Manchester City had come from behind.
In less than ten minutes after the start of the second half, they had scored two consecutive goals.
The Manchester City fans were shouting and jumping with excitement.
Tens of thousands of people sang the team's anthem at the same time. The Etihad Stadium was like it was hit by an earthquake.
'Unbelievable! Just like that, they've come from behind!'
'Can't be helped. Man City's dominance over the Premier League these past few years has been too terrifying.'
'Yeah, I remember this season Liverpool got a total of 97 points, but could only finish second.'
'The highest points total for a second-place team in Premier League history!'
'It seems like Man City won this match 2:1 in the original timeline too. And it was because of this loss that Liverpool lost the title!'
'...'
The real-world audience, seeing Manchester City suddenly come from behind, was filled with感慨.
Because in the original history, Liverpool had earned a stunning 97 league points this season.
In most Premier League seasons, that would have been enough to clinch the title early.
But Liverpool only finished in second place.
Manchester City's dominance over the Premier League in these few years was despairing.
On the other side, the 20,000 Liverpool fans were all stunned.
A group of people held their heads in their hands, staring blankly at the field, as if they hadn't yet come back to their senses.
Arnold stood on the penalty box line, not daring to look up.
He didn't want this either.
Tendou was playing better and better and had already become the future of the team in the eyes of the fans.
And him?
He was supposed to be Liverpool's proper Crown Prince. Arnold was incredibly eager to perform well in this top-of-the-table clash.
But the more anxious he got, the more mistakes he made.
"I'll keep my word. I'll take you to a nightclub when we get back."
"We're behind, TJ."
"Only temporarily behind."
Tendou put on a big-brother act and hugged Arnold. The latter was in no mood to care about his posture.
"We'll equalize right away."
Arnold finally looked up and stared blankly at Tendou.
Suddenly, it started to rain.
Raindrops began to fall on the Etihad Stadium.
First, a little, and then the rain became heavier and heavier.
This was England, always accompanied by cold rain.
But although the rain was heavy, the match could still go on.
"It's raining?"
After celebrating, Guardiola suddenly felt a drop of water on his head.
This was not good news.
He had not forgotten the stunning goal that Tendou had kicked not long ago.
Although experts had analyzed that the best time to kick that goal was a few hours after it had rained, the problem was that was after the pitch had been drained, when the water accumulation was beyond normal.
And now, it had just started to rain.
TJ would definitely get a chance to kick that world-shaking goal.
"Could it be..."
No, I have to watch out for that kid.
"Hey, Bernardo! Watch out for that kid's long shots! I mean the kind that drop from a high altitude."
Bernardo Silva heard this and also remembered. He immediately nodded and then turned to tell his other teammates.
...
The match restarted.
Liverpool kicked off from the center circle.
Tendou received the back pass but did not immediately dribble forward. Manchester City had packed the center of the field; it was not a good situation for a breakthrough.
Manchester City continued to press with their entire team.
Tendou immediately passed the ball back to Fabinho.
The latter chipped it over the Manchester City midfield defensive line.
Henderson received the ball and passed diagonally to Salah. The Egyptian Pharaoh had just picked up speed when he was tackled by Kompany.
Possession changed hands.
Manchester City transitioned from defense to attack.
The ball quickly came to the feet of Sané.
He pulled the ball back and changed direction.
A standard La Croqueta.
Arnold was faked out, but this time he turned back very actively and, in coordination with the arriving Robertson, completed the pincer.
Arnold won the ball and sent a long pass to Tendou near the midfield.
He had finally shown Klopp what he wanted to see.
At this moment, most of the Manchester City players had pushed forward, and Tendou finally had space to attack.
Zzzzt~
Without a word, he exploded to his top speed, running towards the Manchester City goal like a bolt of lightning.
Bernardo Silva immediately came forward to cover. He did not rashly stick a foot in but always maintained his position, not giving Tendou a chance to shoot.
"Starting to defend against it already? There isn't enough water yet."
Tendou thought to himself that Guardiola was being too cautious.
The rain had just started, and the days of hot sun had made the pitch very dry. Although it was watered every day, this level of water accumulation was far from enough for the Tsubame Gaeshi.
The Six Eyes moved.
Tendou instantly exploded with speed and ran past Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese player wanted to interfere a bit but was instead forcefully pushed away by Tendou.
Before David Silva could come over, Tendou sent out a signature De Bruyne-esque "Ground Rainbow" pass.
Salah received the ball and charged towards the Man City box like the wind. Just as he was about to shoot, he was tripped by Laporte.
Liverpool had won a free kick.
About twenty-five meters out.
Klopp saw it and immediately shouted from the sidelines.
"TJ, go over! TJ!"
This was an opportunity. Klopp had wanted to utilize set pieces since halftime.
In the past, they had no choice. Now, they had the means.
The Manchester City players would never have thought that they had a player in their ranks whose free-kick ability was comparable to peak CR7.
Tendou walked over. Salah covered his mouth and whispered to him.
"Just for show."
The Manchester City players, as expected, did not think much of it, because even in Blue Lock, Tendou had never shown his free-kick ability.
"Got confidence?" Salah asked him.
...
"Yes," Tendou nodded firmly.
"Good. Remember to adjust your breathing. Forget the score. Just kick it like you normally do," Salah said and then stepped back a few steps, giving him the space.
The Manchester City players still didn't believe it. They thought that this ball would most likely be taken by Salah.
Then they looked at Tendou.
The Etihad immediately erupted in huge boos.
What did they see?
That Liverpool kid was looking forward with a resolute gaze, his face fierce but cute, like he was about to eat someone.
"Putting on a show! Do you think you're Cristiano Ronaldo?"
"Who are you glaring at? Believe it or not, I'll gouge your eyes out!"
"Go back to Asia, you yellow monkey!"
"..."
The Manchester City fans were very unhappy with Tendou's expression.
Acting as if it's the real deal.
Who do you think you are?
Manchester City set up a 6-man wall, and one player even lay down behind the wall to prevent a low shot.
The referee blew the whistle.
Tendou glanced at the wall.
With a shot like this, the Six Eyes could not see the future. If it were a penalty, he could still catch the moment the goalkeeper jumped.
Ederson was standing still. He couldn't see the future.
A wooden stake has no future.
He could only rely on the Big Data Analysis to get the answer with the highest success rate from Ederson's past matches.
Tendou took a two-step run-up, swung his right foot at the ball, and at the same time, let out a low shout.
"Giant Bear Counter!"
BANG!
The ball flew up. The Man City wall jumped in unison.
And the ball, after flying high into the air, curved around the wall and flew rapidly towards the Manchester City goal.
"No spin!"
"An elevator ball!?"
Prince's face was filled with horror. He didn't remember Tendou having such a weapon.
The ball, after passing over the wall, looked as if it were about to fly out of the goal, but it suddenly dipped in mid-air.
Ederson had judged the direction correctly and made a diving save.
However, the ball speed was too fast, and it was aimed at a position just below the top right corner. He was out of reach.
SWISH!
GOAL!
"A free-kick opportunity!"
"A direct shot! Not a tactical play!"
"An elevator ball!"
"IT'S IN!"
Zhan Jun leaped to his feet, his face flushed with excitement.
After seeing the ball go in, Tendou immediately ran towards the Liverpool fans' stand, spread his arms, and did a passionate sliding kneel.
At the same time, he roared, "Aaaargh~~"
The Liverpool fans, dressed in their uniform red jerseys, roared like a blazing fire, the rain unable to extinguish their passion.
The cold, rainy day seemed not to exist.
More than 20,000 fans frantically cheered for Tendou, worshipping him.
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"