Theodore's feet seemed to be magnetic, the clearance dropped perfectly into his path right on the edge of the penalty box.
He found himself completely unmarked on the right side of the penalty area.
It was a perfect, golden opportunity for a strike from distance.
Theodore didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second.
He took a lightning-fast glance at Ederson's positioning, set his feet and unleashed his right boot!
It was pure violence.
The ball rocketed off his laces like a cannonball, a vicious dipping knuckleball fueled by Ronaldo's Peak Long Shot Card!
Ederson, the Brazilian national team's number two and widely considered one of the best keepers on the planet, didn't even move.
The sheer, terrifying velocity of the strike left him completely frozen.
He could only watch helplessly as the ball tore past him.
Boom!!
The ball smashed into the top right corner of the net!
"A WORLD-CLASS STRIKE!!" Peter Drury screamed, his voice cracking with pure adrenaline.
"AN ABSOLUTE ROCKET FROM THE TEENAGER! THIRTY METERS OUT, AND HE CATCHES EDERSON COMPLETELY DEAD!"
"1-1! ASTON VILLA ARE LEVEL AT THE ETIHAD!"
"That is pure, unadulterated power," Gary Neville marveled, shaking his head in disbelief. "That's a Goal of the Season contender right there. Ederson didn't even blink."
Theodore remained completely expressionless. He didn't run to the corner flag or throw his signature left hook.
He just turned around and began a slow jog back to the center circle.
Equalizing wasn't enough.
He wanted the lead.
On Twitter, the global fanbase was losing its mind.
@Villan82: Theo is a joke! What a hit! 🚀
@EPL_Scout: Ederson left stranded. You don't see that often. World-class technique.
@BlueMoonCrying: How do you leave a guy with a shot like that unmarked outside the box?
@HolteEnder99: Top of the league for a reason! Get in there!
Up in the away end, the traveling Villa supporters were in absolute chaos, chanting Theodore's name into the rainy sky.
They saw a genuine glimmer of hope.
Down on the touchline, the broadcast cameras cut to Pep Guardiola.
The City boss rubbed his bald head, scowling as he racked his brain for a tactical fix.
After the restart, City took control.
The champions weren't about to settle for a draw on their own turf.
It didn't take long for them to threaten.
İlkay Gündoğan pinged a precise long ball out to Raheem Sterling on the left wing.
The "Happy Boy" accelerated.
In terms of pure, explosive acceleration, Sterling was elite. He threw a violent shoulder drop, gained a yard on Frédéric Guilbert, and chopped inside, driving straight into the Villa box.
Björn Engels stepped out to cover, but Sterling hit the brakes and slipped a clever pass back toward the penalty spot, aiming for Gündoğan.
Villa had learned their lesson, though.
Theodore read the play perfectly, stepping in front of the German and hammering the ball clear before Gündoğan could even draw his foot back.
For the next ten minutes, Villa dug deep.
Every single player, including Wesley, dropped behind the ball.
Dean Smith knew that surviving against City required absolute defensive discipline and numbers.
Faced with the claret and blue wall, City didn't panic. They probed patiently, cycling the ball through midfield, waiting for a crack to appear.
After a dozen passes, Kevin De Bruyne found it.
The Belgian maestro slipped a sickeningly precise, low-driven through ball right through the heart of the Villa defense.
It found Bernardo Silva operating in a phone booth inside the box.
The Portuguese wizard danced past multiple defenders, twisting them inside out, before sliding a desperate pass across the face of the goal.
Gabriel Jesus timed his run to perfection.
Tap.
The Brazilian striker slotted it home with his left foot before Tom Heaton could even scramble across his line!
2-1!
City had the lead once again.
Guardiola exploded on the touchline, pumping his fists.
It was a masterpiece of attacking football!
The Etihad erupted, fifty thousand fans screaming in pure euphoria as the City players mobbed Jesus near the corner flag.
In the Villa box, Heaton threw his hands up in despair, shouting at his center-backs.
The keeper was helpless, the defense had completely lost track of Jesus's ghosting run.
Desperate to hit back, Villa pushed forward after the kickoff.
McGinn collected a layoff from Wesley and launched a diagonal ball out to Jack Grealish on the left wing.
The moment the Villa captain touched the ball, the Etihad rained down a chorus of vicious boos, punishing him for his cocky pre-match comments.
Unfazed by the hatred, Grealish dropped his shoulder and whipped an in-swinging cross into the box.
He wasn't aiming for Wesley in the center as the ball sailed over the Brazilian's head, dropping dangerously toward the far post where Theodore was waiting.
He launched himself into the Manchester sky, completely bullying John Stones in the air, and snapped a brutal, downward header toward the net!
Thump!
Ederson launched himself low to his right in a desperate dive, but the sheer power and placement of the header were too much.
The ball smashed into the back of the net!
"THEODORE BJORN AGAIN!" Drury screamed, the broadcast equipment struggling to handle the volume.
"HE SCORES A BRACE AT THE ETIHAD! ASTON VILLA ARE LEVEL!"
"Twelve Premier League goals from midfield," Neville added, completely in awe. "At seventeen years old, his efficiency is frightening. He's built like a target man but plays like a maestro."
Ederson punched the turf in frustration, glaring at Stones.
But the English center-back just threw his hands up, looking helpless. He had tracked the run, he had jumped, but he was simply beaten by a stronger player.
Once again, Theodore didn't celebrate.
He sprinted straight into the net, grabbed the ball, and jogged back to the center circle.
2-2 wasn't a win.
Guardiola was losing his mind on the touchline.
He furiously waved his arms, demanding his players push higher and attack instantly.
Seeing their manager so agitated flipped a switch in the City players. They abandoned the patient buildup and went direct.
De Bruyne picked up the ball and pinged a massive, raking ball over the top of the Villa defense.
The pass dropped perfectly behind Mings. Gabriel Jesus was clean through.
Just as the Brazilian wound up to shoot, Tom Heaton came charging out of his box like a madman.
The keeper didn't try to catch it, he launched himself feet-first, executing a brave, double-fisted punch to clear the ball right as he collided heavily with Jesus.
Both men went down hard.
"Brilliant sweeping from Heaton!" Drury shouted.
The medical staff rushed on, but after a tense moment, Heaton shook off the impact and play resumed.
The clock ticked toward the 38th minute.
The midfield battle became a bloodbath, with McGinn and Gündoğan both picking up yellow cards.
In the 40th minute, Bernardo Silva isolated Guilbert on the right wing. With a rapid series of stuttering feints, he broke the full-back's rhythm and drove to the byline.
Instead of cutting it back, Bernardo fired a sudden, near-post shot.
It was hit with venom, but the angle was tight and Heaton gathered it comfortably into his chest.
"City's individual quality is frightening," Neville noted. "Sterling and Bernardo are giving these full-backs absolute nightmares."
The moment he secured the ball, Heaton sprang up and bowled a quick, hard throw out to Theodore on the right flank.
It was a brilliant decision.
Gündoğan, David Silva, and De Bruyne were all caught high up the pitch. As Theodore brought the ball under control, a palpable wave of panic swept through the Etihad.
Everyone knew what the teenager was capable of.
Giving him time and space was suicide.
Guardiola sprinted to the edge of his technical area, screaming frantically.
"PRESS HIM! PRESS HIM NOW! DO NOT LET HIM TURN!"
Hearing Pep's desperate screams, the City players reacted instantly.
The first man to reach Theodore was Fernandinho.
The veteran Brazilian, normally a destructive defensive midfielder, was filling in at center-back.
Aggressive, experienced, and fearless, he was ready for a war!
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