"I fucking love him! He's my chosen one!"
"Tell me—what other young player can even compare to him?"
Watching Leo Lin make that celebration, Ashley Cole nearly lost his mind in the commentary booth. He never expected this kid to be this good at showing off.
Jamie Carragher, seated beside him, was openly envious—not of Leo Lin, but of Ashley Cole, who got to hype Lin at such a decisive moment. With the commentary lineup set to change next season, Ashley Cole and Scholes had already become the leading candidates in fans' eyes.
"I knew he liked to showboat, but I didn't know he could pull it off this hard!"
"The fiercest of rival derbies, the EFL Cup quarterfinal knockout match—and he scores the crucial second goal, then responds to every Manchester United fan like this!"
"This is Lin's best possible answer to all the hostile fans!"
In the ESPN livestream, fans completely lost control. The barrage of comments flew by at breakneck speed—this was the kind of moment countless boys had dreamed of.
"Tell me how much it costs to have a dream like this—I'll pay!"
"Tonight's dreams finally have source material!"
"From this moment on, Leo Lin is the most handsome man alive—even more handsome than me fresh out of the shower!"
"I'm losing my mind—'arrogant and unrestrained' just stepped straight into reality!"
At the same time, on a mysterious ESPN social platform, countless celebrities began posting—mostly male stars.
Jason Statham: "From today on, I'm Jason Lin. Forget my original name."
Orlando Bloom: "If I were a woman, I'd marry him without hesitation!"
…
Most of those posting were male celebrities who loved football.
Meanwhile, European celebrity models also flooded the platform with posts. The Sun sprang into action once again, fabricated scandals about Leo Lin spreading everywhere.
By then, Leo Lin had already returned to his own half. Manchester United fans went berserk, hurling debris onto the pitch. Some extremists even tried to storm the field, only to be restrained and dragged away by riot police.
On the touchline, Mourinho's face was livid. Up in the stands sat Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson, his expression completely devoid of a smile.
"People expected this to be a clash of titans," came the commentary.
"But right now, Liverpool are two goals ahead."
"With devastating attacking football, they've completely torn apart Mourinho's bus."
"The defensive system Mourinho prides himself on has been utterly ineffective!"
Liverpool supporters were buzzing with barely contained aggression. If conditions allowed, they wouldn't have minded turning it into an octagon cage fight with the United fans on the spot.
After play resumed, Mourinho still made no substitutions, but United adjusted their tactics—beginning to bombard Liverpool's penalty area with long balls.
Wing circulation plus diagonal deliveries. United's approach devolved into a pure aerial assault.
Lukaku planted himself in the box, constantly hunting for chances. Yet for some reason, his supposedly clever movement left Liverpool's defenders oddly at ease.
69th minute!
"United go long from the back, out to the wing—cross comes in!"
"Valencia with the delivery, the drop point looks good!"
"Mkhitaryan arriving late—diving header!"
As Mkhitaryan rose into the air, he could already picture the goal celebration.
But a black-clad figure stood firmly in his way.
"Bang!!!"
Jon Champion spoke with a trace of amusement.
"It smashes into Lukaku—still a chance!"
"Follow-up shot!"
"And Lukaku deflects it out of play again!"
"Oh dear—haha!"
"Is Lukaku a Manchester United attacker or not? What is he doing?"
Mkhitaryan clenched his fist in fury. Two golden chances, denied twice—by his own teammate. He could hardly believe what had just happened.
Lukaku, meanwhile, wore that familiar dazed expression, tinged with innocence and grievance.
Mourinho was nearly apoplectic. From that moment on, Lukaku completely lost his trust.
With a sharp wave of his arm, Mourinho made a substitution. Rashford came on for Lukaku.
But after the young Rashford entered the match, United's performance showed no real improvement.
Manchester United grew more and more frantic as time slipped away. They knew the situation was all but hopeless.
80th minute!
"Liverpool make a substitution—Lucas comes on."
"Liverpool fans should be excited. Whenever Lucas enters the pitch, they know exactly what's coming!"
As a Liverpool supporter himself, Jon Champion knew full well what Lucas's appearance meant.
After coming on, Lucas first exchanged a high-five with Leo Lin, then immediately jogged toward Nemanja Matić—his target unmistakably clear.
85th minute!
"De Gea goes long down the middle—Matić there to receive!"
"From behind, Lucas launches himself—like a mountain crashing down!"
The instant Lucas leapt from behind, his intent was obvious—he was going straight for the man.
He jumped with everything he had, then feigned losing his balance, crashing forward onto Matić, his chest pressing hard into Matić's shoulder.
Both players slammed into the turf, Lucas cleverly ending up on top.
The referee immediately whistled for a foul and showed Lucas a yellow card.
Manchester United players rushed over to stand up for their teammate, but Lucas showed no fear at all, a mischievous grin plastered across his face.
On the sidelines, Klopp nodded in satisfaction. This was exactly the effect he wanted.
Leo Lin stepped in alongside Lucas, glaring back at the United players, and once again a large-scale confrontation erupted.
This time, Liverpool were more than happy to see it happen—because time was on their side.
"Manchester United players need to understand," the commentary noted.
"Time is far more precious to them right now. Liverpool are the ones in front."
"The longer this confrontation drags on, the more the match is disrupted—and the worse it is for United."
The altercation dragged on for quite some time. When play finally resumed, United looked like headless chickens. On the touchline, Mourinho was so furious he couldn't even speak, standing there in silence.
As the final whistle sounded, Liverpool players erupted into celebration.
Liverpool fans mercilessly taunted their Manchester United counterparts, who began filing out of the stadium. For United, this was a day of pure humiliation.
Mourinho hurriedly shook Klopp's hand before heading straight for the locker room, skipping the post-match press conference altogether.
Every camera trained itself on Leo Lin, the standout performer of the match.
Klopp wrapped an arm around Leo Lin's shoulders, smiling broadly as they headed back toward the dressing room.
Inside, Liverpool's locker room exploded into celebration. Everyone was reveling in the victory.
Klopp looked elated, sparing no praise for his players. He knew that during such a grueling stretch, encouragement mattered.
"An incomparable match—you all gave everything out there."
"This victory belongs to every single one of you."
"Starting tomorrow, two days off. Go home and rest well—you've earned it."
Salah immediately burst into celebration, while Firmino let out a thunderous roar.
"I'm having barbecue—everyone come to my place! I'm throwing a grill party!"
Klopp was the first to raise his hand, eager to join.
On the surface, Klopp seemed keen on the party, but in truth, he intended to keep an eye on the players—too much barbecue sauce would hurt their conditioning.
On the other side, the Manchester United locker room was the complete opposite. Even with the doors closed, Mourinho's furious shouting could be heard clearly.
Premier League headline:
"To Rule the Derby, You Must Deliver a Performance Like Lin's!"
After finishing the press conference, Leo Lin dragged his exhausted body into Barnett's car. He rolled down the window, letting the wind—thick with the scent of freedom—pour into the cabin.
As Leo Lin chatted casually with Barnett, the system notification suddenly rang out.
"Congratulations, Host. New Star Path successfully incubated: Offensive Midfielder Star Path!"
...
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