Chapter 477: League Cup Final, Lin Quan Wears the Captain's Armband!
Chapter 477: League Cup Final, Lin Quan Wears the Captain's Armband!
Even though Manchester City became the Premier League's last hope, it didn't mean they would get any favors in the league. After their away game, City immediately traveled to another away game to face Newcastle United. The long journey took a toll on City's main players, affecting their performance. However, some substitutes stepped up at the right time. In the 5th minute of the first half, Sané scored his first goal for City from a De Bruyne pass. Although Newcastle equalized in the 31st minute with a header, the City substitutes continued their fierce play. In the 52nd minute of the second half, Jesus made a smart run to beat the offside trap and scored, changing the score to 2-1.
The performances of new signings Sané and Jesus delighted City fans. These winter signings were proving to be quite good. Sané displayed strong individual skills, with excellent dribbling, breakthroughs, and shooting—an outstanding goal scorer. Jesus played very much for the team, tirelessly moving to find shooting space during attacks and actively participating in defense, even disrupting the opposition's play.
Of course, neither player was without flaws. Sané had a tendency to play solo, often choosing to go it alone even when a pass to a better-positioned teammate was the more reasonable option. Jesus, on the other hand, lacked height and the ability to hold up the ball like a traditional center-forward.
Fortunately, City didn't require a traditional center-forward, which helped to hide Jesus' weaknesses. Guardiola had been observing both players and understood their strengths and styles well. He planned to coach Sané to be more of a team player and to enhance Jesus' scoring ability while maintaining his defensive contributions.
After the Newcastle game, City couldn't rest. They quickly traveled to London for the League Cup final at Wembley Stadium. This match posed a greater challenge than the league game as they faced a well-rested Liverpool. Liverpool's fans were eager for a trophy, and Klopp declared their full commitment to winning it. Due to various reasons, Liverpool couldn't advance further in the league, making the League Cup their last hope for silverware.
The League Cup final was shortly after the league match, which was unfavorable for City. Liverpool knew this and tried to increase the game's tempo to exhaust City's players. Klopp's influence on Liverpool was evident as the team, under his guidance, played with youthful vigor and overwhelming energy, making it hard for City to handle.
In the first half, City was pressured and had less possession, which was rare. But after fifteen minutes, City adjusted, gradually taking control of the game. Commentator Martin Tyler noted how this game felt like their previous league encounter where Liverpool initially pressed but City regained control and established a lead.
Right after Tyler's comment, City scored. Surprisingly, it wasn't Lin, Son Heung-min, Jesus, or any other forward who scored, but the midfield defensive stalwart—Kanté! Seeing no good opportunities due to tight defense, Kanté decided to take a shot, unexpectedly scoring a world-class goal, leaving the opponent's goalkeeper helpless.
This goal was crucial as the first half was nearing its end, and City's players were already drained. If City could maintain their lead into the second half, their tactical options would open up, potentially allowing them to play defensively and counter-attack. Even though the League Cup might seem minor, a championship was still a championship, and playing defensively for a win was perfectly acceptable.
Klopp, realizing the importance of City's lead, frowned. Though trailing by one goal wasn't too severe, scoring in a final was always tough. But Liverpool had no European distractions and didn't suffer from travel fatigue like City, giving them a physical advantage. In their last league match, Liverpool's defeat to City was largely due to fatigue. This time, Klopp hoped City's second-half performance would dip, giving Liverpool the upper hand.
When the second half began, Liverpool's pressing and movement intensified, but so did their aggression, resulting in two quick yellow cards. Klopp, displeased, substituted the booked players to prevent further disciplinary issues but inadvertently increased Liverpool's attacking threat, straining City's defense.
Seeing this, Guardiola also made substitutions, bringing in fresh legs for Zabaleta and Kroos, who were nearing exhaustion.
Sané and Fernandinho coming on helped stabilize Manchester City's defense, making it harder for Liverpool's attacks to threaten their goal in the short term. However, City couldn't execute their counter-attacks effectively due to Liverpool's intense pressing and the fatigue of players like Son Heung-min and Jesus. The only player with enough energy left up front was Lin Quan!
Lin Quan's presence up front kept Liverpool from fully committing to their attacks, preventing City from being completely overrun in the second half by Liverpool's relentless offense. In the first half, the possession was relatively even, with City slightly ahead. But in the second half, especially after the 55th minute, there was a noticeable shift. City's possession dropped significantly while Liverpool's increased. City struggled to maintain possession and avoid risky passes under Liverpool's pressure, leading to their lower possession rate.
This was surprising, given Guardiola's teams usually dominate possession. It highlighted Liverpool's incredible pressure in this game. Liverpool fans, seeing their team dominate, were excited, singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" and eagerly anticipating a Liverpool goal. To win the League Cup, Liverpool needed two goals. With around 30 minutes left, scoring twice was challenging but possible. Their plan was to score once, tie the game, and push it to extra time, where City's fatigue would make them vulnerable.
Despite Liverpool's intense attacks, City's defense held strong, preventing them from scoring. By the 70th minute, it was still 1-0, and even at the 80th minute, Liverpool hadn't scored despite their overwhelming pressure. City players started cramping, and captain Kompany was injured and had to be substituted by veteran Demichelis. Before leaving, Kompany passed the captain's armband to Lin Quan, saying, "Lin, make sure we win this cup, please!"
"Don't worry, Captain. I won't let anyone take it from us!" Lin Quan replied, putting on the armband.
Throughout the game, Liverpool heavily targeted Lin Quan. Whenever he had the ball, multiple players would surround him, and if they couldn't, they'd commit tactical fouls. Players like Clyne, Moreno, Emre Can, Lallana, and Coutinho all received yellow cards for fouling Lin Quan, showing Liverpool's fear of him. Lin Quan alone drew five yellow cards, not counting the numerous uncarded fouls.
Despite the aggressive tactics against him, Lin Quan kept getting up and rejoining the game, showing incredible resilience. This persistence earned him admiration, even from Liverpool fans.
"Why can't we knock this guy down?" "He's so tough, honestly, I respect him!" "Why isn't he a Liverpool player? Imagine if he played for us at Anfield!"
Liverpool fans admired Lin Quan's spirit, which fit Liverpool's ethos perfectly. Unfortunately for them, it was unlikely he'd ever don their red jersey. Even with Lin Quan being the only threat up front for City, Liverpool still couldn't rest easy, which contributed to their inability to score. With the game past the 80th minute and no goals for Liverpool, their fans began to worry. They needed a goal to stay in the game, or they'd lose the final.
"Score one!" "Score one!" Liverpool fans chanted, hoping for a hero to emerge. Coutinho, hearing their cries, attempted to be that hero. He dribbled past the exhausted De Bruyne and made a brilliant one-two pass with a teammate, receiving the ball near the penalty area. Just as he was about to shoot, a sliding tackle from the side knocked the ball away. Shocked, Coutinho saw it was Lin Quan, who had tracked back to defend.
"Isn't this guy a forward? Why is he defending here?" Coutinho thought, stunned.
The crowd's gasps snapped Coutinho out of his thoughts. He saw Lin Quan, number 10, sprinting toward Liverpool's goal with the ball.
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