Chapter 23: Mane's First Goal

In the third round of the 13-14 English FA Cup, a key match was contested at the Emirates Stadium.

For the home team Arsenal, French centre-forward Olivier Giroud is out injured and Urgou is back on the bench after returning from injury.

Arsene Wenger fielded a 4231 starting line-up.

Goalkeeper No. 21 Fabianski, left-back No. 17 Monreal, right-back No. 3 Sagna, centre-back No. 6 Koscielny and No. 5 Vermaelen were partnered.

No.10 Wilshere and No.8 Arteta sit in the middle, with No.7 Rosicky in front of them.

No. 44 Gnabry on the right, No. 19 Cazorla on the left, and No. 14 Walcott at the top.

Tottenham's new signings, who have only arrived for less than two days, have made the start.

Benjamin is going to slap those who don't like his reinforcements in the face.

It was also a 4231 formation, with Kane sudging forward with a single arrow, Sane on the left and Lamela on the right.

Christian Eriksen up front, with Dembele and N'Golo Kante behind him.

Left-back Danny Rose, right-back Kyle Walker, centre-back Vertonghen and Alderweireld are the team, goalkeeper Lloris.

Arsene Wenger looked at the small French midfielder standing in the middle of Tottenham with a puzzled expression.

Arsene Wenger, a Frenchman, is well connected in France, but he really hasn't heard of the player.

I don't know where Tottenham came from, it is said that he is a player who plays in Ligue 2, and can also start in the north London derby?

Mane Wenger has seen it on the scouts' list, with some potential and good pace, but that's about it.

The Arsenal manager couldn't understand what Benjamin was thinking, and it was a risky decision to bring in new signings who had only been in the team for a few days.

Just one minute into the game, Sadio Mane cut forward at high speed on the left flank, received a diagonal pass from Christian Eriksen and cut across to the edge of the box.

Then he took advantage of the situation and hit the goal with insufficient power and was picked off by Fabianski.

Arsene Wenger chose to start the team's second goalkeeper Fabianski in today's game, and the main goalkeeper Szczesny was rested.

And the Polish goalkeeper does deserve the trust of the head coach from the point of view of his state after the start of the game.

Arsenal, who were playing at home, were cheered on by the fans and launched an attack on Tottenham's goal.

Cazorla and Rosicky made a one-two on the left to get past Tottenham right-back Kyle Walker and get to the edge of the box.

Arsene Wenger sat firmly in the dugout, and it seemed that the game was not a big problem as expected.

The Frenchman turned his head and glanced at the visiting team, uh, the other party was only wearing a trench coat over his suit, was it really not cold?

A cold wind blew, and Wenger couldn't help but wrap his down jacket tightly.

Just when the situation on the field was at a critical juncture, two Belgian central defenders who cooperated tacitly one after the other, one grabbed and the other assisted in defense.

The ball failed to reach the box and was cut off by a Tottenham defender.

The visitors quickly launched a quick counter-attack and Alderweireld found his team-mate up front with a pinpoint long ball.

Kane's header was headed over to Lamela and he immediately turned and ran towards the Arsenal penalty area.

Lamela faced Monreal on the right and sent a cross into the box.

Kane missed a point in front, and Mane at the back point had a great chance to hit the goal, but his feet were weak, and Vermaelen was the first to clear the ball.

Alas, Benjamin sighed slightly, still a little bit of a duck on the shelves.

Sadio Mane and N'Golo Kante are technically fine, and even if they are not at their peak at the moment, they are certainly qualified to play in the Premier League, but it does take some time to integrate into the team and adapt to the pace of the Premier League.

That is, Alderweireld has made the Belgian's performance better because of his tacit understanding with Vertonghen for many years.

But now that such a decision has been made, it is only possible to take responsibility to the end.

Benjamin also hopes that through such a move, he will further consolidate his right to speak at Tottenham, especially when it comes to transfers, those people must convince him.

Otherwise, why would Benjamin take such a big risk.

At this point, a goal card "snapped" and slapped on Mane's body.

Then a [Intermediate Status Card] with 50 points did not hesitate to confirm the use.

[Intermediate Status Card]: Indicates a medium increase in the status of all players in a single match.

Points, just use them, otherwise hoarding them there is equivalent to nothing.

In an instant, a straight green arrow appeared next to the name of all Tottenham players.

But don't waste my efforts, it's up to you to perform!

In the twentieth minute of the game, the score was still 0-0.

Wilshere won the ball in the middle and was easily cut off by Kante head-on within two steps.

Wenger:???

He can see that Tottenham's French midfielder has a set of defense.

Not only is he active in running, he has strong interception ability, and the range of defense is particularly large.

Looking small, the confrontation is not weak at all, coupled with excellent speed, it is like an iron gate in the midfield.

This is a headache for Arsenal's technical midfielders, who have tried many ways to get past N'Golo Kante's defence.

Arsene Wenger looked greedily at N'Golo Kante, who had made another tackle on the field, and shook his head secretly.

Although this kid is really good, it is not suitable for Arsenal, they play technical flow football and do not need such a defensive midfielder.

Just as the professor was comforting himself in this way, Kante crossed the ball to Kane with a through ball after the break.

Kane was heavily targeted by the Arsenal defenders today, and he was indeed defended without any temper.

Kane, who had no chance to turn, had to knock the ball back to Eriksen, and the Dane was distributed to the left.

Sadio Mane broke past Sagna into the box and this time the Senegalese didn't hesitate to kick the ball straight into the net.

Arsenal goalkeeper Fabianski jumped in front of goal to make a save, but the ball went in the top right-hand corner.

"One to zero! Tottenham were the first to break the deadlock on the pitch!

The goal was scored by Senegalese winger Sadio Mane, who had just joined Tottenham Hotspur for 12 million euros in the winter transfer window! ”

After the goal, Mane ran all the way to the stands where the Tottenham fans were and came down to his knees.

Tottenham supporters in the stands also shouted wildly for the goal that helped the team take the lead.

On the sidelines, head coach Benjamin seemed very calm, he knew better than anyone how the ball came about.

Even if a goal card is enough, the intermediate status card worth fifty points still makes him a little painful.

It would be worth it if it could lead to his first north London derby win in his managerial career.

It was only after taking the lead that Tottenham Hotspur really stabilized the situation, especially since the nervousness of the three new signings had calmed down, and they were able to perform at a normal level even without that form card.

Reflected in the field, the away team pressed all over the field, making Arsenal almost unable to hold the ball.

The home side, desperate to score and equalise, couldn't even control the ball and were pinned down in their own half by Tottenham.

The Arsenal fans in attendance had done their best to help the team, and every time Tottenham picked up the ball and attacked, huge boos came from all directions.

But Benjamin's team was mentally prepared and unaffected.

Eriksen's stab from the edge of the six-yard box was blocked by Fabianski on the ground and his legs.

Lamela cut inside and fired a long-range shot that bounced off Gunners defender Vermaelen.

Danny Ross crosses and Kane scrambles wide of the net from inside the box.

Tottenham's tidal wave failed to find the back of the net and the minutes of the first half ticked by.

The hosts managed to get a chance to counter-attack, as Gnabry crossed to the edge of the box after a long run and Theo Walcott's shot flew into the stands.

At half-time, Tottenham took a 1-0 lead.