Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 569: The Revenge Battle—Manchester City Faces Chelsea Again

In the 31st round of the Premier League, Manchester City faced a crucial match—an away game against Chelsea.

Due to the unpleasant incidents between the two teams during their last encounter at the Etihad Stadium, the rivalry between the two sides had grown intense.

Manchester City's animosity towards Chelsea had surpassed even that towards their local rivals, Manchester United.

For this game, Manchester City was determined to get revenge, and the whole team was fired up to wipe out the shame of their previous defeat.

Chelsea, currently sitting at the top of the Premier League, was also the frontrunner to win the title this season.

While Manchester City's performance this season had seen a slight dip, their strength was still highly regarded.

Especially with City's players coming into the game full of anger and determination, many believed they had a good chance of taking revenge at Stamford Bridge.

If City managed to defeat Chelsea on their home turf, it would seriously dent Chelsea's title hopes and bring new suspense to the Premier League title race.

Tottenham Hotspur, this season's dark horse, was Chelsea's closest competitor in the standings, trailing by just 7 points.

If Tottenham won their match and Chelsea lost, the gap between the two teams would shrink to just 4 points.

With only seven games left in the season, a 4-point difference would make things much more uncertain.

As a result, this match was highly anticipated, with fans and media alike keeping a close eye on its progress.

Before the match began, the expressions on Chelsea's players were very serious.

They could feel that their opponents were not here for a friendly game; this was going to be a tough battle.

Fortunately, good news arrived from another match—Swansea had just scored early on, and they were leading Tottenham 1-0.

If Swansea could hold onto that lead, even if Chelsea didn't win against City, their lead over Spurs wouldn't shrink.

However, this was Chelsea's home game, and they were determined to win in front of their fans.

In the last five years, Chelsea had never completed a double over Manchester City, and their previous victory had been somewhat fortunate and controversial.

This time, they wanted to win convincingly and silence all the doubters once and for all.

Both teams were in good form, and right from the start, the match was intense, with attacks coming from both sides.

Just 10 minutes into the game, the first goal arrived.

Chelsea's Spanish defender, César Azpilicueta, sent a cross from the wing, and Eden Hazard connected with a powerful shot to score. Chelsea took the lead.

The fans at Stamford Bridge erupted in applause, and even owner Roman Abramovich, sitting in the stands, stood up to clap for Hazard.

Hazard was having an outstanding season.

Under Antonio Conte's guidance, Hazard had shaken off his poor form from the previous year and had not only returned to his best but had reached new heights.

With one foot already in the door of superstardom, Abramovich believed that if Hazard continued to improve, he would one day become Chelsea's next big superstar.

Abramovich had always wanted to bring a true superstar to Chelsea, but world-class players were hard to come by—they couldn't be bought with money alone.

Luckily for him, Chelsea was developing a superstar in Hazard, and there was nothing more satisfying than nurturing talent from within.

With this thought, Abramovich couldn't help but admire Hazard even more.

After Chelsea's players finished celebrating, they looked quite pleased with themselves.

"You said we only beat you last time with dirty tricks, didn't you?"

"Well, what do you say now?"

Chelsea had scored after just 10 minutes, leading some fans to think they might thrash Manchester City at home.

However, Chelsea didn't seem to notice that City, despite falling behind, showed no signs of panic. In fact, they were unusually calm.

The players' fighting spirit and confidence were unaffected, and their style of play hadn't changed at all.

City's players had seen it all before—this was just another match.

Falling behind by one goal early in the game was a minor setback, nothing to get worked up about.

With our strength, they thought, it's only a matter of time before we catch up.

And City wasn't just bragging.

In the 18th minute, Manchester City launched a quick counterattack.

Leroy Sané sprinted down the left wing and crossed the ball into the box. Lin Quan stretched out to reach it but just missed, but Sergio Agüero was there at the far post to score with a sliding shot.

City had equalized in less than 10 minutes after Chelsea's goal.

The quick response left Chelsea's players frustrated—they had celebrated too soon!

With the score tied again, the match became even more intense.

Both teams had tested each other's strengths and tactics, and now the game was really on.

Chelsea didn't sit back and defend on their home turf—they went all out on the attack.

City, playing away, didn't back down either and matched Chelsea's offensive play.

With both teams attacking, it was now a question of whose blade was sharper.

In the 19th minute, Ilkay Gündoğan unleashed a surprise long-range shot, but Chelsea's goalkeeper made a crucial save, tipping the ball over the crossbar.

In the 21st minute, City attacked Chelsea's box again.

Lin Quan broke through Chelsea's defense, drawing two defenders to him.

Just before they could close him down, he passed the ball to Agüero, who immediately fired a shot.

However, Chelsea's goalkeeper made a great save, denying City a golden opportunity to take the lead.

In the 28th minute, Sané had a clear chance at goal, but he stumbled and fell inside the box.

Sané was furious, feeling that a Chelsea defender had pushed him, but the referee waved play on.

Replays on the big screen showed that while there was some contact from the defender, Sané had clearly tripped over his own feet.

After City's attacks gained momentum, Chelsea found themselves pinned in their own half, unable to push forward.

However, Chelsea was a team that excelled at counterattacking, and just when their fans feared that City's relentless pressure might overwhelm them, Chelsea launched a dangerous counter.

In the 34th minute, Chelsea's counterattack reached the box, and Pedro was tripped by a Manchester City defender.

The referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot—Chelsea had won a crucial penalty.

Chelsea's fans, who had been tense moments before, erupted in celebration.

"What's the point of all City's attacking?"

"At the end of the day, we're the ones scoring!"

But their joy was short-lived.

When Hazard stepped up to take the penalty, City's goalkeeper, Keylor Navas, guessed the direction correctly and saved the shot!

The smiles on Chelsea fans' faces froze.

But Hazard quickly redeemed himself.

From the resulting corner kick, Chelsea won the aerial duel, and the ball bounced off the post and landed right at Hazard's feet.

Without hesitation, Hazard struck it into the net.

2-1—Chelsea took the lead again.

The rollercoaster of emotions had left Chelsea fans on edge, and only after the referee confirmed the goal and the scoreboard reflected the change did they dare to celebrate.

However, their joy was once again short-lived.

In the 39th minute, Lin Quan unleashed a stunning, unpredictable "S-curve" free kick, bending the ball around Chelsea's wall and into the net, tying the game at 2-2.

Even the staunchest Chelsea fans couldn't help but shiver at the sight of Lin Quan.

This man was a nightmare for Chelsea—every time he came to Stamford Bridge, he scored!

It had become an unbreakable curse!

With Lin Quan's equalizer, there wasn't much time left in the first half, and neither team managed to score again before the break.

The 2-2 scoreline wasn't entirely unacceptable for Chelsea, especially when they heard that Spurs were still trailing Swansea.

Given City's relentless attacking power, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte knew he had to be more pragmatic and decided to switch to a defensive counter-attacking strategy for the second half.

Conte realized that Chelsea wasn't creating as many chances in open play as City.

Although Hazard's individual skills were outstanding, City had Lin Quan, who was even more dangerous.

Not only was Lin a great dribbler, but he was also an excellent passer and shooter, and his lethal free kicks were nearly impossible to defend against.

Since possession was City's forte, playing counterattacks was the more efficient approach for Chelsea, especially since it didn't require them to dominate possession.

After a 15-minute break, the second half began.

Conte's adjustments were effective—City's attacking rhythm slowed, and their shot attempts were fewer than in the first half.

But Chelsea also struggled.

City's possession was so dominant that Chelsea could hardly find opportunities to counter.

The few chances they did create were quickly snuffed out by City, who used tactical fouls to break up play.

While these fouls earned City two yellow cards, Gündoğan and Gaël Clichy were substituted in the 67th and 73rd minutes, preventing Chelsea from exploiting their bookings.

The game reached a stalemate, with neither side able to break the deadlock.

Realizing that the score was unlikely to change anytime soon, Conte returned to the bench and asked his assistant about the situation with Tottenham.

"What's the score in the Spurs game? Still 1-0?"

"No, Spurs just scored—it's now 1-1!"

The assistant's face fell. With just minutes left in their game, Spurs had equalized in the 88th minute, shattering Swansea's hopes.

Before Conte could process the disappointment, the assistant brought more bad news:

"Spurs just scored again—it's 2-1. Christian Eriksen got the goal."

Chelsea's bench fell silent, stunned.

"Damn Swansea! Just as useless as ever!"

"How could you let them score two goals in a few minutes? Is your defense made of paper?"

As they fumed, another blow came:

"It's now 3-1. Harry Kane has scored as well."

The assistant's updates felt like salt in the wound, and the news only darkened the mood on Chelsea's bench.

The away fans supporting Manchester City had also heard the news and got an idea.

"Why don't we do what Spurs fans did and shout the score to Chelsea's players?"

"Chelsea's competing with Spurs for the title, right?

"If they hear that Spurs won, it'll definitely rattle their nerves a bit!"

Although City's traveling support numbered just 3,000, they were determined to make themselves heard.

In unison, they shouted:

"Spurs won! Swansea lost!"

"Spurs won! Swansea lost!"

And, just to be sure, they repeated it a third time.

Chelsea's players couldn't block their ears, so they quickly heard the City fans' chant.

When they realized that Spurs had turned their game around, a wave of urgency and anxiety swept through the Chelsea squad.

(End of Chapter)

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