Chapter 159 Smashing Through

When Smalling crashed into Chen Hero, the commentator almost shouted "Smalling's foul!" because the bumping was so obvious.

But in the end, Chen Hero stood still, while Smalling was knocked off balance. Everyone wisely shut their mouths—now, saying Smalling had fouled wouldn't convince anyone. Who had ever seen a foul backfire on the fouler?

Soon, everyone's attention was drawn to Chen Hero's header.

Despite Smalling's intentional collision, he still managed a high-quality header, forcing De Gea into a brilliant save.

"Beautiful! Hero's header is truly amazing!"

"Even when surrounded by so many people, he can still accurately head the ball... Truly the number one header in football today!"

"Ah! What a pity this ball didn't go in! Liverpool are still a goal behind! For them, every attacking opportunity is precious!"

Many people, like the commentator, felt sorry that Chen Hero had missed this golden opportunity.

No one thought that a corner kick was also an opportunity for Chen Hero.

Because it was all about headers.

※※※

Bale took the corner kick. He ran to the corner flag and placed the ball.

Pepe, Agger, Inler, and others crowded into the penalty area.

Usually, Chen Hero was the only protagonist in attack, but a corner kick was a corner kick, and corner kicks had specialized tactics.

So the header experts in the Liverpool squad still crowded in.

Manchester United ignored them. They were only staring at Chen Hero.

These people were decoys; only Chen Hero was the real target.

Wherever Chen Hero was, the ball would fly there. That was the conclusion.

But this time, Chen Hero didn't join the crowd in the penalty area.

He ran to the edge of the box, near the penalty arc.

Was he going to have Bale pass the ball out to him so he could take a direct shot?

That seemed possible... After all, Chen Hero was also excellent at long shots.

Manchester United's players were in a dilemma.

Should they defend against Chen Hero's header, or his long shot...?

Just as Phil Jones and Smalling hesitated about whether to block Chen Hero's long shot, Chen Hero made a gesture at them.

He pointed to his head.

He was making it clear that he was going to use his head!

The Manchester United players were stunned for a moment, then they reacted.

After reacting, they were furious!

This was too much!

This was treating them with utter contempt!

Manchester United players' anger was justified.

For an opponent to so blatantly tell them how he was going to attack meant he believed that even if they knew his intentions, they couldn't stop him.

This was strong confidence in himself, but also strong contempt for his opponents.

Manchester United was a giant; how could they swallow this insult?

Smalling and Jones clenched their fists until their knuckles turned white.

They swore in their hearts that no matter what, even if it meant fouling, they wouldn't let this arrogant bastard score in front of them!

They exchanged a look and quickly made a decision.

Phil Jones pointed at himself: "I'll follow him."

Almost at the same time, Smalling also pointed at himself and said: "I'll block him!"

The two of them divided the work like that, then stopped talking nonsense and turned to their respective positions.

Smalling returned to the goal, his eyes fixed on Chen Hero. He didn't know where Chen Hero would eventually jump, so he could only guard the goal now, closely watching Chen Hero's movements and ready to pounce at any time.

In addition to him, several other Manchester United players also planned to intercept Chen Hero with him.

Phil Jones squeezed out of the crowd and came to Chen Hero's side.

Chen Hero smiled at him.

But the smile was fake; even a fool could see that. A typical insincere smile.

Phil Jones wasn't in the mood to play these psychological games with him.

He lowered his eyelids slightly, only looking at the hem of Chen Hero's jersey.

※※※

The referee blew his whistle, Bale took two steps, and then kicked the ball out.

Almost as soon as Bale kicked the ball, Chen Hero suddenly rushed into the penalty area as if he had received a signal.

Phil Jones, who had been watching him, wasn't shaken off but followed him into the penalty area.

He didn't look at the ball or his surroundings; his eyes were always on the hem of Chen Hero's swaying jersey.

If necessary, he would not hesitate to reach out and tug at the jersey, just once, and then let go. Not enough to make Chen Hero fall to the ground, but enough to make Chen Hero miss even half a second of an opportunity.

That would be enough. Besides, Smalling and the others were blocking in front...

In Phil Jones's view, this defense should be foolproof.

Then he saw Chen Hero's body move, with a slight knee bend. He knew Chen Hero was about to jump, and he quickly reached out to pull...

He got it!

He didn't expect to get it so easily. Phil Jones was a little surprised.

But he immediately realized something was wrong...

His hand was gripping the jersey tightly, and he had intended to pull it back hard and then quickly let go.

But before he could pull back, he found himself staggering from a powerful force!

His body lunged forward, about to fall to the ground. To maintain his balance, he let go of his hand.

Then a thought flashed through his mind.

"Crap!"

Phil Jones had lost control of Chen Hero.

He looked up and saw Chen Hero's back as he took off!

How foolish it was for a man, a human being, to try to stop a heavy bomber from taking off...

※※※

Chen Hero soared into the air.

His speed surprised Smalling—he had been watching Chen Hero the whole time, and he didn't see any hesitation in Chen Hero's takeoff, which meant Phil's plan had failed.

Then it was up to him and his other teammates.

He gritted his teeth and charged out diagonally, blocking Chen Hero's path, and then leaped up with all his might.

At the same time, he adjusted his posture, turning his shoulder towards Chen Hero.

As for where the ball was, he didn't even look.

Where the ball was wasn't the focus of the defense; as long as he could interfere with Chen Hero, it would be a successful defense.

He knew that if he tried to intercept Chen Hero head-on, he would most likely fail.

So this time, he simply used his shoulder to face Chen Hero head-on, a head-on collision. Even if he didn't gain an advantage, he would still interfere with Chen Hero.

He and Phil Jones had the same idea: even if they only interfered with Chen Hero for half a second, it would be a victory!

Smalling was blocking in the center, with Jonathan Evans and Rafael da Silva on his left and right.

Three of Manchester United's four defenders... were now blocking in front of Chen Hero.

Plus Phil Jones, who had been shaken off by Chen Hero earlier.

This was Manchester United's toughest defensive force.

All directed at Chen Hero alone.

But Chen Hero was fearless.

His eyes were only on the ball, and anyone who dared to stand in his way... no matter who it was, there was only one outcome...

Death—!!

※※※

"This..."

"Oh my God!"

Amid the commentators' exclamations, Chen Hero collided head-on with Smalling's shoulder.

A head-on collision wouldn't be pleasant for anyone.

But Chen Hero flew past as if he had hit a puff of air, his body completely unimpeded.

Smalling, on the other hand, was knocked off balance and fell backward.

As for the other two, they also fell down.

It was like bowling, knocking down one and taking down two more.

Manchester United's defense completely collapsed under Chen Hero's impact!

There was nothing left to block him, not even De Gea!

Chen Hero!

Lion shakes his head!

Boom!

De Gea's dive, although it looked beautiful, was futile.

The ball flew into the goal before his hands...

※※※

Webb blew his whistle, and at the same time, his hand pointed to the center circle.

"Goal! Valid!!"

The entire Anfield stadium erupted!

"Hero! Hero! Hero—! The signature header! He equalized for the team! Liverpool, with one less player, stubbornly equalized!"

"In times of crisis, a hero always stands up! Chen Hero has once again saved his team!"

"Tit for tat! Manchester United scored a goal against Liverpool, how could Liverpool not return the favor? This is what a good English top derby should be!"

"At Anfield, Liverpool will never give up!"

Amid the commentators' passionate cheers, Chen Hero landed.

He didn't run off to celebrate. He took off his jersey on the spot, revealing his solid muscles and the suffocating tattoo on his back.

He roared arrogantly at the Manchester United players crowding the penalty area, showing it off.

The Manchester United players around him were all silent.

Some even lowered their heads, not wanting to look at Chen Hero's arrogant appearance.

Liverpool's players swarmed up, surrounding Chen Hero, hugging him, patting him, laughing and shouting, celebrating the goal in front of Manchester United's goal.

With one less player, Liverpool had finally equalized. The huge stone in the hearts of all Liverpool players had finally fallen.

Now both sides were back on the same starting line. Although they still had one less player, their stamina hadn't been depleted much.

They still had the ability to fight Manchester United to the death in the time ahead!

At their home ground, they absolutely could not accept defeat, not even a draw!

This time, it was Martin O'Neill who ran wildly on the sidelines, celebrating the goal with exaggerated gestures.

The entire Liverpool coaching staff and substitutes had been in a state of suppressed emotion before Chen Hero's goal, because apart from Martin O'Neill, no one else knew whether Chen Hero could withstand the pressure and save the team again. In fact, even Martin O'Neill himself might have been a little uneasy, but he had no choice but to go all the way with "believe in Chen Hero."

Now they didn't have to worry anymore; they could cheer to their hearts' content.

Because they had bet right!

Chen Hero!

No matter when!

He was!

The person they could rely on!