Chapter 104

"The ball is at Chen Hero's feet, and he's currently facing away from the goal, not presenting any obvious shooting opportunities... but Rio Ferdinand doesn't dare to be careless because he knows Hero is quite capable of turning and shooting!"

The commentator was right. Ferdinand used both hands to push against Chen Hero, wary of him suddenly turning and blasting a shot.

But Chen Hero didn't do that. He passed the ball to the side, to Suárez, who was coming up.

Suárez was stunned. He hadn't expected Chen Hero to pass up a shooting chance to him—training with Chen Hero, he knew Chen Hero could shoot even with his back to the goal...

His daze allowed Evans to poke the ball away!

"Oh, dear!" the commentator cried out in frustration. "What's Suárez doing? He's just standing there! How can he be daydreaming in the penalty area? He's lost possession and wasted a golden scoring opportunity!"

Suárez didn't have time to think about whether he'd wasted a golden opportunity. He was wondering why Chen Hero had passed the ball to him instead of shooting himself... What did it mean? Did he not know they were competing to be the team's main attacking force?

Well... Maybe he really didn't know...

But Suárez wasn't about to be a fool and remind him. Since he passed me the ball, I won't be polite!

Just smash the ball into the net. In the end, it's all about who scores the most goals!

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Chen Hero passing to Suárez, and Suárez wasting the chance, was just a small episode. No one focused too much on it. Everyone agreed that Chen Hero was the core of Liverpool's attack, and even if Suárez was excellent, he was just a supporting player. When everyone was admiring the flower, no one cared about the leaves.

But when Chen Hero passed the ball to Suárez again in front of the penalty area, quite a few people suddenly realized something...

"Suárez assisted Hero with a goal, and Hero clearly wants to return the favor!"

This time, Suárez didn't hesitate at all after receiving the ball. He shot directly, but the power was a bit too much, and the ball went wide.

Still, Chen Hero gave Suárez a thumbs-up, indicating that it was a good shot.

Suárez rolled his eyes inwardly.

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"Those two have a really good relationship!"

"Yes, yes, look at the way they pass to each other... At first, I was worried that Suárez and Chen Hero would have a tense relationship. After all, Suárez was the main attacking force before Chen Hero came... Now it seems there's no problem at all!"

"Who still dares to say that Hero is the player with the worst relationships? The fact is, whichever team he joins, he quickly wins the support and love of the players on that team. That's his personal charm!"

The reporters in the media box were full of praise.

If Suárez had heard their words, he would have wanted to die—I don't want to have a good relationship with him!

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The game went on until the seventy-seventh minute, and the score was still 1:0, with Liverpool leading at home. But Manchester United's counterattack was also strong. Just a minute ago, Rooney had a one-on-one chance. If Reina hadn't made a brilliant save, Manchester United would have already tied the score.

Dalglish was very worried on the sidelines.

He didn't want to lose to Manchester United at home, not just because of the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United, but also because Manchester United's manager was Ferguson. His personal relationship with Ferguson was terrible. They had butted heads a long time ago, and decades had passed without any sign of improvement.

In 1969, the two had faced off in a Scottish league reserve team match. Eighteen-year-old Dalglish marked twenty-eight-year-old Ferguson, and Ferguson gave Dalglish an elbow. In 1986, when Ferguson temporarily coached Scotland, he dropped Dalglish's good friend Alan Hansen, and then Dalglish withdrew from the team under the pretext of surgery, officially breaking off their relationship. Later, when Dalglish coached Blackburn, he snatched Ferguson's Premier League title, further worsening their relationship.

When Dalglish returned to coach Liverpool, many people thought that the rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool would be a classic remake... Before this game, Dalglish and Ferguson had both expressed disdain for each other.

Now that it was at his home ground, how could Dalglish allow Ferguson to defeat him? Even a draw was unacceptable. He had to win!

He waved his arms and shouted loudly on the sidelines, signaling the players to pass high balls more often, to get the ball to Chen Hero. This was Liverpool's most effective attacking tactic at the moment.

As a result, there were clearly more balls in the air.

Rio Ferdinand cursed inwardly at the sight. Competing with Chen Hero for headers was one of the things he least wanted to do...

Close to the eightieth minute, Liverpool launched an attack. After a series of passes through the midfield and defense, the ball reached Charlie Adam's feet. Adam passed the ball to the wing, and the overlapping fullback Enrique received the ball. He crossed it directly!

The ball flew high into the penalty area.

Chen Hero jumped up.

There was an exclamation from the stands and the commentary box: "Hero—"

Everyone was expecting Chen Hero to head the ball into the goal, using his specialty.

Rio Ferdinand and Evans jumped up at the same time, one in front and one behind, sandwiching Chen Hero in the middle, preventing him from shooting easily.

At the same time, the other Manchester United players, even those who didn't jump, were looking up at Chen Hero from the ground. At this moment, he was the center of the stage. Everyone was staring at him, afraid of missing something with a blink of an eye.

Suárez ran into the penalty area, but he didn't expect Chen Hero to pass the ball to him. Aerial balls were all Chen Hero's. He would definitely shoot!

Although he still looked over habitually, he really wasn't expecting anything.

But just as he looked over, he noticed a gaze shooting toward him—Chen Hero, suspended in the air, was turning his head to look at him!

He was taken aback.

In the air, Chen Hero gently nodded the ball. Instead of smashing it into the goal, he headed it straight toward Suárez!

Suárez watched the ball flying toward him. His brain hadn't reacted yet, but his body had already taken action—he moved to the side to make room, then raised his left foot. When the ball arrived, he unleashed a volley!

"Suárez—gooooooooAL!! Goal! Goal!! Beautiful! The ball is in!!! Liverpool has changed the score to 2:0 in the eighty-odd minute!!"

Amidst the commentator's roar, Suárez slammed the ball into the goal.

Although De Gea was focused, his focus was on Chen Hero, not the forgotten Suárez.

He made a save attempt, but he didn't touch the ball. The ball ultimately flew into the goal behind him...

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The fans in the Anfield stands erupted!

They jumped up from their seats, raising their arms and cheering.

With ten minutes left in the game, and Liverpool leading by two goals, they were confident that their team was sure to win this game!

Dalglish was as excited as the fans. He and his assistant rushed out of the coaching area with their arms raised, then waved their fists vigorously.

Being able to defeat Ferguson at Anfield felt great.

Ferguson, sitting next to him, chewed his gum expressionlessly. You couldn't even see the slightest regret or anger on his face.

But everyone believed that this stubborn old man was definitely already planning how to take revenge when he returned to Old Trafford.

Yes, the feud between these two men, the feud between these two teams, would never be settled by the outcome of one game. Their competition would continue forever, as part of English football culture, for future generations to talk about.

Liverpool might win at home this time, but maybe it would be Manchester United's turn to win next time?

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After scoring, Suárez was still a bit dazed—Did I score? Did I actually score like that?

While he was still in a daze, Chen Hero grabbed him in a bear hug: "That was a damn beautiful goal!" he roared in Suárez's ear. "A volley!"

So Suárez, reluctantly, embraced Chen Hero once again...

The other teammates also swarmed over, embracing them enthusiastically. Now it was 2:0, at their home ground, with only ten minutes left in the game. Everyone thought it was impossible for Manchester United to make a comeback. Forget about a comeback, even tying the score seemed unlikely.

As the Liverpool players hugged each other joyfully, the fans in the stands began to sing Liverpool's anthem, "You'll Never Walk Alone," to celebrate their victory in advance.

The melody of this song was very soothing, not grand or passionate, but when tens of thousands of people sang it together, it seemed full of momentum, with a feeling of being able to penetrate the layers of dark clouds above and let the sunlight pour down through the clouds.

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The final result of the game was that Liverpool defeated Manchester United 2:1 at their home ground. Manchester United only managed to score a face-saving goal by Wayne Rooney in the eighty-seventh minute, avoiding a complete shutout.

After the game, the two rivals still shook hands—this was the etiquette of the Premier League. Unless you really hated someone, you would refuse to shake hands, and that would be considered a lack of grace and politeness. Although the two had been at odds with each other for decades, their relationship was fairly normal at the moment, so they could still manage a handshake after the game.

Of course, having a drink together after the game was out of the question.

That wouldn't just involve the grudges between two people, but the grudges between two teams...

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