After recharging in Monte Carlo, Su Luo returned to London, ready to continue his journey with Chelsea. Meanwhile, football media buzzed about the "Group of Death" in the UEFA Champions League, featuring Barcelona, Manchester City, Dortmund, and Celtic as the underdogs.
Under Tuchel's meticulous training, the Hornets had regained their form. Manchester City, once again in a tough group, couldn't guarantee their progression and would need to fight hard for a chance to advance. They had been unlucky with tough groupings for two consecutive seasons. However, Manchester United, now out of the Champions League, was relegated to the Europa League, which pleased their city rivals.
Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain were paired together, likely ensuring both would advance. Leicester City and Chelsea's qualification was still uncertain. Despite high hopes for a Premier League revival, history suggested otherwise. Arsenal often faltered early in the spring, Manchester City struggled in European competitions, and Leicester City had weakened.
Chelsea, however, looked more reliable this season. Fans eagerly awaited their performance in the Champions League.
On September 11, 2016, Stamford Bridge was buzzing.
"Wow, what a performance!"
"Lord Su! That's his 8th league goal!"
"Just 12 minutes into the first half, Chelsea leads Swansea 1-0!"
In their fourth Premier League match, Chelsea faced Swansea. Swansea, known for their possession play, struggled to penetrate Chelsea's defense. Chelsea's strategy was to defend and counter-attack, giving Swansea space to control the ball.
Despite their best efforts, Swansea couldn't break through Chelsea's defense. Chelsea seized their chance to counterattack, but an initial slip by Ajar almost wasted the opportunity. Fortunately, he recovered quickly and passed the ball to Su Luo just outside the penalty area.
Swansea players rushed to close him down, and one even fouled him to stop his advance. In that critical moment, Su Luo activated Ronaldinho's signature move: Bullet Time.
With a magical display of skill, Su Luo dribbled past the first defender and used Harland's possession technique to resist the challenge of the second defender. Unexpectedly, he didn't dribble or pass. Instead, he turned around and executed a stunning volley.
The ball sailed through the air with an elegant curve, landing perfectly in the net. Stamford Bridge erupted in celebration!
"This goal is breathtaking! Su Luo's volley is a masterpiece!"
"He has scored countless times, but the beauty and effectiveness of this goal are unparalleled!"
"This is Su Luo—delivering perfect moments in the most impossible situations!"
Zhan Jun's commentary echoed the excitement as slow-motion replays showcased Su Luo's flawless execution.
With knees lifted, toes pointed, and a smooth turn, Su Luo's volley was a work of art.
Swansea's coach, Francisco Guidolin, was left in disbelief.
"Cazzo! This is unbelievable!"
He was at a loss for how to address the situation. Despite their preparations, Swansea's defense had no answer for Su Luo's brilliance. The world's top players often find a way through tight defenses and deliver game-changing moments.
Having lost three games already this season, Swansea faced the possibility of another defeat, putting Guidolin's job at risk.
After Su Luo's goal, the game settled into Chelsea's rhythm. Swansea's possession became disorganized, and even Kante had the opportunity to dribble forward and contribute to the attack. Ajar and Willian were a constant threat on the flanks.
In the 29th minute, Swansea launched a high press. Su Luo dropped deeper to help out and, leveraging Modric's passivity and De Bruyne's control, sent a precise long pass to Willian on the right. The excellent pass drew applause from the crowd at Stamford Bridge.
Willian, in a great position, crossed the ball. Although Lukaku's header attempt missed, the ball found Ajar, who scored with a powerful kick.
Lukaku's miss turned into an assist, and the big man celebrated enthusiastically with Ajar.
The fans erupted in cheers for Ajar's goal, while professional reporters in the media seats focused their cameras on Su Luo's long pass moments earlier.
Originally, Swansea had regained their morale and hoped to make a play for the ball in the frontcourt. Chelsea was momentarily caught off guard, and Azpilicueta almost lost possession. Fortunately, Su Luo arrived just in time to resolve the crisis.
With the ball at his feet and options ahead—pass back to goalkeeper Courtois, pass to Rudiger, or pass to right-back Ivanovic—Su Luo chose a different path. With his back to the play, he half-turned and sent a precise 50-meter long pass to an open space on the right.
"How did he see that?" wondered the reporter, as Swansea's coach Guidolin grew increasingly frustrated. Su Luo had quickly neutralized what had been their last hope. Swansea seemed powerless to respond.
Sure enough, before the end of the first half, Ajar managed to slip past two defenders on the left and drew everyone's attention in the penalty area. He executed his usual inverted triangle pass to the penalty spot. Despite being a well-known tactic for Chelsea, Swansea still failed to mark the dangerous man.
"Su Luo! Making a run from the back, lifts his foot and strikes!"
"A powerful shot!!"
"3:0!!"
"Another dominant display! Chelsea is on fire this new season!"
Despite Chelsea's lineup undergoing changes, replacing Diego Costa, Oscar, and Cesc Fabregas with Lukaku, Su Luo, and Kanté, they have adapted remarkably well. Their play has become exceptionally dominant.
The real test, however, will come when Chelsea faces stronger opponents. Su Luo had scored in four consecutive games, averaging more than two goals per match. Even Harry Kane struggled to match this extraordinary pace.
By the second half, Swansea had completely lost their fighting spirit. Chelsea continued to score. In the 60th minute, Ajar made a solo run from the left and scored a brilliant goal.
Under Su Luo's spotlight, Ajar managed to showcase his skills with a strong performance.
4:0! Chelsea extended their lead once again.
In the 82nd minute, William was substituted, and Cesc Fabregas came on for his first appearance alongside Su Luo. Previously, Fabregas was a key midfielder, but with Su Luo's arrival, his role had diminished. Chelsea's formation was now a 4-2-4, making their defense somewhat vulnerable.
Fabregas could only watch from the bench as Chelsea's style shifted. After William left, Su Luo took up the right-wing position, while Fabregas moved into the midfield.
The once-prominent Arsenal captain saw a reflection of his younger self in Su Luo. The once-confident teenager had grown into a reserved middle-aged man. The relationship between Fabregas and Su Luo was cordial but not particularly strong. They struggled to connect on the field, with several passes failing to find their mark.
Su Luo tried to move forward and position himself behind Fabregas, but Fabregas's passes often missed their target. Su Luo's attempts to cut inside were met with misplaced through balls. Chelsea's repeated mistakes on the right gave Swansea a glimmer of hope.
Then, unexpectedly, Cesc Fabregas delivered a perfectly timed through ball to Su Luo. Despite being offside, Su Luo managed to break through and reach the ball.
"Eh? The connection between Fabregas and Su Luo! Su Luo is through on goal!"
"A delicate lob shot!! Beautiful!! The ball is in!"
"Su Luo completes a hat-trick! This is his second hat-trick since joining the Premier League!"
"10 goals in 4 games, two hat-tricks, the same winning formula, the same excitement!"
"After dominating the Bundesliga, Su Luo is now conquering the Premier League!"
5:0!
With Su Luo's hat-trick and Ajar's brace, Chelsea triumphed over Swansea at home.
4 wins, 18 goals scored, and no goals conceded! Chelsea had made an impressive start to the new season, and the pressure on Su Luo, the "155-million-euro man," was now a heavy cloud hanging over the Premier League giants.
Post-match, a surprise announcement came from Swansea: due to their poor start to the season, coach Francisco Guidolin had been dismissed. Former North American team coach Bradley was set to take over.
Once again, Su Luo, the "coach killer," had claimed another managerial scalp. The league had only just started, but the "Sun" headline read:
"Who can stop Chelsea? Who can stop Su Luo?"
For other Premier League teams, there was some relief on the horizon. The Champions League was set to start next week, with Chelsea facing a grueling schedule of back-to-back away games. On September 15th, Chelsea would travel to Moscow to face Spartak Moscow, and just three days later, they would visit Anfield to challenge the revived Liverpool.
Two consecutive tough away games made for a daunting schedule.
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