegation, and at the same time cursing Arsenal for losing the league title.
The fans of both teams were just short of hugging each other and cheering to celebrate their relationship.
※ ※ ※
"Sixty-seventh minute of the game. Nottingham Forest leads Sunderland by 3: 0. And Arsenal is still leading Manchester City by 2: 0. There are still 23 minutes until the end of the game. I previously said that Arsenal's chances of winning the title was 99%. Now I have to revise it, the probability has become 99.5%. "The commentator in charge of commentating the game between Arsenal and Manchester City said.
"The fourth goal is coming … The ball's in! Nottingham Forest leads Sunderland by 4: 0 … Poor Sunderland. " The commentator in charge of commentating the game between Nottingham Forest and Sunderland did not sound excited enough. He also felt that it was useless for Nottingham Forest to score more goals. In his heart, Tang En's team had already lost their minds. They were just venting their anger, so they completely disregarded Sunderland's thoughts. Not only did they want to relegate them, they wanted to completely humiliate them and vent their anger of not being able to win the title on the poor Black Cats (Sunderland's nickname).
The Forest fans did not cheer for their team's goals anymore. Everyone's thoughts had already left the game and flew to London. If Manchester City did not work hard, then it would be useless no matter how many goals Forest scored.
Fat John stood and watched the game. His butt had left his seat since the start of the game. Beside him were all his teammates. Everyone was feeling the same. They were all worried about Forest's future.
Some people even thought of the personal feud between Manchester City and Forest.
"I heard that Ashley Young is not in the starting lineup. Bendtner is the only former Forest player on the field … Will that kid purposely throw the game?"
"Manchester City is not on good terms with us. Who can say for sure? This kind of thing …"
"Was it because we were too arrogant before and made enemies everywhere …"
"Bullsh * t!" The straightforward Skinny Bill glared at the person who said this. "The winner naturally has the right to be arrogant. It can only be their problem if they hate us. What has it got to do with us? Damn it! "He was still worried for Forest. He frowned and ignored that unlucky guy.
"Actually …" Fat John spoke. His tone was low and he was feeling down. "We should do something to cheer for the team, but I'm not in the mood to sing at all now …"
"Sing, John! Let's do what we have to do! Don't let those bastards laugh at us! "Bill was angry again. He clenched his fists and said to John. "Even if Forest did not win the title this season, we have to go out with our heads held high! Sing! "
John glanced at his partner and nodded vigorously. "Sing!"
Immediately after, the song of cheering for Nottingham Forest rang out in the stands. Their singing woke up a lot of half-hearted fans and brought their attention back to the game. The singing was echoed by more and more people. The sound became louder and clearer.
"The game is at the last minute. Do you think it's over?"
"There's not much time left. The referee is looking at his watch. You're thinking to yourself, 'Forget it. We still have next season' —"
"The cheering song gradually died down. Some people began to leave early. There was a pile of wine glasses thrown in the stands. It was a mess! "
"Forest's number 11 stood up. He said, 'No! The game is not over yet! Don't be too happy! '"
"Don't be too happy. Don't be too happy!!!"
"Don't be too happy. Don't be too happy!"
The Forest fans in the stands seemed to be shouting at Arsenal non-stop.
※ ※ ※
The Nottingham Forest fans let out a hysterical roar of despair. The Emirates Stadium's stands rang with the song "We are the Champions".
"… We are the champions, my friend! We are the kings of the world! We win every battle, because we are the champions!! "
Of course, there were also Arsenal fans who held up banners to mock Nottingham Forest for wasting their efforts.
Bendtner could not see their banners and did not care. But the singing of "We are the Champions" really provoked him.
He worked so hard, but he became the best foil for the other team's victory celebration. He ran hard for seventy minutes and looked like a clown.
Why did I work so hard?
Look around and look at my teammates. They were just putting on an act. They did not have to suffer at all. In such hot weather, I ran until I was about to have cramps. Their jerseys were not even wet!
Bendtner felt indignant. What kind of teammates was he playing with?
Why did he have to play with these people …
When Arsenal's defenders passed the ball in front of him, Bendtner clenched his fists.
Sweat streaked down his forehead and dripped down his cheeks. He felt that his heart was hotter than the weather.
Go and play if you want to play! I'm not playing anymore!
One of Arsenal's attacks was ended. Joe Hart kicked the ball towards the front of the pitch. Bendtner struggled to head the ball and finally managed to get the first point of contact. He headed the ball to Jack Reed, the young lad who only came on in the second half of the match.
The lad could run very well. He was fast and had good stamina. But his technique and awareness were too lacking. He did not know if he had a future at the age of twenty. After he received the ball, he still wanted to rush forward and dribble his own way to shoot — he had squandered several of Manchester City's offensive opportunities previously — he wanted to prove himself in front of McClaren. Perhaps he and Bendtner were the only players left in the Manchester City team in this game who still had the desire to play.
But he heard Bendtner yell, "Give me the ball!!"
To Reed, Bendtner was a veteran in the team. He was also one of the most stable strikers in the team. His status and authority were far from what a newcomer like him could challenge.
So, when Bendtner suddenly yelled, he obediently passed the ball over.
But he continued to run forward after passing the ball, intending to do a one-two with Bendtner. He did not dare to yell like Bendtner, "Pass the ball back!" He just ran forward, hoping that Bendtner would see through his intentions.
Regardless of whether Bendtner saw through his intentions, Arsenal's defenders did. The intention of passing and running was too obvious. Only a fool would fall for it.
So, Arsenal's defenders followed Reed and collectively retreated. There was suddenly an empty space between Bendtner and Arsenal's defensive line. What was worse was that … Bendtner was completely unmarked.
Such opportunities did not come often, especially when the opponent was Arsenal. Perhaps Arsenal collectively relaxed after taking a two-goal lead and thought that victory was within their grasp. They thought that Manchester City would not pose any threat to them. That was why there was such a defensive vacuum. Bendtner did not even have the chance to think about how it happened. He directly passed the ball forward on the spot, ran up, and raised his leg …
Thirty-two meters away from the goal …
An earth-shattering long shot!
Almunia struggled to rise into the air. He tried his best to extend his arms and his body completely, but he did not touch the ball. Not a single person in the penalty area touched the ball.
The silver football streaked across the turf of the Emirates Stadium and passed through the crowd. It shot through Almunia's ten fingers!
The football slammed hard into the net and made a "swoosh" sound.
"Ah … Ah ah ah! The ball's in! The ball's in!! "The announcer who was commentating on the game jumped up from his seat and shouted excitedly with his arms raised high.
Those Arsenal fans who were watching the game on television heard his excited voice and were a little unhappy. Why were you not so excited when our team scored?
"Nicklas Bendtner! Nicklas Bendtner!! A great goal! He had scared everyone! Including his teammates! "
After the goal, Bendtner ran to the stands where the Arsenal fans were most concentrated. He put his left hand behind his back and his right index finger in front of his lips. He pursed his lips and made a "shut up" gesture.
His teammates were stunned. They did not expect the goal to come so suddenly. No one even ran up to hug Bendtner and celebrate the goal. They only reacted when the Arsenal fans started booing. They swarmed up and hugged Bendtner tightly. They patted his head hard and congratulated him on his goal.
Although Manchester City had no desire to play this game, it did not mean they wanted to fake it. If their teammates scored a goal, it was still something to be happy about.
Facing his teammates who came up to congratulate him, Bendtner gritted his teeth and wanted to break free from them to continue his celebration. But everyone hugged him too tightly …
※ ※ ※
"Tony!" Kerslake, who was listening to the radio, suddenly shouted.
But Twain waved at him and made a "shush" gesture. At the same time, there were loud cheers in the stands. Sunderland was in possession of the ball at this time …
"I already know, David."
Twain turned around and smiled at him.
David Kerslake clenched his fists in excitement and almost jumped up. "Bendtner! It's that kid Bendtner who scored the goal! "
The name of the goalscorer surprised Tang En a little.
The cheers continued and the announcer's voice came from the live broadcast in the stadium. "73rd minute, Arsenal 2: 1 Manchester City. The scorer is … Nicklas Bendtner!"
"Hurray!!" The Forest fans shouted in unison, completely forgetting the hatred they had for the traitor when he left.
At this moment, they worshipped Bendtner like he was when he was still wearing a red shirt. At that time, Bendtner was considered to be Nottingham Forest's main center forward for the next ten years …
※ ※ ※
Wenger was furious at the goal concede. He sat on the chair and kept waving his hands as he complained to the assistant manager beside him, Pat Rice. "What are our defenders doing? What are our midfielders doing? Do they think they've won? Five seconds before Bendtner's shot, there was not a single one of our players within ten meters of him! "
With that, he got up from the manager's seat and walked aggressively to the side of the field. He stuck out two fingers on his left hand and the index finger on his right and roared at the field, "It's 2: 1 now! 2: 1! "
The score made him nervous. Bendtner's burst of form after being suppressed for 70 minutes also made him uneasy.
He did not know why. After all, his team was in the lead now. Other than Bendtner, Manchester City was not a threat at all.
But his heartbeat suddenly sped up without warning. He was a very rational manager, but sometimes he trusted his instincts.
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