Chapter 570: Hat-trick Feat! The First Battle of 2020 Slays the Gunners!

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Özil's precise through-ball found Aubameyang, but the subsequent shot went wide.

"Oh!"

Arsenal fans clutched their heads.

"Aim properly!"

"Hit the goal, the goal, not us!"

"Score quickly, or we're going to lose!"

Arsenal's performance this season hasn't been great, leaving their fans somewhat anxious now.

But anxiety is useless.

Today's opponent is Manchester United; taking points from them is hardly easy.

Just two minutes after Aubameyang's shot, Manchester United launched their attack.

This time, De Jong was responsible for the advance.

With De Jong involved, Manchester United's pace of advancement clearly increased significantly.

Slap!

A long pass found Haller at the very front; Haller, with his back to two defenders, forced his way through, held his ground, and then laid the ball off to Dembélé, who had moved up to support.

Success!

Although Haller's goal-scoring frequency has clearly declined since joining the Premier League, his role as a focal point for a striker standing over 1.9 meters tall has not been weakened by the Premier League.

Dembélé began his explosive run!

His speed was immense, heading straight for the right-wing byline.

Cutting inside with a feint, Dembélé began pressing Kolašinac.

A familiar scenario; considering Dembélé's dribbling ability, Kolašinac had to maintain a certain distance.

And this reserved distance gave Dembélé the opportunity to continue approaching the penalty area.

Constantly forcing the opponent backward, Dembélé slowly arrived near the penalty box.

At this point, retreating further was impossible; Kolašinac prepared to challenge.

Slap!

Dembélé delivered a cross, and the ball once again arrived at Haller's feet.

Haller immediately passed it back to Tang Ye behind him!

Tang Ye touched the ball to adjust, feigned a shot, and just as the defender rushed in, he directly dropped his shoulder and shook him off.

Then he ran into the penalty area!

"Wow!!!"

A dribble while in possession by Tang Ye; let's see how he plans to execute this!

"Marcus!"

With a single shout, Rashford immediately broke free from his defender and surged forward.

But Rashford was knocked down...

Since Manchester United was in possession, the referee did not rush to blow the whistle.

Tang Ye!

Adjusting his direction, Tang Ye transferred the ball from his right foot to his left.

And then!

Slap!

He fired a low shot; the ball brushed past the left post and into the net.

Goal!

The second goal of the match!

Once again from Tang Ye!

"Roar!!!"

Sliding on their knees, the Manchester United players engaged in their passionate celebration.

"Tom!"

Two goals in 30 minutes, and against Arsenal no less; Tang Ye's form in this year's matches seemed somewhat excessively exaggerated.

The camera first focused on Arteta; after showing the black-faced Arsenal manager, the lens shifted to Leno.

The Arsenal goalkeeper needed a moment to recover.

Actually, he felt Tang Ye's shot wasn't particularly powerful, but for some reason, Leno had a very strange sensation.

It was as if Tang Ye knew exactly what Leno could see and what he couldn't.

Tang Ye knew there was a specific instant when Leno couldn't see the ball, and he chose precisely that moment to take the shot.

Brother, isn't putting yourself in someone else's shoes taken a bit too literally here?

A shooting stat originally in the low 80s was forcibly elevated to nearly 90.

A shooting stat of 90 isn't exaggerated, but a midfielder with a 90 shooting stat is extremely rare...

Time reached the 36th minute of the first half.

Arsenal wanted to regain control of the match, inevitably increasing the number of fouls committed against Tang Ye, which in turn affected Manchester United's other players as well.

Dembélé was knocked to the ground again and again; conflict finally erupted.

Tang Ye spread his hands with some helplessness, while Ashley Young had already started scrapping with the opposition.

"Their people should get yellow cards; this isn't the first time, it's not the first time, okay, Referee?"

Ashley Young stepped forward step by step, but ultimately failed to persuade the referee to produce a card.

"You say something!"

Ashley Young sought out Tang Ye, the latter being Manchester United's current captain.

"Hoo..."

Although leading the opponent 2:0, Arsenal's frequent fouls had made the Manchester United players somewhat anxious.

"It's fine, it's fine, calm down a bit."

Rodri pulled Ashley Young back, while the latter kept shouting encouragement.

Ashley Young was furious, so he wanted to score another goal against the opposition.

Tang Ye remained silent because he was pondering a way to break through Arsenal's midfield press.

The double-team by Özil and Torreira gave him a massive headache; sometimes even the opposing center-backs came out to give him trouble...

"..."

"Pepe!"

"Goooo——aaaaa——llllll!!!"

"Goal!"

"1:2!"

"Arsenal has pulled one back!"

After taking a two-goal lead, the Red Devils led by Tang Ye became somewhat complacent, while Arsenal keenly seized the opportunity.

"Beep, beep-beep!!"

1:2, this was the score at the end of the first half, with the away team Manchester United leading by one goal.

"Tom!"

The referee had just blown the whistle when Ashley Young immediately came to find Tang Ye.

"What's wrong, Young..."

Before Tang Ye could finish speaking, Ashley Young's hand was already on his shoulder: "You are the captain, the captain."

"When arguing with the opposition, you need to step up, get up there quickly."

When conflicts arose between both sides in the first half, Tang Ye did not rush over to support immediately, which made Ashley Young very unhappy.

"I didn't go because I saw you outnumbered them; mainly, I was thinking about something..."

"This has nothing to do with numbers."

Ashley Young sighed: "You are the captain, so you must step up; if someone tries to push Dembélé, you need to go and push their player away!"

"And during the match, if you notice someone is out of form, you need to shout a couple of times; we must play steadily to win!"

Ashley Young patted Tang Ye's left arm, where his captain's armband was located: "If you see someone not tracking back, you need to shout a couple of times; I'm too far back, they can't hear me if I shout!"

Actually, this wasn't the first time Ashley Young had mentioned this matter to Tang Ye, but previously it was only brought up casually during meals and chats, so due to that informal setting, Tang Ye hadn't really taken it to heart.

Ashley Young knew he needed to give a serious talk this time.

"Hoo... hmm."

Tang Ye nodded lightly, then shook his head: "But I was thinking about things; otherwise, they would keep stealing the ball from us in the midfield."

"I know, I know, but at critical moments, put your own concerns aside first; you are the captain, Tom, consider the team's affairs first!"

"Get the overall performance right, then you can focus on your own details."

"You are already very formidable; improving yourself further is difficult, but you can shout out, tell us to track back; we all listen to you."

"This..."

"Alright."

Tang Ye nodded; this time, he truly took Ashley Young's words to heart.

Ggbond had already played three years for Manchester United; his voice within the team carried great weight, and the Manchester United players all listened to him.

This influence had to be utilized.

Moreover, what Young said was very correct.

The team should come first; Tang Ye needed to fulfill his duty of reminding his teammates.

Merely having teammates come to coordinate with him was not enough; Tang Ye should teach them when to track back and how to adjust their positioning for corner kick defense; this was what a captain ought to do.

Tang Ye was walking toward the player tunnel, with Ashley Young pushing him from behind.

Come on, Tom!

Time moved into the second half.

Due to Pepe's goal, the Red Devils started playing slightly more cautiously, aiming to wear down Arsenal's surge of excitement from scoring.

Özil...

Direct free kick!

Pa!

De Gea punched the ball out, and the Manchester United penalty area instantly descended into chaos.

Contest it!

Aubameyang reached the first point, and before his body was properly adjusted, he took a shot.

Bang!

Aubameyang's shot struck De Ligt!

The ball was cleared out.

Tang Ye gained possession again, but the Arsenal players surging up from behind stole the ball back.

Damn it!

A long pass is lofted to the left flank's byline.

Kolasinac has the ball!

Slap!

The cross goes in; Lacazette rushes to meet it in the center.

Shot!

Slap!

This time it's Wan-Bissaka clearing the danger!

Counterattack, counterattack!

"Arsenal is playing a bit too hastily."

"Right, it would have been much better to pass to the unmarked Pepe on the right..." "Manchester United is counterattacking!"

Wan-Bissaka passes to Rodri, who first shields the ball with his back to the opponent.

He passes back to De Ligt.

It's up to De Ligt now!

Should he pass to Ashley Young or go direct forward?

The Manchester United center-back's final choice is to pass directly forward.

A big boot finds Dembele!

Control the ball!

He fails to touch it; Dembele's dream of a one-on-one breaks right there.

But it doesn't matter; they can take it slow for now...

"..."

"Tang Ye!"

"A 45-degree cross!"

The cross flies into the penalty area, aiming straight for Rodri.

Header!

Boom!

Goal!

Scored by Rodri!

"Haha!"

Tang Ye raises both hands, waiting for Rodri to run toward him.

But just as Rodri is less than 10 meters away from Tang Ye, the referee blows the whistle.

The VAR ruling: Rodri's header was an offside goal.

"Damn!"

Tang Ye and Rodri run toward the referee together: "No, it wasn't offside!"

"VAR, VAR!"

The referee points to his earpiece: "If it's ruled offside, the booth will tell me; VAR has made the call."

"No, don't believe that!"

Tang Ye points to his own eyes: "Look at my eyes, Mr., look at my eyes; there really was no offside, I'm not lying to you! No offside!"

Tang Ye is a bit stubborn, but in the end, neither his nor Rodri's protest succeeds.

Sigh...

What a pity for Rod.

Tang Ye places his hands on his hips.

Rodri was just a tiny bit away from scoring.

But football is full of so many 'just a tiny bits.'

He had intended to shake his head and sigh, but remembering what Ashley Young had told him, Tang Ye suddenly perks up.

"It's fine, it's fine!"

"3-1! 3-1!"

Tang Ye mimics Ashley Young's tone: "Keep your head up, keep your head up, Osman! Yes, I'm talking to you!"

Tang Ye now resembles a very strict homeroom teacher, ready to scold every student who fails to look up at the blackboard.

In the 71st minute of the second half, Arsenal also scores an offside goal.

Unlike Manchester United's offside, Arsenal's goal was offside by a full 2 meters; no VAR needed, the linesman could make the call directly.

Possession is awarded to Manchester United.

Slap!

De Gea launches a long pass.

The ball soars high; the camera slowly follows its trajectory.

Okay, delivered with pinpoint accuracy right to Ozil's feet.

Holy crap!

"A super, super, super massive mistake!"

"De Gea has passed the ball straight to the opponent!"

Ozil takes the ball and runs forward, while the Arsenal players are also pushing up the field.

They had all prepared for defense, but now suddenly switching to attack, every Arsenal player is running with all their might.

Faster, faster!

"Lean on him, lean on him!"

Rodri signaled De Jong to mark Aubameyang, while he himself moved toward Özil.

Boom!

Rodri slid in with a tackle; at the same moment, Özil pushed the ball to Aubameyang.

De Jong took a huge stride forward, reaching the ball just before Aubameyang could.

Oof!

"Here!"

Tang Ye glanced back, then reached out his hand in De Jong's direction.

With a defender pressing him, De Jong lofted a high ball.

To Tang Ye!

Here it comes, here it comes!

Tang Ye spread his arms, preparing to trap the ball with his chest.

But just as the ball flew toward him, Tang Ye suddenly lifted his left foot.

Crack!

He kicked the ball directly behind him!

"Eh, what's this!"

"A direct back-heel... oh, he's chipping the goal directly!"

Seizing the opportunity while the opponents pushed high up, Tang Ye chipped the goal back-to-goal without trapping the ball.

The pass was struck with great force, sending the ball soaring high.

"Wow!!!!"

Rashford and Dembélé tried to chase, but soon realized this ball wasn't meant for either of them.

It had crossed the defensive line into offside!

"The goalkeeper is chasing!"

At the extreme distance, Leno leaped, stretching his hand to reach it, but still fell short by about half a meter.

Thud!

The ball smashed onto the ground, bounced twice, and then crossed the goal line.

Goal!

"Goal!"

"Oh, Tang Ye!"

"That's a chip from halfway line!"

"Yes, and with his back to the goal..."

"A super, super, super massive mistake by the Arsenal goalkeeper!"

Calling it a mistake is accurate, though one can't strictly blame the goalkeeper.

After all, no normal player would ever attempt such a shot.

But then again, GGBond was never exactly a normal person to begin with.

He had pulled off a goal like this once before during his time in La Liga.

So that made two such goals in total, though this one was taken from a slightly closer distance than the La Liga instance.

【Hat-trick...】

This is a hat-trick!

Tang Ye jumped up, and upon landing, sprinted toward the substitutes' bench.

Boom!

Tang Ye collided with Ten Hag, knocking the latter straight to the ground.

"Hey, hey, Mr. Sitting Like!"

"Haha!"

He quickly helped Ten Hag up from the ground; after an embrace, Tang Ye ran to the area below the main stand.

"Up, up!"

Ashley Young's voice came from behind; Tang Ye stepped onto the advertising hoarding in one stride and spread his arms toward the Arsenal fans.

"It's a hat-trick! (This is a hat-trick!)"

3:1!

Whether Manchester United had secured a certain win was unclear, but Arsenal was definitely drifting further and further away from victory.

Clap!

Tang Ye jumped down from the hoarding and high-fived his teammates.

Remembering something, he turned again to face the home stand and bowed very politely.

It appeared to be an apology for his hat-trick, but in reality, it was just showing off.

"Tom!"

"Viva Tom Tom! Forever Tom Tom!"

Boom boom boom boom boom boom!

"..."

"Although saying this might offend some Arsenal fans, the fact remains that, based on the current situation on the pitch, the strength of the starting players on both sides is no longer on the same level."

"Yes."

The CCTV commentators divided all 20 teams in the current Premier League into five tiers.

Manchester United and Liwupu constitute the first tier, also known as the title-contending group.

Mancheng makes up the second tier; this entire tier contains only Mancheng, a step below the first tier but clearly a level stronger than the three tiers that follow.

Then comes the third tier: Chelsea, Wolves, Leicester City, Tottenham, Arsenal... from fourth to tenth place on the standings, all these teams belong to the third tier.

The fourth tier consists of teams like Bournemouth, ranging from tenth to seventeenth place.

The final three teams, namely those in 18th, 19th, and 20th places, form the fifth tier—the relegation-battling squads struggling in the drop zone.

Both Manchester United and Arsenal are part of the Big Six; viewed this way, the two sides seem evenly matched.

But look at it from another angle.

Consider the issue from the perspective of team tiers.

Manchester United belongs to the first tier, while Arsenal belongs to the third tier.

A gap of fully two levels; viewed this way, the disparity between the two sides is enormous.

(End of Chapter)