Chapter 18: Seventeen or Thirty-Seven Years Old?

Chapter 18: Seventeen or Thirty-Seven

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Li Mo stepped onto the pitch.

Mancini furrowed his brow.

Things had unfolded somewhat unexpectedly.

He had never imagined Li Mo would come on as a substitute.

This gave Mancini a sense that the situation was slipping beyond his control.

Of course, Mancini had done a bit of research on Li Mo—after all, he was among the eighteen players on Arsenal’s official roster.

But then he had dismissed him from his mind.

He never truly believed that this youngster, who had grown up within AC Milan’s youth academy system, could quickly adapt to a completely different football environment and seize an opportunity.

So now, with Li Mo’s unprecedented appearance as a substitute, Mancini felt a twinge of nervousness.

He moved to the sidelines, fixating on Li Mo.

He wanted to know what it was about this kid that earned Wenger’s trust.

The match resumed.

Arsenal was on the attack.

Podolski received a throw-in from fullback Gibbs, then angled a pass back to Arteta, who had come forward.

At the moment Arteta received the ball, Li Mo suddenly made a forward run.

When Arteta chose not to pass to him but instead slanted the ball to Cazorla on the flank, Li Mo quickly retreated, weaving along Manchester City’s defensive line.

He constantly scanned from side to side, searching specifically for blind spots in the City defense.

Every time he positioned himself with precision, finding awkward pockets within the City backline.

“Could this guy be some sort of Inzaghi?” Mancini muttered.

Just as he was about to instruct the City defenders to be more alert to Li Mo, Cazorla, cutting inside with the ball, suddenly slipped a diagonal pass into the penalty area with his left foot!

At that moment,

a flash of red appeared in the box!

Lescott, responsible for covering the area, was taken aback. Instinctively, he raised his arm to signal offside.

Then he saw the figure wearing number 19 curling a left-footed shot from the side!

The ball soared through the air, tracing a clear arc, slipping past Joe Hart’s outstretched fingers, and plunged into the net.

“Li!!!!!!”

From the commentary box,

Andy Gray exclaimed.

“His very first touch and it’s a goal!!!”

Before he could finish,

on the sidelines,

the linesman hesitated, then raised his flag.

Beep!

The referee blew the whistle, waving his right hand back and forth.

Offside!!!

Wenger, who had been about to rush to the sidelines to celebrate, immediately clasped his head with both hands and turned to the technical area.

“Offside?! Did you see that clearly? That was a good goal! You blew a good goal! Damn it!”

“Calm down! Calm down, Mr. Wenger! The referees have their own judgment,” the fourth official said, stepping forward to ease Wenger’s anger.

Wenger had every right to be furious.

Young players are often inconsistent.

If confidence surges, they might perform beyond expectations.

If Li Mo had scored on his first touch, the boost to his confidence would have been immense!

But the goal was ruled out.

His confidence took a hit, and it might become difficult for him to replicate that level of performance.

Arsenal’s players were equally furious.

Li Mo had been ready to celebrate.

After hearing the referee’s whistle, their faces showed clear frustration.

“Offside? I wasn’t offside at all! Look at the replay!!” Li Mo pointed at the big screen, shouting at the referee.

Referee Oliver was troubled by the encircling Arsenal players.

He chose to trust the linesman’s call.

But from the replay on the big screen, it was indeed a matter of millimeters.

There was no VAR or technical line drawing at that moment.

Linesmen often made obvious offside errors, especially in such marginal situations that would require measuring tools to decide.

Honestly,

expecting the linesman to be 100% accurate was asking too much.

Given that this was Manchester City’s home ground,

the disallowed goal just had to stand.

“A matter of millimeters!” Zhang Jun sighed with regret.

“But judging from the way he took that shot, Li Mo was very decisive, adjusting his stride during the forward run, eyes locked on the goalkeeper, and the arch of his right foot curling the ball intentionally! All of this shows Li Mo has scoring ability!”

Fans from Longguo were also disappointed.

“Oliver! He’s really blind!”

“That was offside?”

“Damn it.”

The comment section was filled with criticism of Oliver.

On the sidelines, Mancini let out a big sigh of relief.

If that goal had counted,

Manchester City would have been in serious trouble.

A goal on his first touch would have boosted Li Mo’s confidence and Arsenal’s morale enough to shatter City’s resolve!

With the goal disallowed,

the game suddenly tilted heavily in City’s favor.

Still, Mancini felt compelled to warn his players.

“Don’t underestimate him! Mark him tightly!!!” he shouted onto the pitch.

Lescott, still shaken,

had seen Li Mo within his sight one second ago; the next, Li Mo had slipped into a blind spot and scored.

Fortunately, the linesman saved Manchester City.

“Don’t lose sight of him!” Kompany roared.

This was a close call.

“I understand!” Lescott gritted his teeth.

He knew why Li Mo kept hovering in his defensive zone.

Wasn’t it just because Li Mo was bullying him, knowing he wasn’t as formidable as Kompany?

This kid picks on the weak and fears the strong!

Wait—

that didn’t sound quite right.

He had just been caught out by Li Mo.

Manchester City prepared to tighten their defense and weather this period of Arsenal’s attacking rhythm.

After all, they were leading.

They felt justified in defending.

Arsenal pressed on.

Contrary to Mancini’s expectation that the young player would falter after having a goal disallowed,

Li Mo remained composed.

He played as he should.

“Li Mo’s composure on the pitch is remarkable. He looks like a thirty-seven-year-old veteran rather than a seventeen-year-old youngster,” remarked Martin Keown in the commentary box.

Because Li Mo was proving himself.

He held the upper hand in a verbal duel with Gary Neville.

Li Mo’s constant movements and runs weren’t just about scoring.

More importantly, they were pulling Manchester City’s defensive line apart.

Defense requires cohesion.

If the defense is disrupted,

to top players,

everywhere becomes a vulnerability.

In the sixty-seventh minute,

Li Mo received the ball just outside the penalty area, passed it across to the other side, then pressed forward.

He positioned himself precisely between City’s defensive midfielder Barry and center-back Lescott.

His forward run drew both their attention.

As they pressed up with him,

Li Mo’s movement created a gap.

Cazorla exploited the space,

quickly filling it, then received a pass from Podolski on the flank and fired a long-range shot!

Joe Hart made a stunning save,

causing the City fans in the stands to break into a cold sweat.

“Beautiful! Cazorla’s long shot—what a strike! Hart’s save was magnificent!”

“Arsenal’s offensive momentum is relentless!”

“All of this began after Li Mo came on!”

“Li Mo’s direct attacks on goal have made Manchester City’s defenders very wary!”

“This wariness has opened up more opportunities for Arsenal’s other players!”

In the commentary booths across various TV stations, commentators praised Li Mo’s performance.

After having a goal disallowed, maintaining such composure was truly commendable.

The camera cut to the substitutes’ bench where Walcott sat.

Though he and his teammates applauded Cazorla’s shot,

his expression was grave.

Clearly,

the broadcast director knew football well.

Li Mo’s steady performance was putting immense pressure on Walcott.

If he continued his poor form since the start of the season,

it wouldn’t be surprising if Li Mo took his place in the starting lineup.

(End of chapter)