Carlton Cole's goal put the Liverpool reserves in the lead, and everyone came up to hug and congratulate him.

Everyone could see Cole's performance. Wherever he was next season, it certainly wouldn't be in the reserves.

Cole's success also gave everyone hope.

As long as they worked as hard as Cole, even if their talent wasn't as good as his, their final achievements might not be as great, but they would still have a chance to become a successful professional player.

The Liverpool reserves were in high spirits after taking the lead. However, their high spirits weren't reflected in a fierce offensive, but rather in their composure.

After taking the lead, they didn't just go all-out and press forward.

That would only give Aston Villa a chance to seize the opportunity.

After all, their opponents were still a Premier League team, and a first team at that. If they didn't have that kind of ability, they would have been relegated long ago.

So after taking the lead, the Liverpool reserves not only didn't press forward to attack, but also tightened their defense even more.

They didn't care whether their actions would make the game boring and dull, they only cared about winning.

※※※

The reporters in the press box saw the Liverpool reserves celebrating their goal and began to express their opinions.

"It looks like the Liverpool reserves are going to create another miracle in this game..."

"Wrong, buddy. We can't use 'miracle' to describe them anymore. They got this result fairly and reasonably! They deserve it!"

"Ah... you're right, the Liverpool reserves are indeed very strong... I think, maybe only the Manchester United first team can stop them... It's a pity that Manchester United didn't make it to the FA Cup semi-finals."

"Carlton Cole, what a talented kid... I wonder if Liverpool can keep him..."

The Chinese reporters were not satisfied enough: "Hero hasn't had any highlights in this game yet..."

"It would be perfect if this goal was scored by Hero..."

"Cole should have passed the ball to Hero! Hero was right in front of the goal, it would have been an open goal!"

※※※

Chen Hero didn't care whether Cole passed the ball to him or not.

For him, goals were now just numbers. One more or one less didn't matter.

He only wanted the championship.

Cole's goal made him very happy. It meant that the reserves were getting stronger and stronger, and the stronger the reserves, the greater their chances of winning the championship.

That's why he didn't bother with the small matter of Cole not passing the ball to him just now, but choosing to shoot himself.

Besides, he was the big brother, how could the big brother care about so many small details with his little brother? That would be too petty.

In fact, there was another reason. The better Cole performed, the more of a threat he posed to Aston Villa. When the time came, Aston Villa would have to send more people to defend Cole, and the defensive forces around Chen Hero would be reduced accordingly.

Chen Hero would not be short of chances to score.

Chen Hero got such a chance near the end of the first half. It was precisely because Carlton Cole dribbled the ball past the defense and attracted Aston Villa's defensive attention.

Then Cole, who had previously chosen to shoot himself, suddenly swept the ball into the middle.

Chen Hero followed up with a sliding tackle, relying on the advantage of his legs being longer than others. Although his position was blocked, he still touched the ball first, and then kicked the ball... into the goal.

The first half had not yet ended, and Liverpool were already two goals ahead.

With Liverpool's ability and tactics, everyone could guess the outcome of the game.

Aston Villa could no longer reverse the situation. There was really no team in football today that could reverse Liverpool, not even the Liverpool reserves.

"The game has completely lost its suspense. For the next forty-five minutes, everyone can take the time to have a meal or go on a date..." the commentator joked.

※※※

But in fact, the second half of the game was not dull at all.

On the contrary, it was even more exciting than the first half.

Because Aston Villa, who had no chance of reaching the final, were asked by coach Lambert during the half-time break to let go of their burdens and just play a game that wouldn't disappoint the fans.

Their performance in the second half was even more aggressive. They also attacked more actively than in the first half.

In this case, Liverpool's counterattack was naturally smooth and successful.

Both sides showed their housekeeping skills.

In the second half of this game, the two teams attacked each other back and forth, having a great time.

Although there weren't many goals, there were no shortage of exciting scenes. Whether it was offense or defense, it could stir up the cheers of the fans on the scene. Even neutral fans would enjoy watching it.

This made the same commentator have to retract his words near the end of the first half: "It seems, I was wrong. The second half of the game is much more exciting than the first half!"

In the end, with both sides performing at a high level, the two teams each scored a goal in the second half.

Chen Hero scored twice, and Aston Villa also scored a consolation goal. With this goal, Aston Villa could be considered to have given an explanation to those fans who still came to the stadium to support them.

Aston Villa's fans wouldn't be too depressed when they left Wembley and returned home.

At least this goal could become a topic they could talk about with relish - we also scored a goal against Liverpool, who are known for their defense! That's Liverpool, although it's the reserves, they have Chen Hero! And our Aston Villa can actually score a goal against Liverpool with Chen Hero, what a great performance!

※※※

A day later, Liverpool's opponent in the FA Cup final was also freshly released.

Coincidentally, their opponent was Everton.

An alternative Merseyside derby will be staged in the FA Cup final.

At the same time, the English Football Association Referees and Disciplinary Committee also announced the referee for this final - James.

This referee choice aroused the interest of the media.

Because this referee James was the one who made many wrong calls in that controversial Merseyside derby this season...

The Liverpool club protested to the FA immediately.

They couldn't accept allowing a referee with a previous conviction to officiate such an important final.

However, their protest was rejected by the FA.

The reason given by the FA was: "There is no evidence to prove that James will make any inappropriate calls in this final. The Liverpool club's doubts and protests are simply slandering the reputation of an excellent referee."

The meaning of protecting one's own calf was very obvious. If the Liverpool club was sensible, they wouldn't mention any problems at this time. It was obvious that they were protecting James. He had been punished before, and if he wasn't given another chance, this referee would probably fade out of the ranks of England's top referees.

The Liverpool club was also sensible and didn't mention this matter again.

However, this matter had become known to everyone, and their purpose was achieved.

It was to put pressure on the FA and pressure on the referee, so that the media would use a magnifying glass to observe the referee's performance in the final.

This would more or less restrain the referee and create a relatively fair environment for Liverpool.

If Chen Hero knew the club's true intentions, he would definitely roll his eyes.

Because this time, he couldn't wait for the referee to be even more biased.

He hadn't avenged that 1:1 draw last time, nor had he forgotten it.

This time, he must repay it all in the final!

So when he learned that the opponent in the final was Everton, and the referee was still James, Chen Hero smiled.

He didn't hide this emotion when he was interviewed.

"I'm very happy to meet two old friends in the final at once, which is rare. I've already thought about it, I'm going to welcome the two old friends with the most enthusiastic emotions, especially Mr. James. I have so much to say to him in the game, I hope he won't refuse then, ha!"

Although he said these words with a bright smile, every reporter standing in front of him could feel the eerie coldness revealed in his tone.

No one would think that Chen Hero really wanted to catch up with James. Even James himself wouldn't think so.

With Chen Hero's vindictive personality, how could he swallow that breath from the beginning?

If it wasn't for James, Liverpool's winning streak could have continued until now, instead of stopping abruptly at sixteen games.

And it was precisely James who broke Liverpool's ten-game winning streak against Everton, ending it in the ninth game.

These grudges were finally counted on the referee on duty.

The media was also very clear about this, so the final was still early, but the media had already started to hype it up.

What personal grudges between Liverpool and James, what continuation of the controversy of the last Merseyside derby, what conspiracy theory of the FA...

In short, all kinds of arguments emerged at this time.

Especially the conspiracy theory of the FA was rampant.

After all, James had just made wrong calls in the game between Liverpool and Everton and was disqualified by the FA from officiating Premier League games next. Why did he appear in the FA Cup final between Liverpool and Everton so coincidentally?

Although the FA said that this was decided long ago and was just a coincidence.

But many conspiracy theorists still smelled the taste that made them excited.

Was this the FA's revenge for Liverpool's insistence on punishing James in the first place?

All kinds of conspiracies appeared.

However, these random speculations about the FA's conspiracy theory did not anger the FA. Not only did they not anger them, but when they saw the media hyping up the final so much, the FA officials smiled happily.

Because... all this attention is money!!