Chapter 340: Lampard's Light

Chapter 340: Lampard's Light

During the halftime break, Pellegrini repeatedly warned the players not to let the opposition's words and actions provoke them. He emphasized the importance of controlling their emotions and avoiding any more yellow cards. Outwardly, the players agreed, but internally they were thinking about how to decisively beat Chelsea. After all, not fighting back isn't the spirit of a true man, especially in the Premier League—not La Liga!

Despite the players' mixed feelings, once back in the game, they firmly implemented Pellegrini's offensive strategies. At the start of the second half, Manchester City launched a fierce attack on Chelsea, seemingly aiming to replicate the goal from the end of the first half. In the 47th minute, Manchester City won a corner. Lin Quan took the corner with a tactical play, passing the ball to Silva. Silva then drew the defenders and lobbed the ball into the penalty area. The coordination was excellent and created an opportunity, but unfortunately, Manchester City's attackers couldn't reach the ball first, and Chelsea's captain Terry cleared the danger.

Two minutes later, Manchester City's offense surged forward again. Lin Quan passed the ball to the flank, where De Bruyne delivered a precise through pass. Lin Quan's long-range shot from the edge of the penalty area was brilliantly saved by Courtois, leading to another corner for Manchester City. This time, Lin Quan opted to send the corner directly into the box, causing a scramble that ended with Courtois securing the ball.

In these intense few minutes, Manchester City's attacks were relentless, but Courtois's outstanding performance kept Chelsea's goal secure. After returning to Chelsea from Atlético Madrid this season, Courtois, through some maneuvers, ousted Čech to become the starting goalkeeper. Initially, Chelsea fans were skeptical of him, given Čech's long and proven record. Courtois, a post-90s goalkeeper, faced doubts about whether he could match Čech's consistency.

Now, it seems Chelsea fans can rest easy. In his appearances for Chelsea, Courtois has been exceptional. His spectacular saves not only look good but also show the mark of a top-tier goalkeeper.

Chelsea wasn't just passively defending against Manchester City's attacks. In the 53rd minute, they had a free kick opportunity in the middle. Fàbregas attempted to send the ball into the box. However, the ball seemingly struck a defender's arm during flight, leading Chelsea players to immediately claim for a penalty. The referee, however, dismissed their appeals, which greatly displeased the Chelsea players and their coach Mourinho, who vociferously complained to the fourth official. His choice of words and tone were quite aggressive.

Informed by the fourth official, the referee approached Mourinho and issued him a yellow card as a warning. Mourinho, who has a history of being sent off, had to calm down; a red card would prevent him from managing the team from the sidelines.

Although Chelsea didn't win a penalty, their protests seemed to have an effect. It appeared that to balance out his earlier decision, the referee made some compensatory calls. In the 55th minute, Manchester City executed a tactical free kick; Silva's pass into the box led to Cahill bringing down De Bruyne, a clear penalty situation which the referee ignored, awarding only a free kick instead. This decision frustrated Manchester City players, who felt the obvious foul should have been called.

After an apparent oversight by the referee, Manchester City's players, who had been calming down, became agitated again. In the 58th minute, Diego Costa elbowed Zabaleta and received a yellow card. An angered Zabaleta got up to confront Costa, and it nearly escalated into a fight stopped only by their teammates.

Despite the intervention, Zabaleta's anger was not assuaged. In the 61st minute, during a Chelsea counterattack, Costa was on the receiving end of a retaliatory tackle by Zabaleta, who dramatically rolled on the ground, screaming in pain. The referee hesitated because giving Zabaleta another yellow would lead to a red card. However, unable to ignore this foul, he booked Zabaleta again and sent him off.

This decision drew boos from the home fans at Manchester City's stadium, whether against the referee or their opponents was unclear. Pellegrini, realizing the dire situation with 30 minutes left and one player down, feared the match would become significantly more challenging.

To stabilize the defense, Pellegrini had no choice but to substitute David Silva with Milner. Now playing at home with 10 men, Manchester City's formation changed from 4-2-3-1 to 4-2-2-1.

Seeing Manchester City's reduced numbers, Mourinho made a decisive move by substituting Mikel and Oscar for the booked Ramires and the underperforming Willian. Mourinho's intent to stack the front and intensify the attack was clear—being only one goal down, Chelsea's strong offensive capabilities this season could still turn the game around or even secure a win.

Mourinho's tactical adjustments quickly showed results, leveraging the midfield advantage, Chelsea gradually took control. In the 65th minute, a corner from Fàbregas was headed by Ivanović to the far post, where Costa attempted a diving shot. However, Navas was alert to Costa's movements and blocked the shot just in time, causing the Manchester City fans to breathe a sigh of relief. Thankfully, their team had invested in a top-class goalkeeper, or the score might have been leveled by now.

Yet, Chelsea did not relent in their attack. In the 71st minute, Ivanović, moving upfield, delivered a high-quality cross. Costa cleverly maneuvered the ball to the right side of the pitch, past Mikel, and nudged it towards an open Hazard. Faced with a perfect setup, Hazard did not waste the chance and scored, equalizing the match at 1-1.

Chelsea has leveled the score! At this moment, losing a goal is almost fatal for Manchester City, who are already down a player. Both the players on the field and the fans watching in the stadium can't help but feel worried. With Chelsea's strong form and high morale, can Manchester City, lacking one player, withstand their fierce attack? Recalling Chelsea's recent 4-0 victory over Schalke 04 in the Champions League group stage, Manchester City fans are particularly anxious. This season's Chelsea team is entirely different from last season; scoring is no longer a challenge for them.

"Why be so pessimistic? This is our home ground!" Lin Quan shouted, seeing his teammates' morale dipping.

"Right, so what if we're down a man? Didn't we eliminate Real Madrid away with ten men? Is Chelsea scarier than Madrid?" De Bruyne joined in, boosting the team's spirit. Last season's most perilous Champions League match for Manchester City was that away game against Real Madrid. Despite being a goal down and one man short, they performed a miracle and knocked out the formidable Real Madrid. Having faced such a battle, what's there to worry about now? Especially since this is their home ground and they are not behind.

"Yes, this is our turf, we can't let Chelsea run wild here!" "Charge and turn the game around with our attack!" The players, already simmering with frustration, were fully ignited by Lin Quan's rallying cry.

Seeing his players revitalized in such circumstances, Pellegrini felt reassured. His gaze lingered on Fernando and Lampard on the bench before he finally chose Lampard. Lampard, a versatile box-to-box midfielder with a powerful long shot and superior attacking skills compared to Fernando, knows Chelsea inside out. At this moment, hopes were pinned on the veteran's experience.

The Manchester City fans were puzzled to see Lampard subbed on. "Why not Kroos now?" they thought, given Kroos' offensive capabilities, which could significantly enhance Manchester City's attack. "What is the Engineer thinking? Why not bring on Teacher Toni?" "It's proven countless times, Teacher Toni plus De Bruyne and Lin Quan are an unstoppable combination on the field!"

"It might be because we're a man down. We need someone with strong physical play and some offensive ability," someone guessed. "Yeah, that must be it!" "But this guy has such deep ties with Chelsea, he wouldn't be a mole, right?" "Can't be, right? After all, he's a professional; he shouldn't confuse the situation!" "Let's just trust him for now."

Manchester City fans were ambivalent about the substitution, while Chelsea fans had mixed feelings. Seeing a player who served their team for 14 years now wearing the opponent's jersey was bittersweet. "Ah, why didn't the club renew with Lampard?" "Yeah, Lampard has served the Blues for so long, and clearly, he still has some gas left. Why not even a one-year contract?" "Even though Lampard's older, didn't players like Pirlo and Xavi renew with their clubs?" "If he had one more year, he could have retired a Blue. Such a pity we won't see that now!"

With the game situation favoring Chelsea, their fans were more relaxed, which allowed them the space to discuss Lampard's situation. After entering the game, Lampard quickly neutralized a Chelsea attack with a clean defensive move. Chelsea fans' good mood vanished when they saw him tackle Fàbregas to stop an advance. "Damn!" "Really?" "Lampard, take it easy, those are all your former teammates!"

Lampard maintained his professionalism; now wearing a Manchester City jersey, he was committed to giving his all for the team. And while he was considerate of his old teammates, he didn't hold back against others. As for Fàbregas? "Heh, when I was at Chelsea, this guy was captaining our rivals Arsenal! Why should I feel bad about fouling Arsenal's former captain? Not at all!" Poor Fàbregas found playing as a defensive midfielder very uncomfortable today. Manchester City targeted him with intense pressure right from the start, and while Chelsea players fouled Lin Quan, Manchester City didn't spare Fàbregas either.

Lin Quan, immune to injuries, even earned three yellow cards for his opponents. But Fàbregas lacked such talents, grimacing in pain with every fall. If not for his determination, he would have asked to be subbed off. "I can't fall; we're about to win. Just win this match, and we'll top the league!" Fàbregas, lying on the ground in pain, kept encouraging himself. After leaving Barcelona, he seemed transformed, even more desperate than before.

Lampard's impact wasn't just defensive. In the 81st minute, after Manchester City intercepted the ball and launched a counterattack, Lin Quan and Milner coordinated on the right before Milner passed the ball to the edge of the box. Lampard, seeing Chelsea's goal clear, didn't hesitate and unleashed a world-class shot. He had fought many battles for the Blues, but today, he was about to breach their goal. "Sorry, Chelsea fans! Sorry, Mr. Abramovich!" (End of Chapter)