Moritz Leitner, Kenny McLean, and Marco Stiepermann.
The three Norwich midfielders collapsed on Theodore like a vice, looking to suffocate the teenager and force a turnover.
Facing the triple-team, Theodore remained remarkably calm.
He didn't panic and smash a desperate long ball.
He waited for the exact moment the trap closed, then gently, almost casually, nudged a perfectly weighted pass through the tiniest gap in their legs.
The ball rolled straight to John McGinn just outside the penalty area.
With Norwich's defensive midfielders having sold out entirely to stop Theodore, they had completely abandoned the center of the pitch.
McGinn found himself unmarked in acres of space right at the top of the arc.
It was a gift.
McGinn didn't hesitate.
He took one touch to set himself, glanced up at Michael McGovern's positioning, and absolutely laced it.
"McGinn shots!" Tyler roared over the broadcast.
The ball rocketed past McGovern's outstretched gloves and tore into the back of the net.
2-0!
"Aston Villa double their lead!" Tyler announced. "Brilliant composure from Bjorn to find the pass under immense pressure, and a trademark thumping finish from John McGinn!"
The second goal completely broke Norwich's spirit. The life drained out of the Carrow Road crowd.
Despite Daniel Farke frantically waving his arms from the touchline, urging his side to push higher and intensify the attack, Norwich simply lacked the quality to genuinely threaten Villa's goal.
As always, Dean Smith was pragmatic to a fault.
The moment the second goal went in, he immediately signaled for the team to drop deep and park the bus.
Even against a relegation candidate lacking superstar talent, Smith refused to take risks.
For the next ten minutes, Norwich chased the game desperately.
Wingers Emi Buendía and Todd Cantwell relentlessly whipped hopeful crosses into the box, desperately searching for Teemu Pukki.
But Pukki was living in Tyrone Mings' back pocket.
The towering Villa center-back dominated the airspace, effortlessly heading away every delivery.
In the 43rd minute, Mings won another aerial duel, powering a clearance out toward the right flank.
Theodore was there to collect it.
He killed the ball dead with his left foot, instantly flicked it up with his right, and launched a sweeping, fifty-yard pass over the top that dropped perfectly into the path of Anwar El Ghazi.
Instead of trying to beat his man, El Ghazi smartly laid the ball back to the trailing McGinn.
The Scotsman, brimming with confidence, unleashed another heavy strike.
This time, McGovern pulled off a spectacular, sprawling save, tipping the ball out for a corner with a strong right hand.
Corner kick to Aston Villa just before halftime.
With Grealish out injured, corner duties usually fell to Theodore.
However, with the teenager's aerial dominance being so crucial, Dean Smith had assigned McGinn to take the set-pieces, allowing Theodore to attack the box.
McGinn whipped a vicious, in-swinging cross toward the near post.
Theodore was already moving.
He beat his marker to the spot, launched himself into the air, and powered a devastating header into the roof of the net!
3-0.
The suspense was completely dead.
Up in the away end, thousands of traveling Villa supporters went absolutely mental, chanting Theodore's name into the Norfolk sky.
Theodore wheeled away, sprinting toward the corner flag before throwing his signature, sweeping left hook down the camera lens.
Villa cruised to halftime with a commanding 3-0 lead.
During the break, the footballing world was buzzing.
Sky Sports: "Theodore Bjorn Delivers Masterclass! Promoted side running riot at Carrow Road!"
The Athletic: "One Goal and Two Assists! The teenager single-handedly dismantles Norwich!"
The Guardian: "Even without Grealish and Wesley, Villa look unstoppable. Eighth consecutive victory incoming."
On Twitter, the fanbase was euphoric.
@HolteEnder82: Theo is absolutely unplayable right now. Two insane passes and a bullet header.
@EPL_Scout: He is carrying this team on his back today. Generational talent.
@Villan99: I can't believe it. He's going to be worth £100m by next summer.
Fifteen minutes later, the second half kicked off.
Norwich launched a frantic, desperate assault, clearly unwilling to roll over at home.
But their attacks remained utterly predictable, entirely reliant on aimless crosses from the flanks.
Pushing so many men forward inevitably left massive gaps at the back.
In the 64th minute, Villa punished them.
Theodore intercepted a loose pass, fed McGinn, who launched a long ball over the top.
El Ghazi out-jumped two center-backs and headed it home.
4-0!
The final whistle blew, sealing a dominant victory.
However, the real shockwave came from the Etihad.
While Villa were dismantling Norwich, Manchester City had suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The math was simple.
Aston Villa, the newly promoted side from Birmingham, sat alone at the absolute summit of the Premier League table.
They were the only team with a perfect winning record!
When the news filtered into the dressing room, the Villa squad erupted.
They hadn't topped the Premier League in decades.
It was a historic moment!
...
The English press went into meltdown.
Sky Sports: "Aston Villa Top the Table! The miracle continues as Smith's men overtake Manchester City!"
Daily Mail: "Promoted Side Leads the Pack! A 17-year-old prodigy orchestrates a 4-0 thrashing to take Villa to the summit!"
While the squad celebrated, Theodore remained grounded.
He knew the season was a marathon. Eight games in meant absolutely nothing if they fell apart over the next thirty rounds.
As he settled into his seat on the team bus for the long drive back to Birmingham, the system voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! Your team has overtaken Man City to claim the top spot in the Premier League. Reward: One skill card draw!]
Instantly, five blank, gray cards materialized in his vision. He couldn't tell the difference between them.
It was pure, blind luck.
Theodore mentally reached out and selected the middle card.
The card flipped, and three dazzling golden words flashed into existence:
Peak Card!
"Holy shit," Theodore muttered under his breath, his eyes widening. "I actually pulled a Peak Card."
As the golden glow faded, the words Long Shot appeared.
'Whose long shot?' Theodore wondered, his heart hammering.
The red and green flag of Portugal materialized.
A second later, a player wearing the iconic number 7 jersey appeared in his vision, sprinting to the corner flag before launching into a towering, spinning "Siu!" celebration.
"Aint no way," Theodore whispered. "It's him."
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have obtained Cristiano Ronaldo's Peak Long Shot Skill Card!]
Cristiano Ronaldo's Peak Long Shot Card!
[Long Shot Attribute: 69 -> 98]
[Overall Rating: 85 -> 89]
The massive boost sent his Long Shot stat skyrocketing to 98!
The ripple effect pushed his Overall Rating up to 89.
He was officially a world-class midfielder!
Theodore quickly pulled up his interface to confirm the staggering numbers.
Host: Theodore Bjorn
Age: 17
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 80 kg
Position: Midfielder
[Physical Attributes] Speed: 77 Physicality: 87 Jumping: 76 Health: 75 Stamina: 98
[Technical Attributes] Long Pass: 100 Short Pass: 75 Through Ball: 75 Curve: 75 Penalty Area Shot: 73 Long Shot: 69 -> 98 (Skill Card Bonus) Set Piece: 69 Header: 95 Penalty Kick: 68 Ball Control: 67-71 Vision: 84 Dribbling: 83
Interceptions: 65 Tackling: 74 Sliding Tackles: 75 Defense: 67
Rating: 85-89 Tier: A-Class!
Star Skill Cards: Pirlo's Peak Long Pass Card (Peak), Xabi Alonso's Vision Card (Platinum), Schweinsteiger's Physicality Card (Platinum), Klinsmann's Peak Header Card (Peak), Nedvěd's Peak Stamina Card (Peak), Raheem Sterling's Penalty Area Shot Card (Black Gold), Jack Grealish's Dribbling Card (Platinum), Cristiano Ronaldo's Peak Long Shot Card (Peak).
He had secured four Peak Cards, three Platinums, and one Black Gold.
His tier had officially shifted from B to A!
He possessed the raw attributes to walk into the starting eleven of any elite club in Europe.
...
The next morning at Bodymoor Heath.
Theodore arrived early and immediately grabbed Tom Heaton, dragging the veteran keeper onto an empty training pitch.
"Just a few long shots, Tom," Theodore promised.
Heaton agreed, but quickly regretted it.
Theodore unleashed absolute rockets from thirty yards out. The ball dipped, swerved, and knuckle-balled viciously, completely deceiving the keeper.
Heaton didn't even get close to half of them.
Armed with Ronaldo's lethal ball-striking, Theodore felt invincible.
He was buzzing for the next fixture!
Aston Villa's Matchday 9 opponent was Brighton.
Having just dismantled them in the League Cup, the squad was brimming with confidence.
...
October 19th.
Villa Park.
With Grealish and Wesley still sidelined, Theodore took control.
Less than three minutes in, he picked up the ball thirty-five yards from goal.
Without hesitating, he laced a vicious, dipping knuckleball that tore past Mat Ryan and kissed the underside of the crossbar before nestling into the net.
1-0.
A Puskas contender inside three minutes!
Ten minutes later, he reverted to his usual role, pinging a perfectly weighted, 50-yard cross onto El Ghazi's head for the second.
2-0.
Just before halftime, Theodore arrived late to power home a header from a corner.
3-0.
Ten minutes into the second half, Dean Smith hooked him.
Villa were up 3-0, and Smith knew the Brighton players were growing increasingly frustrated.
He wasn't going to risk his star man suffering a retaliatory injury, especially with a brutal gauntlet of fixtures approaching: Manchester City, Wolves, and Liverpool all looming in the next two weeks.
The game petered out, finishing 3-0.
Theodore had logged two goals and an assist. His Premier League tally now stood at a staggering ten goals and fifteen assists in nine matches.
He was second in the Golden Boot race, trailing Mo Salah by a single goal, and completely dominating the assist charts, sitting five clear of Kevin De Bruyne.
More importantly, Villa remained top of the league!
Next up: A monumental trip to the Etihad to face Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, followed by a home clash against Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool.
The ultimate test of their title credentials was about to begin!
---------
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