Hazard!
The current star of Belgium, his status even higher than De Bruyne's.
His sharp breakthroughs always made the opponents of Chelsea and Belgium tremble with fear.
An average of 5.3 successful dribbles per game, with a success rate of over 85%!
These stats were built upon the bitter tears of one defender after another.
Although in the future, the Real Madrid fans would curse "scammer" every time they talked about this transfer and spit before leaving, when they first got Hazard, they were truly ecstatic.
Just like now.
In the world today, how many players can single-handedly get past Liverpool's midfield defensive line?
Hazard was still advancing with the ball.
Robertson came forward. Hazard tapped the ball and changed direction.
Just as he got past Robertson, Hazard quickly released the ball, sending it to the feet of the advancing Willian, while he himself quickly inserted into Liverpool's dense defensive line.
But, to Hazard's surprise, just as he started his run, the head referee's whistle had already blown.
He turned his head and saw that his own teammate, Willian, had been knocked to the ground by Liverpool's number 44.
No extra movements, just a straightforward tackle.
He even heard Arnold say to that number 44, "Next time we eat out, my treat!"
His words were laced with unwillingness.
He had made the mistake of rashly sticking a foot in again. If it weren't for Tendou arriving in time, Willian would have only needed to cut inside to have a one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
"TJ has committed a foul!"
"Very smart. Hazard had already started his run. Arnold was beaten too easily. If Willian had cut inside with the ball, Liverpool would have been at risk of conceding a goal."
"TJ probably saw the threat of Hazard's off-the-ball run, which is why he committed the foul!"
"The good news is that the referee didn't show a card, but the bad news is that Chelsea has won a free-kick opportunity in a prime position."
Being penetrated so early in the game made the Liverpool players perk up.
Klopp had prepared a specific defensive plan for Hazard for this match.
The moment Henderson was beaten, Keïta had immediately moved to cover.
But as you saw, before Henderson and Keïta's pincer could be completed, the Belgian striker had already slipped past.
"Fuck you, you yellow monkey!"
Willian was very unhappy with Tendou for making him miss this opportunity.
What made him even more unhappy was that after knocking him down, Tendou still had the mood to chat with Arnold about where to eat next.
This made him feel not a shred of respect.
"What did you say!?"
"Say that again, you dead black bastard!"
Arnold had always seen himself as Tendou's big brother.
The moment he heard the opponent dare to curse his little brother, he immediately stood up for him.
"What? You're going to stick up for him?"
The 36-year-old Brazilian player, Willian, was not to be trifled with either. The two of them immediately started to butt heads on the field, their heads touching.
Tendou had never been interested in interacting with such rookies. He pulled Arnold back and pushed Willian away with one hand.
Just like that, the two of them were separated by him.
Willian was pushed and stumbled back, even more angry and embarrassed.
In front of so many people, he was actually pushed back several steps by an 18-year-old kid with a light push. This was outrageous.
The players from both sides saw that something was happening and immediately surrounded them.
The referee was nearby and quickly rushed over.
"TJ, watch your actions!"
"I was just separating them. Believe me, Mr. Referee, I didn't even use any force. Otherwise, even that big guy from Manchester United would have been pushed into the Pacific Ocean by me."
Tendou shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he was just trying to separate the two.
The referee had clearly seen the Double Red Derby.
In that match, Tendou and Lukaku had clashed many times and had also knocked each other down.
This 36-year-old Brazilian veteran really couldn't withstand a full-force push from Tendou. He probably would have been pushed into the Pacific Ocean.
"In any case, watch your actions."
"My yellow card will not be lenient with anyone."
The referee quickly separated the two sides.
He did not want a football match to turn into a gladiator arena.
...
The match continued.
A free-kick opportunity for Chelsea.
The Liverpool players, under Alisson's command, set up a wall.
This position was very dangerous. Even Tendou gave up the chance to attack and joined the wall.
TWEEET!
The referee blew the whistle. Jorginho took a run-up. He didn't shoot directly but sent the ball into the center of the Liverpool penalty area.
Tendou saw the result from the future, jumped up a step ahead, and intercepted the ball, heading it out of the box.
...
But, Liverpool's crisis was not over yet.
The ball headed out of the box by Tendou came back to Jorginho's feet.
Hazard made a nimble run, and Jorginho decisively passed the ball.
Hazard received the ball and immediately charged into the Liverpool penalty area.
This was the peak Hazard, hailed as a top-tier Premier League winger for his fluid "man and ball as one" performance.
Tendou also saw it.
The moment he landed, his body shot out like a cheetah.
"TJ is going up!"
"A frontal interception!"
"Hazard feints and changes direction!"
"TJ!"
"He didn't stop him!"
Tendou's reaction was already very fast, but the result was still realistic.
Hazard had noticed his arrival and used a change of direction to get past him just before Tendou's center of gravity became unstable.
...
Fortunately, Van Dijk had positioned himself well in advance. Hazard had no shooting angle and had no choice but to tap the ball.
The right wing!
Willian once again received a pass from Hazard, quickly went down to the byline, and then made a cut-back pass.
Jorginho met the ball with a powerful shot, which was blocked by Robertson's body.
The ball landed not far from Hazard. He immediately started his run, but someone was faster than him.
With a swoosh, Hazard only felt a gust of wind blow past him, and then he saw Liverpool's number 44 charge towards the ball's landing spot.
Thwack!
Tendou cushioned the ball with his instep, and it landed 2 meters away.
But this was not because his ball control was bad. How could a person with an overall attribute of over 90 have bad ball control?
This touch was just a setup for the next move.
Tendou quickly took two steps and swung his right foot out with force.
He had already noticed Salah starting his run from the center circle.
BANG!
A signature long pass, like a missile launched from the edge of the Liverpool penalty area, hit the space behind the Chelsea defense.
Salah sprinted with all his might. Next to him was the Chelsea defender, Rüdiger.
They arrived at the landing spot at almost the same time.
Salah was the first to touch the ball, controlling it and getting past his man in one motion.
A turn like a U-turn in a Hummer allowed Salah to leave Rüdiger behind in one go.
There was nothing he could do. This was heaven-defying speed.
However, Rüdiger's acceleration after turning was super fast.
This German national team defender was famous for his speed.
...
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