Chapter 247: Mutual Temptation
Blackmail asked: "After Liverpool won three in a row, Liverpool ran into Chelsea, does that mean Liverpool are a bit out of luck?" After all, this opponent happens to be the best team in the league in the past few years! β
Jamie said lightly: "This has nothing to do with luck, the game is not gambling, we can't pray that the opponents we encounter are weaker teams, in fact, only by beating strong opponents, can we hope to go further, after all, when it comes to the real game, no opponent is a weak team." β
Ransomware said calmly: "I have heard this statement countless times. And in the news, there is always such similar content, but in fact? Can last year's Chelsea be the same as today's? A team's fighting power can change dramatically in a month's span, let alone a year, especially Chelsea right now. β
'It's a crucial game, it's not clear what kind of fighting power Liverpool will have, but knowing that the light of day is just around the corner, Liverpool will certainly not give away the victory easily, and Chelsea will be the best if they are careless.' Jamie said.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp expressed his respect for Kodic before the game: "I'm excited to play against Chelsea now, Kodic's Chelsea have played like never before, they always score, they have won a lot of games, Chelsea haven't lost a game so far this season, it will put a certain amount of psychological pressure on us, but I also hope that Liverpool can put a lot of pressure on Chelsea at Anfield." Because this is Anfield! β
On the evening of November 26th, Liverpool City was brightly lit and Anfield was noisy! When the players of Chelsea and Liverpool walked onto the pitch, the stadium was still reverberating with Liverpool fans singing in unison You will never walk alone!
The entire stadium stands seemed to be dyed red, especially the sight of Reds fans holding scarves and singing the team anthem, which naturally put some mental pressure on the Chelsea players, as if they had stepped into an unusual battlefield, and Jones smiled at the corners of his mouth.
"Welcome to Anfield! A key match in the 13th round of the 17/18 season is about to start here, with Premier League giants Liverpool hosting an unbeaten Chelsea side!
In terms of preparation pressure, Chelsea will certainly have an easier time than Liverpool, who are out of sight of winning the Premier League title but still need to secure a top-four spot in the league to secure a place in next season's Champions League.
Can spirited Chelsea make waves at Anfield? We knew right away that a big battle was about to start at Anfield.
Chelsea players tried to get their feet on the ground and wait for the whole team to get into the game before instigating a threatening attack, but Liverpool didn't give Chelsea much time and raised the tempo from the opening kick-off.
In the second minute of the game, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson cut diagonally into the right front, Coutinho sent a through pass, Sturridge received the ball and swept the ball in front of the penalty area, Oxlade-Chamberlain stopped the ball and shook off Azpilicueta and Christensen's back and forth, he did not develop into the box, because Cahill was obviously waiting for him to change back and intercept.
Oxlade-Chamberlain fired a shot from the edge of the box and the ball flew into the bottom right corner of the net, where Courtois was well prepared and pounced to press the ball directly under the palm of his hand.
Although it is clear that Liverpool is attacking, but Chelsea's players can still feel the fear in Liverpool's heart, although this attack formed a shot, that is because Liverpool's ground attack is very fast, three passes and two downs will create opportunities, but the midfielders, Henderson did not assist, and Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sturridge on the side did not step into the danger zone.
It's just that Oxlade-Chamberlain and Salah are charging forward, and it's understandable if they play away, but at Liverpool's home stadium, they have invested so few troops that they are obviously a little afraid of Chelsea.
That put the Chelsea players at ease, and in the sixth minute, Chelsea had their first shot of the game when Cesc Fabregas played up front and played Jones against the wall before passing the ball back to Jones, who sent in a through ball.
Eden Hazard dropped back to receive the ball and then turned to face the goal, which grazed the outside of the post and flew off the line.
Two minutes later, Oxlade-Chamberlain sent in a through ball down the left flank, Sturridge dropped back to get the ball crossed, and Henderson, who was ambushed behind, met the ball with a long-range shot that Courtois saved.
"A dangerous shot from Liverpool! Henderson's long-range shot almost missed Courtois's 10 fingers! Liverpool's fast attack is very mature, the tacit understanding is very high, and the passing and cutting cooperation between teammates is very efficient. β
Liverpool only want to shake up Chelsea's defence with the combination of Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, which is naΓ―ve, but it will put a little pressure on Chelsea's backline.
Liverpool's emphasis on defense is high, the physical Moreno can provide a higher defensive contribution than traditional wide players, Gomez also focuses on zone defense, and Milner and Henderson can attack and defend, Liverpool's defensive hardness in the midfield line is beyond imagination.
In the 16th minute, Chelsea began to dominate the pitch by shaping the attacking situation through a constant passing of the ball in midfield, and Kodic sat in the dugout and watched the game unfold.
Jones cut diagonally to the left front after exchanging passes with Cesc Fabregas, and he and Costa completed the transition on the run, with Hazard receiving Cesc Fabregas's pass and passing diagonally to Jones.
Jones dribbled two steps laterally to attract Gomez, Joel Matip and Moreno, and in the middle of the gap he slid the ball diagonally back to the unmarked Cesc Fabregas, who immediately shifted the attack, and Hazard, who cut forward on the right flank, decisively sent it straight to the ground.
Hazard faced the entanglement of Clavan, kicked the ball back at the moment of stopping, shook off Clavan, looked up at the situation in the box, and then kicked an in-spin cross from his feet, which went around the back of the net.
After passing the ball to Cesc Fabregas, Jones was able to cut forward and no one could keep up with him to interfere defensively, and goalkeeper Mignolet moved to the back of goal when the ball fell.
Because it is an in-spin ball, the ball flies in the direction of the goal, which is more advantageous for Mignolet in the comparison between Jones rushing forward and Mignolet expanding the defensive area to move.
Jones went to the goal with a header when the ball fell, but he didn't have any expectations in his heart, no angle at all! Mignolet was less than a metre away from him and had no other options for handling the ball than to head the ball on goal, and Mignolet blocked almost all angles of the goal with his body!
Jones' header was unsurprisingly blocked by Mignolet's shoulder, and Jones ran out of the baseline and around the small arc before turning back towards the outside of the box, intending to take advantage of the opportunity to form a second attack or a counter-attack on the spot.