464 A blessing in disguise
Sometimes, football matches are full of weird coincidences.
It's like Liverpool's away game against Everton.
Ten seconds into the opening game, Yang Yang used a long-range shot to penetrate Everton's goal.
This groundbreaking shot made everyone see Yang Yang's strength, and at the same time disrupted Everton's rhythm.
For the next 90 minutes, Liverpool were in the ascendancy but were unable to create a good scoring opportunity.
Yang Yang tried hard to find opportunities, but on the one hand, he was closely guarded by Everton, and on the other hand, Liverpool did not provide him with enough support, either his teammates did not pass it, or the ball did not pass well.
In short, there were various reasons why he failed to score again.
Yang Yang failed to score again, and the other players were equally dumb.
Even in the second half, Benitez brought on Robbie Fowler and Luis Garcia, but it failed to change the team's attack.
But in any case, with the opening goal, the team was able to win.
However, in the 94th minute, that is, the last minute of the game, and maybe even the last few seconds, Everton fired a long-range shot, and Reyna made a very fatal, even amateurish mistake.
The save from this shot itself was not too difficult.
The Spanish goalkeeper stood a little wide and rushed back to the goal line to make a save, at which point there were many options to choose between lifting the crossbar and moving the ball aside to let it out of bounds, but Reyna seemed to hesitate when it came to his choice, and he obviously wanted to hold the ball directly.
But because he quickly chased back to save near the goal line, and his body still had the inertia to rush towards the goal, when he held the ball, he obviously realized that what he was holding was not a ball at all, but a hot potato.
If he doesn't let go, the end result will be that he will rush into the goal with the ball.
So, the Spanish goalkeeper quickly threw the ball away.
Sadly, Everton, who had had no decent chances throughout the game, were given such a godsend in the final moments of the game, with striker Andy Johnson following up and heading home from close range.
One-to-one!
Three points instantly become one point!
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"Haha, all I can say is that this is definitely the most bizarre mistake in the Premier League so far this season."
'Reyna has shown us once again how important it is to be a consistent goalkeeper.
'Yang Yang scored the best long-range goal of the season and the fastest goal in the Premier League this season after the opening ten seconds of the goal, but his team-mate Reina made a stupid mistake in the final moments of the game.
'Benitez has every reason to be frustrated by their team's performance because they had already picked up the three points, but it was Reyna who sent them away and handed them a point to Everton.
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Bol soon blew the whistle for the end of the match.
Liverpool's players all looked very depressed, and it was clear that they were also devastated by the goalkeeper's bizarre mistake in the last minute of the game, and everyone was very depressed.
It was supposed to be three points, but it turned out to be one.
Playing Everton away and derby in the same city, it is not too bad to get a point, but it should have been three points......
Reyna sat down in the goal line, took off the goalkeeper's gloves, and held his head in remorse.
Yang Yang was also full of disappointment, because he originally seemed to see three points, but he didn't expect it to become one point.
Ask yourself, he really tried his best, but in this game, Liverpool's state is really bad.
Reina's last-minute mistake was very undeserved, but should he be blamed for it?
Yang Yang was quickly relieved, because no one would not make mistakes!
Last season, Liverpool conceded 25 goals in the Premier League, just four more than champions Chelsea, while Reina's clean sheet of 22 games was the highest in the Premier League.
It can be said that Reina's strength is not in doubt, but he is indeed not stable enough.
Moreover, in Everton's goal just now, Reina's mistake was infinitely magnified, but at the same time, he was also taking the blame for Carragher, because he did not go up to stop the opponent's long-range shot at the first time.
The vice-captain, who has just returned from injury, is indeed in quite average condition today.
But that's what football is.
Accept the eye-catching of Reyna and Carragher at the peak of their form, but also accept their poor time at the bottom.
Sooner or later, Yang Yang himself will make some mistakes, such as missing some great opportunities or something.
Thinking of this, Yang Yang took a deep breath and walked quickly towards the goal.
Almost at the same time, Gerrard also walked briskly towards the goal.
"Pepe, that's not your responsibility, there's no need to feel guilty." Gerald reassured.
Yang Yang didn't say a word, just stood silently beside Reina to show his support.
He can imagine that tomorrow the media will be full of accusations against Reina, and then he will be under more pressure than he is now.
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In the dressing room after the game, Benitez was unhappy with his team's performance.
But he didn't target Reina, who made a mistake, but everyone in the team except Yang Yang.
He believes that the game should have been a big win for the team, but it turned into a draw in the end, which is something to be wary of.
At the same time, however, he said that a 1-1 draw away to city rivals Everton was not unacceptable, especially given that the team has been heavily affected by the international team and many are clearly out of form.
This is something that the Liverpool players themselves can feel.
Crouch, Gerrard, Xavi Alonso, Hyypia, Carragher......
Almost the entire central axis of the team was sluggish from front to back, and if it weren't for Yang Yang's goal shortly after the opening, it might have been difficult for Liverpool to get out of Goodson Park.
And Benitez also praised Yang Yang, believing that he played a key role in the three games since his return.
Needless to say, the first game was two shots and one pass, the second game assisted the winner, and today he scored the fastest goal in the Premier League this season, and it can be said that he was the only bright spot of the game for Liverpool.
"Before, you told the media that your target was Henry last season."
After listening to Benitez's words, Yang Yang nodded.
"Thierry Henry scored 10 goals in the first 19 rounds of last season and the 19th round of the season is just before Christmas, so I'll give you a promise that if you can score 10 goals at the end of the first half and qualify for the Champions League group stage, then I'll give you a day off before Christmas!"
As soon as Benitez finished speaking, there was an uproar in the locker room.
The Christmas holidays are definitely something that all Premier League players dream of.
The teammates in the locker room all forgot about Reina's mistake just now, and turned to look at Yang Yang with envy and even jealousy.
It was the Christmas holidays!
"Okay, we'll make up our minds." Yang Yang said eagerly.
Who isn't happy when there's a holiday?
Besides, this is also a challenge for him.
Yesterdam also came forward at this time to advocate a little, which is nothing more than saying that it is difficult to score ten goals, which greatly enlivened the atmosphere in the dressing room and made everyone gradually get out of the shadow of Reina's mistakes.
Christmas holidays are not uncommon.
Manchester United have always had Christmas holidays, and Ferguson always took the time off to give his players as much time as possible to return to their families around Christmas, so that they could relax and play better in the devil's schedule after Christmas and in the second half of the league.
Benitez has been in the Premier League for two years, and his coaching has always been strict, and he has never given players exceptions, but he didn't expect to give Yang Yang the green light now, and it is not difficult to see that he attaches great importance to Yang Yang.
And Yang Yang quickly noticed the envious eyes of his teammates after the battle, and he immediately turned his head to look at Benitez, "Boss, it's not fun to bet on me alone, otherwise, the stakes are bigger, if I do it, you will give the whole team a holiday, how about it?" ”
Yang Yang's provocative remarks immediately made everyone in the locker room boil and applauded him.
Gerald and the others even rushed up to hug him, looking like a good buddy talking about righteousness.
Benitez's face changed slightly, and he was about to say something, but Yesterdam, who was beside him, secretly pulled his clothes and nodded slightly at him, as if to say that the team's morale is available!
The Spaniard is not stupid, he immediately understood it as soon as his mind turned, and secretly shouted in his heart that he was glad that Yesterdam reminded him, otherwise if he rejected Yang Yang, he would not only miss an opportunity to boost the team's morale, but also may lead to a frustration in the morale of the players.
'Okay, but 10 goals aren't enough.' Benitez said.
"Then you say." Gerald shouted after him.
"Yes, Boss, you can say it!"
The players were coaxing, all waiting for the holiday.
Benitez and Yesterdam looked at each other, neither of them had any experience with it.
In the end, the two discussed that as long as the team does not fall out of the top three and remains competitive for the championship, then after playing eighteen rounds, the team will be given three to four days off, depending on the situation.
There was no way to take Christmas Day off, but everyone was excited.
As for Yang Yang, he didn't care either.
Christmas doesn't mean much to him at all, but it's not as good as the Lunar New Year.
But when he saw his teammates so excited, he was also happy.
As for Yang Yang, when he could choose to enjoy his privileges, he still did not forget his teammates and resolutely chose to share weal and woe, and many teammates, including Gerrard, were also impressed by him, and many people thanked him.
"Don't thank me yet, you still have to wait until I score 10 goals and the team qualifies from the Champions League group stage, then there will be a holiday." Yang Yang reminded with a smile.
Gerrard and other teammates have also stated that they will do their best to help him score, and everyone will work together to achieve the goal and get the holiday.
Yang Yang felt that he had made a wise choice this time and was further accepted by his teammates.
This can be regarded as a blessing in disguise.