Chapter 81 The Benefits of Exercising

The atmosphere in Manchester City's locker room was a bit oppressive. Everyone had their heads down, and no one was talking much. Even those who did speak lowered their voices, huddling close to each other's ears, whispering with bowed heads.

Usually, this place was full of music and laughter, with everyone joking around together.

Even Balotelli, who was usually carefree, looked serious, sitting in his place without moving.

The situation was indeed very critical.

Mancini frowned the entire time as he walked toward the locker room, his face clouded with worry. But when he pushed the door open, his expression changed, becoming calm, even with a hint of confidence.

One had to admire his ability to adjust his mindset; Mancini was very good at it.

He did this because he didn't want to give the players the impression that "even the coach is helpless." If the coach lost confidence, the team's collapse wouldn't be far behind.

In any case, being three goals behind in the first half was a major crisis for Manchester City, especially playing at home, but it wasn't the end of the world. A 4-3 comeback wasn't unheard of. First, he had to have confidence in himself, or how could he convince the players to regain their confidence?

So, when Mancini entered the locker room with a confident look on his face, he saw a scene of dejection. But he wasn't surprised; he calmly began, "This isn't the end of the world, gentlemen. Stand tall, fight like men. We still have forty-five minutes, and forty-five minutes is enough time for us to do a lot of things!"

※※※

In Liverpool's locker room, everyone was marveling at Chen Hero's hat trick in the first half, congratulating him on his outstanding performance.

It wasn't that Chen Hero had never completed a hat trick before; everyone knew he was a prolific scorer. But completing a hat trick in the first half was still quite astonishing.

Martin O'Neill watched as the players congratulated Chen Hero, and his feelings were mixed.

He had only been joking, not wanting to be too blunt in his refusal and damage his relationship with Chen Hero. But now it seemed Chen Hero was clearly serious...

He had already scored three goals; scoring two more in the second half would be a piece of cake for Chen Hero in this kind of form...

What a terrifying guy.

Martin O'Neill suddenly felt sympathy for Manchester City, though he knew he shouldn't.

Such a difficult game had turned into a one-sided affair. What effective measures could Mancini come up with to deal with Chen Hero? He was already intrigued.

Because of the large lead, Martin O'Neill didn't think Liverpool would lose the game on the road, so he let the players celebrate for a while before speaking, "Everyone played well in the first half, but I hope you don't relax your demands on yourselves. Remember, the game is ninety minutes long, and Manchester City is playing at home. Anything is possible. They have many players who can decide the outcome of a game all by themselves."

In terms of player strength, most of Liverpool's players were inferior to Manchester City's. That's what happens when you have money.

But Liverpool only needed one Chen Hero to significantly narrow the gap between them and Manchester City. That was the value of a star... no, a superstar.

Martin O'Neill encouraged the team to continue attacking in the second half, which was also a decision—if Chen Hero really scored five goals in a single game, then no matter how unwilling he was, he should let Chen Hero leave. Even if it meant losing a few games, O'Neill wasn't afraid. He had to keep such an awesome striker in his hands, let him work for him, not against him...

Chen Hero liked O'Neill's arrangement. He had been worried that O'Neill would deliberately implement a conservative strategy in the second half to prevent him from leaving. He had even considered whether to conserve some energy in the first half to force O'Neill to go all out in the second half.

But after thinking about it, he decided against it. Doing so would be too unmanly.

O'Neill glanced at Chen Hero, seeing the smile on his face, and he knew he had made the right decision this time...

※※※

During halftime, everyone was discussing Chen Hero's hat trick, whether in the TV broadcast studios or in the stadium's stands and lounges.

Manchester City fans cursed Chen Hero while praying in their hearts that he wouldn't score again in the second half.

Commentators and guests were reviewing Chen Hero's performance in the first half.

But there wasn't much to review. Chen Hero's performance was too crazy. Besides praise and exclamation, they couldn't find anything else to say.

Meanwhile, the Chinese internet had exploded.

Everyone was discussing Chen Hero's hat trick in the first half online.

Weibo and QQ groups were the two main venues.

"I thought Liverpool would be lucky to draw with Manchester City on the road, but who knew... Hero is so fierce!"

"Did he take aphrodisiacs? Be careful he gets called for a urine test after the game..."

"Da Xiong is mighty! Manchester City must be crying, right?"

"Good job, Hero! I've never liked those nouveau riche!"

"Manchester City has so many awesome attacking players, like Aguero, Balotelli, Nasri, Silva... but they all pale in comparison to our Hero!"

"Ahhh! Did Hero take the wrong medicine? Why is he so fierce in this game!? I'm going to lose money! I bet on a draw!"

...

While netizens were discussing online, reporters were naturally chattering in the press box.

But besides praise, the main topic of discussion was—why was Chen Hero in such good form today?

After much discussion, no one knew why.

Only a few people knew that Chen Hero was going back to China to celebrate his father's birthday.

Until the second half started, they hadn't come to any conclusion.

※※※

At the start of the second half, encouraged and stimulated by Mancini during halftime, Manchester City finally showed some of the home team's momentum, launching a fierce attack on Liverpool's penalty area.

David Silva and Aguero were the most active.

During halftime, after expressing his confidence, Mancini had criticized several of the attacking players, comparing them to Chen Hero, saying that they had long been famous, so how could they be completely overshadowed by Chen Hero in such a high-level contest?

Silva and Aguero were both proud and arrogant people. They were indeed somewhat unconvinced by Chen Hero's performance in the first half, feeling that they were no worse than Chen Hero, so why should they watch their opponent receive cheers on their own turf?

In the second half, they were determined to prove their abilities.

You, Chen Hero, can score goals, and so can we!

Perhaps Liverpool was underestimating their opponents after taking a three-goal lead, or perhaps Mancini's encouragement really had a very good effect.

In any case, four minutes into the second half, Manchester City pulled one back.

Aguero received a through ball from Silva, beat the offside trap, and shot the ball into Reina's goal.

After scoring, Aguero didn't celebrate. He rushed into the goal, picked up the ball, turned around, ran all the way to the center circle, and then put the ball down.

But he didn't make any provocative gestures. Because he really wanted Liverpool to kick off as soon as possible, so they would have plenty of time to equalize...

As for a 4-3 comeback, they shouldn't even think about it for now. Just drawing with their opponents at home would be a success.

Aguero's goal ignited a storm of cheers at the Etihad Stadium. Manchester City fans vented all the emotions they had been holding back in the first half. The cheers lasted for more than five minutes, showing how badly they had been suppressed in the first half...

※※※

Martin O'Neill was very unhappy with the goal they conceded. He shouted at the players on the field, "Tighten up! Tighten up! Don't forget we're on the road! Keep attacking, pick up the pace!"

Liverpool's players were also depressed.

They had only relaxed for a moment, and Manchester City had seized the opportunity to score a goal.

Chen Hero remained indifferent because he knew Liverpool would definitely win, unless Manchester City was strong enough to score six goals under his repeated attacks. But that was absolutely impossible...

Anyway, he was very confident.

※※※

Pulling one goal back greatly boosted Manchester City's morale. Even if Liverpool wanted to attack, they had to wait.

Because Manchester City's attack was now very fierce.

To avoid conceding more goals, Liverpool had to retreat and tighten their defense, avoiding the onslaught first.

Only Chen Hero remained up front.

With fewer attacking opportunities, Chen Hero had nothing to do up front.

Manchester City fans were also very happy during this time. Manchester City's good performance gave them hope, so they became active again.

Some people even had the leisure to provoke Chen Hero. They sang songs mocking Chen Hero.

Hearing these songs, Chen Hero realized that he hadn't completely destroyed Manchester City yet, so these people became arrogant as soon as they had a bit of success.

It seemed he couldn't afford to be soft-hearted...

Fair play should be delayed; one should beat a dog when it's down!

※※※

When the ball was cleared out by Skrtel with a long kick, Chen Hero used his body to hold his position and then stopped the ball with his chest.

Then he turned around and dribbled the ball forward, lacking sufficient support. Liverpool was now focused on defense, with few troops committed to the attack.

This was not a threatening attack.

After Chen Hero turned around, his speed slowed down, as if he was deliberately waiting for the defenders to come up...

"Hero suddenly slowed down. In front of him is Manchester City's defensive line, and behind him is Richards, who is chasing closely..."

Richards, seeing Chen Hero suddenly slow down from behind, knew that Chen Hero was waiting for him. It seemed that the two had developed a tacit understanding through their battles...

You're waiting for me?

Good, let's settle the old scores together today!

Richards thought of the idea he had come up with at the end of the first half. At worst, it would be a red card and a suspension for a few games!

I'm going to make sure you never appear on a football field again in your life!!

He was seized by a desperate courage, and he suddenly accelerated, rushing toward that back figure that had almost become his nightmare...

"Micah Richards—!"