Chapter 211:-for-tat (Ask for subscription)
"Toot!"
"Referee, this is the third foul on Hao by the opposing team!"
As soon as the whistle blew, Van Persie shouted at Foy in dissatisfaction.
This time the penalty was awarded, there was no way, this was the third time that Xiang Hao was put to the ground by the Everton team, not blowing, a little too much.
Marouane Fellaini, the Everton midfielder, received a yellow card.
"Shhh
The boos of the whole audience, they didn't care if Xiang Hao was kicked in the ankle, what they cared about was their team's lead on the field.
Even though the game was going on in the 43rd minute and the first half was about to end, their side were still 1-0 up, and they didn't want to see the Arsenal players rise to the occasion, even if there was even the slightest sign of it.
Naturally, Xiang Hao, the Arsenal leader, Everton fans don't want him to recover, even in the last minutes of the first half, they want Xiang Hao to fall to the ground forever.
At least in this game, they didn't want to see the omnipotent Xiang Hao appear on the TV at Goodison Park, so they chose to ignore or even acquiesce to the fouls of their players.
"How can this be considered a foul? He evenγHe even gave a yellow card?! β
Moyes's eyes widened, and he yelled at the fourth official with great dissatisfaction, as if he had suffered a great loss.
"Sir, please calm down, everything that happens on the field, I think the referee will judge for himself, please go back to your position."
For people like Moyes, who are cheap and well-behaved, the fourth official is extremely unhappy.
I've been watching it for so long, how can I not see that this Scotland is deliberately targeting Xiang Hao. If it weren't for Foy's mercy, plus at Everton's home stadium, three or four yellow cards would have been there a long time ago, where would it be his turn to be arrogant here.
Seeing the cold attitude of the fourth official, Moyes walked back to the coach's box rather angrily, still muttering something in his mouth, with a dissatisfied face.
When Wenger saw him like this, he wanted to knock him to the ground with a fist.
This Scotsman, like his fellow countryman and the Portuguese, not only likes to play outside the game, but also has a kind of 'villain's smug' face, which Wenger looks angry and hateful.
But it can't be helped, because it's also part of football, and referees play a big role.
Especially the referees in the Premier League, in terms of confrontation, they are not only a matter of connivance, but even encouragement for a certain period of time.
Wenger has suffered so much loss, he naturally knows the way here, he has nothing to do on the sidelines, he can only hope that his players can stick on the field and nibble on this game.
But it was clear that Arsenal couldn't do it in the first half if they wanted to nibble on the toffee, and with Foy's whistle, the fierce first half was over.
Everton took a 1-0 lead at home to the second half thanks to Gary Cahill's goal around 21 minutes.
The entire Goodison Park stadium cheered as their players exited, and at least in the first half, they saw that their side had a chance of getting rid of Arsenal.
Although this is not the final result, but if there is this sign, that hope will exist, and Everton will overtake Arsenal and climb to the fourth place in the league.
Everton fans are not excited and looking forward to it, and the Everton players are the same, talking and laughing into the dressing room, and the atmosphere is quite lively.
This half-time game not only showed its own momentum, but also made the Arsenal players angry and pressed to beat, this kind of humiliation of the 'giants', they have not experienced it for a long time.
In contrast, Arsenal's players are a lot more unhappy, and they all enter the dressing room with frowning eyes, and their faces are full of resentment.
This half of the game was so uncomfortable, it was like being stuck to something, the feeling of not being able to play at all, the defense, the pressure on the two ribs, the attack, and the side could not be opened.
Unable to attack or defend, throughout the first half, Arsenal seemed to have lost their backbone, not a little angry, and even more depressed.
"Arsenal have to reflect on it, they didn't play the slightest threat in this half, and it can even be said that they couldn't put Everton under the slightest pressure, which is really terrible.
You know, the real meaning of the season has just begun, they are still fighting on four fronts, the League Cup, the FA Cup, the Champions League and the league.
With such a mental state, is Arsenal going to continue the appearance of last season and collapse all of a sudden, it's really terrible.
Arsene Wenger can no longer turn a blind eye and tolerate his players, and he must wake up his players as hard as his old rivals. β
The disappointment came from Mortensen, the old man was quite optimistic about Arsenal's future, but this state of play made him uncomfortable, and he no longer had a 'preference' for Arsenal, and made severe criticisms.
"There's no doubt that neither Howe nor the rest of the Arsenal squad are ready to fight at Goodison Park level.
David Moyes is done, he knows the difficulties Arsenal have faced during this period and he knows where Arsenal's strengths are.
So in the first half, he put two players in the front and midfield, and kept an eye on Hao, although Everton's players moved a little big, but when the referee did not blow the whistle, it proved to be effective.
Hao can't smoothly divide the ball, and more importantly, Denelson and others can't share the pressure on Hao, which is terrible, and now Arsenal does have one less offensive explosion. β
Lineker was also grim-faced, criticizing Arsenal and pointing out the Scotsman's tactical arrangement in the first half.
"Well, in the second half, Hao has to be more energetic at this point, and even consider letting him press forward a little, otherwise, Arsenal's attack lacks a bright spot, and they can't press Everton, maybe they will have to come back at a big price."
Mortensen spoke eloquently and gave his advice for Arsenal in the second half.
'It's worth a try, and if Everton are to continue to press Arsenal like that, they have to play like the first half and keep the intensity of the game.
However, they should pay attention to the foul problem, Foy's whistle seemed to be stepping up before the end of the first half, and Everton need to get the size right. β
Now that Motensen has given Arsenal advice, it is natural that Lineker cannot be too partial and has also made some proposals for Moyes.
And what he said is indeed exactly what the Scots think, what they are worried about, and what the referee is all about.
Moyes is very clear that his team was able to suppress Arsenal in the first half, in addition to the fighting spirit of the players is more tenacious than the opponent, a very important reason is Foy's attitude.
In order to limit Xiang Hao, Moyes emphasized the use of his body to his teammates, but the opponent's ability was too strong, and on several occasions, he had to use foul tactics.
And Foy, on this, gave Everton some home whistles, and although he blew a foul, he didn't play a card.
In this way, Everton had the opportunity to 'control' the situation on the pitch and force the Arsenal players to 'cringe'.
But with the yellow card, Moyes was keenly aware that Foy's whistle had changed a bit, and the benefits of the 'home whistle' seemed to have been overused.
Moyes couldn't help but be worried, so the Scotsman entered the dressing room with a smile on his face compared to the Everton players returning to the dressing room with a smile on his face.
"In the second half, you have to pay attention to Foy's whistle change. When defending, don't give the opponent a chance, take it back appropriately, and keep a diamond position in the middle.
Pay attention to the gaps around you, the Arsenal players will step up their penetration into your area in the second half, be sure to concentrate all your attention, don't be careless, listen to it! β
Without the slightest warmth, as soon as Moyes entered the dressing room, he immediately informed him of his arrangements for the second half and swept the players with great vigour.
"Got it!!"
Seeing their coach so solemn, the Everton players didn't dare to laugh anymore and replied loudly with all their morale.
And in the away locker room, it was bleak, everyone didn't dare to speak loudly, and the game was played like this, who would dare to take the lead.
Even Xiang Hao, who has always loved 'life', was unusually quiet at this time, waiting for the old man to speak.
Wenger looked at his teammates and swept them one by one, his wrinkled face could not hide the anger of the old man, but Wenger was not Ferguson after all, although Mortensen was in the live broadcast room, calling on Wenger to become Ferguson.
"In the second half of the game, you have to play more actively, the area of ten meters in the middle circle, I want you to take it back for me, understand."
The tone is not heavy, but it reveals the old man's 'will' that cannot be violated.
"Hmm." "We know." β¦
The Arsenal team immediately nodded their heads like chickens eating rice, and they didn't dare to disobey in the slightest.
They know that after this game, their hard work is indispensable, and whether they can reduce it depends on the performance of the next half.
After a fifteen-minute break, players from both sides returned to the pitch.
And people were 'surprised' to find that Wenger's substitution was so efficient this time, removing Eboue, replacing Diaby, and replacing Vela at the same time, and replacing Xiang Hao's second brother Bendtner.
The intention was clear, Arsenal were going to break the boat from the start of the second half.
Changing to a high point is to grab, and at the same time, Diaby's play is also to give Arsenal one more player in the midfield who can share the ball and relieve Xiang Hao's pressure. The rest of the substitutions are basically just a precaution.
Moyes saw Arsene Wenger's intention to make a substitution, and the worry in his heart became more and more obvious.
The French are a bit of a playful in it.