Chapter 665: Big Guns!

"GOOOOAAAAALL. THERE IT FINALLY IS! MANCHESTER CITY HAVE BROKEN THE DEADLOCK!"

Erling Haaland turned with his arms spread wide, but he was halfway towards his mates when the celebrations were interrupted.

A sharp whistle cut through the noise, drawing the attention of the stadium towards the referee, who stood pointing towards the penalty area.

"Manchester City have found the back of the net, but hang on! The referee has stopped play!"

Haaland turned around, his arms still slightly raised.

He looked towards the official with a puzzled expression and then began to approach the official.

"What is it?" he muttered a few steps away.

The referee pointed towards his own elbow, then gestured towards the ground.

Whatmough was down inside the six-yard box.

The Wigan defender had been caught by Haaland’s arm during the challenge for the rebound.

He was now sitting on the turf, holding his face as the referee approached.

The stadium gradually picked up on what had happened, leaving the home fans in relief and the away fans annoyed and frustrated.

"There’s a problem here. The referee has spotted something in the build-up, and it looks as though Haaland’s arm has caught Whatmough."

"That’s what the official is indicating," the co-commentator added.

He’s seen contact with the elbow. The question now is whether he considers it enough to rule the goal out.

Erling Haaland, still fumbling with the decision, shook his head and then began walking away.

The referee spoke briefly with Whatmough before finally signalling his decision.

The goal was disallowed.

A wave of relief swept through the Wigan end once more.

On the touchline, Leo finally released the breath he had been holding.

He had been watching the entire sequence without moving, and only now did his shoulders loosen.

Wigan had escaped again.

Before he could linger in his thoughts again, Dawson’s voice cut through the noise.

Leo turned towards the technical area and saw the manager waving him over.

He jogged across, but Nolan stepped in front of him before he could reach Dawson.

"Get changed. You’re going on."

Leo nodded and then returned to his seat.

He pulled off his warm-up jacket and removed the bib.

Beneath it, he wore a sports vest, which he adjusted before pulling a compression top over it.

Then, he reached for his shirt.

With the jersey in hand, he made his way back towards Dawson, slipping it on as he approached.

The manager caught his arm and pulled him slightly aside.

"Listen to me. Be brave. Don’t spend your time worrying about losing the ball."

Leo looked at him as Dawson went on.

"Be adventurous. Take them on. If we keep playing like this, we’re going to lose anyway."

Leo nodded and then pulled away.

"Just as discussed," Dawson added lastly.

He gave him a final pat before directing him towards the fourth official, who was already holding his substitution board.

Leo took his place beside him, and a moment later, Kevin De Bruyne joined them, followed shortly by Rodri.

The Belgian gave Leo a brief glance, while Rodri acknowledged him with a small nod.

Leo returned it, and the three waited as play continued.

Nearly three minutes passed before the next stoppage arrived, and when it did, the referee finally signalled towards the touchline, and the fourth official raised his board.

The announcer’s voice came through the stadium speakers.

"Wigan Athletic substitution. Coming off, number six, Max Power."

The crowd responded with applause.

"And coming on, wearing number eight, Leo Calderon!"

And this time, the applause was heavier.

Cheers rose from across the DW Stadium, with several supporters getting to their feet as Leo stepped towards the pitch.

He passed Max Power, exchanging a quick palm slap with the midfielder before taking his position.

On the opposite side, City were making their changes too.

"Manchester City are also making a double substitution. Kevin De Bruyne is coming on, and so is Rodri."

"Well, both managers have decided that this is the moment to bring out some of their biggest guns. De Bruyne and Rodri for City, Calderon for Wigan. There’s still a great deal to play for here."

Leo settled into the midfield position Power had vacated and looked towards Henderson, who was standing a few yards away.

"Come a little closer," Leo called, pointing towards the space beside him.

Henderson moved across.

"Dawson wants you close enough to help defensively, but not right on top of me when we have the ball," Leo explained.

"Give me a bit of room to receive it. If we lose possession, stay close enough to help."

Henderson nodded, adjusting his position accordingly while Leo glanced across the pitch, checking City’s shape as De Bruyne and Rodri took their places.

The referee brought his whistle to his lips, and Wigan were ready to restart.

Immediately settling into the groove, Leo’s first involvement came from a throw-in.

Carlo had retrieved the ball near the touchline and sent it towards him, with Leo moving across to receive.

He barely had time to bring it under control before Matheus Nunes came charging into his back.

The contact sent Leo stumbling forward.

He tried to keep his footing, but Nunes had caught him off balance.

His knee touched the turf before he went down completely, and the referee’s whistle followed almost immediately.

"That’s a strong challenge from Nunes! Calderon barely had time to get the ball under control before being sent to ground."

Leo pushed himself up onto one knee, looking towards the referee.

Nunes, on the other hand, was already standing a few steps away, offering little more than a glance.

The official approached him and gave him a stern warning.

Nunes nodded and walked away, visibly glad that the referee had decided to keep his cards in his pocket.

Leo got back to his feet, brushing the grass from his shorts.

He had felt the first proper challenge of the afternoon, and it wasn’t particularly welcoming.

Wigan restarted play shortly afterwards, but for a while, that was about all Leo contributed.

He moved into the spaces available to him, offered passing options and occasionally dropped deeper to help Henderson.

Yet City were quick to close him down whenever the ball approached his feet.

Their midfield remained compact, and the home side struggled to find the room needed to get forward.

The minutes passed without much happening.

Neither team could establish a sustained attack.

Wigan circulated possession without finding a breakthrough, while City continued to look for openings through Bernardo and Grealish.