Kai froze for a moment when he saw the two Sunderland players suddenly grab each other by the throat right in front of him.
Only seconds earlier, it had looked like a normal Sunderland attack. One player had received the ball near midfield while a teammate made a run and called for the pass. The ball never came.
The teammate muttered something under his breath. The next moment, the two of them were face to face, shoving and swearing. Then their hands were on each other's collars and throats, hurling insults.
Kai had seen plenty of aggression on a football pitch. He had been involved in a few heated moments himself.
But teammates fighting each other in the middle of a match was something else entirely.
For a second, he simply stood there, unsure how to react.
What confused him even more was the reaction from the other Sunderland players. Most of them just watched from a distance, arms at their sides, making no effort to step in.
Kai frowned.
Are we playing football or not?
He jogged straight toward them, reached out with both hands, grabbed each player by the head, and shoved them apart.
Adam Johnson, still furious, suddenly turned and charged at him.
Kai reacted instantly. He stepped to the side, caught Johnson's arm, twisted it into a reverse hold, and forced him down before the situation could escalate.
By the time the referee sprinted over, Kai had already released him.
"I was only trying to separate them," Kai said calmly.
The referee gave a quick nod and gestured for him to step away.
Kai shook his head as he walked back toward his position.
"What on earth is going on here?"
Up in the Sky Sports commentary booth, Paul Merson could barely hide his surprise.
"Well, this is quite extraordinary," he said. "Adam Johnson and Jack Rodwell in a full-blown confrontation, and remember, they're teammates."
Nicholas let out a short laugh of disbelief.
"You rarely see this, Paul. Two players from the same side grab each other by the throat during a match. That tells you everything about Sunderland's state of mind tonight."
Paul Merson continued, his voice measured but clearly amused.
"The referee has stepped in now, and both players have been shown yellow cards. Frankly, it's a very embarrassing moment for the club."
Nicholas added, "And you can understand the frustration. Sunderland were already struggling badly tonight, but something like this just makes matters worse."
Down on the touchline, Arsène Wenger had already made his decision.
"Substitution."
He immediately called Kai and Santi Cazorla over.
Sunderland's situation looked completely unstable. Wenger had no interest in seeing one of his players get dragged into an unnecessary confrontation.
If anything, he probably would have preferred the referee to end the match right there and hand Arsenal the win.
Arsenal made the substitution before halftime.
Meanwhile, Sunderland had completely lost control.
Manager Steve Bruce kicked a water bottle across the technical area, his face dark with anger.
Inside the stadium, the home crowd erupted into chaos.
Some fans cursed Arsenal.
Others cursed their own team.
Many simply looked stunned.
Before the first half had even finished, sections of the Sunderland supporters had already begun leaving the stadium. Once the second half started, large parts of the stands were nearly empty.
The match itself had lost most of its meaning.
Arsenal played cautiously, keeping possession and avoiding any unnecessary contact. No one wanted to get caught in the middle of Sunderland's frustration.
Sunderland, on the other hand, looked completely uninterested in continuing.
Both teams simply allowed the clock to run.
When the final whistle blew, Arsenal had secured a comfortable 3–0 away victory, their eighth win of the Premier League season.
Yet the headlines that night were not about Arsenal.
They were about Sunderland.
The bizarre confrontation between Johnson and Rodwell quickly became the biggest talking point. The club later punished both players internally, although the exact details were never made public.
The Premier League also fined Sunderland for the incident, and both players received suspensions.
For Sunderland, the night had turned into a full-blown public embarrassment.
Arsenal, meanwhile, had collected three points with minimal effort. Normally, that would have been cause for celebration.
Instead, the club quietly conducted an anonymous internal survey among the players.
Sunderland's collapse had clearly made them cautious. The last thing Arsenal wanted was hidden tension building inside their own dressing room.
Surprisingly, the survey did reveal a few minor complaints.
A certain someone wrote that Santi Cazorla didn't pass him the ball often.
Wenger took note and made a few subtle adjustments during training.
Small frustrations could not be ignored. Left alone, they might grow into something much worse.
Sunderland had learned that lesson the hard way.
After their heavy defeat, small disagreements had exploded into a public disaster.
Within a day, Sunderland had become the biggest joke in the entire Premier League.
For once, even Manchester United's poor form disappeared from the headlines.
After nine rounds, Arsenal remained unbeaten.
The mood around the club was excellent.
With strong league results and European competition approaching, the entire squad pushed harder in training.
The substitutes wanted starting spots.
The starters were thinking about the Champions League.
Each player had his own ambition, and together those ambitions were pushing Arsenal forward.
Around Europe, the media had started to notice.
And as always in football, when a team performs well, the praise begins to pour in.
Arsenal's strong run quickly became the favorite topic of the media.
Across Europe, headlines began appearing one after another.
Gunners About to Sweep Europe?
—Daily Star
Nine Rounds Unbeaten. A Glimpse of Arsenal's Frightening Return.
—BBC Sports
Arsenal Aiming Their Cannons at the Whole of Europe.
—The Sun
Suffocating Tempo. Who Can Stop The Arsenal?
—Sky Sports
Newspapers, television shows, and football websites were full of praise for the North London side.
Within that wave of attention, the British media were the most enthusiastic.
The Premier League was already the most commercially influential in the world. When it came to building excitement and headlines, the British media had few rivals.
They had once managed to turn England's national team into a global brand, even when they were poor. That alone showed how powerful their promotional machine could be.
This time, it was Sky Sports that set the tone.
As one of the most respected sports broadcasters in the United Kingdom, the network carried significant influence. When Sky Sports offered an opinion, supporters across Europe tended to listen.
In a special segment, Gary Neville and Alex Scott examined Arsenal's recent performances in detail.
Neville opened the discussion calmly.
"Arsenal's start to the season has been extremely impressive. Nine matches without defeat, and the manner of their victories has caught the attention of everyone across Europe."
Alex Scott nodded in agreement.
"What's striking is the balance on the side. They defend well, they control games, and they're very comfortable when playing at a high tempo. That's usually a sign of a very mature team."
Gary Neville continued.
"There's a growing argument that this Arsenal side could be heading toward one of the greatest seasons in the club's history. As an ex-Manchester United player, I have to say this Arsenal team is very good. "
That statement immediately sparked discussion among fans.
In most supporters' minds, the greatest Arsenal team was still the legendary squad that went 49 league matches unbeaten under Arsène Wenger.
This current Arsenal team looked strong, but could they really match that level?
Sky Sports supported their argument with statistics.
According to their analysis, Arsenal's defensive numbers had been excellent over the past fifty matches. Their average goals conceded per match remained extremely low, highlighting the stability of the back line.
At the same time, their attacking output remained among the best in Europe.
Alex pointed at the large screen during the broadcast.
"When you look at the numbers, Arsenal are scoring consistently while keeping games under control. That combination is what makes them dangerous."
Gary Nevile added,
"And perhaps the most impressive aspect is their consistency. Last season, they lost only two matches in thirty-eight rounds."
One of those defeats was widely debated in England after controversial refereeing decisions.
More importantly, the team showed very few weaknesses.
Whether leading or trailing, Arsenal always seemed to find a solution.
Alex Scott summarized it simply.
"You can't easily rattle this team. If they fall behind, they remain calm. If they take the lead, they know how to manage the game."
The discussion even extended to comparisons with last season's European champions, Real Madrid.
Alex Scott smiled slightly.
"Even a team like Real Madrid would approach a match against Arsenal with a great deal of caution."
While analyzing Arsenal's strengths, Sky Sports also mentioned Kai's individual performance.
Last season, Kai had played a key role in helping Arsenal secure the Premier League title.
Yet when the Golden Boy award was announced, he finished only fifth in the voting.
The winner that year was Raheem Sterling.
Gary Neville spoke when the topic came up.
"There was some surprise when the Golden Boy results were announced. Kai had an outstanding season, and many expected him to finish higher."
Sky Sports later compared the statistics of the two players over the same season.
Aside from total goals, Kai's numbers surpassed Sterling's in several key areas, including assists, defensive contributions, and overall influence on matches.
Alex Scott commented on the comparison.
"When you look purely at the data, Kai had a remarkable campaign. He influenced games in many different ways."
The debate quickly spread through the football community.
Still, the award had already been decided, and there was no way to reverse it.
Kai himself had also just turned twenty-two, which placed him outside the eligibility range for the Golden Boy award.
But the sudden wave of discussion created an uncomfortable situation for Sterling.
At the time, he was negotiating with Liverpool F.C. regarding a new contract.
He had hoped to use the Golden Boy title as leverage during the negotiations.
Now the public comparison between his statistics and Kai's made things awkward.
Luckily for Sterling, eventually, the debate faded from the headlines.
. . .
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