Chapter 668 A Mound Of Flesh!

Pep Guardiola watched from the touchline as Wigan’s players began making their way back towards their half.

His expression had barely changed, but there was little satisfaction in it.

No matter how good Wigan had gotten, being level with them, given the amount of investment his team had, was a bad look for his side.

Without letting the goal bother him too much, he clapped his hands once and began calling his players towards the circle.

"Come on. Rodri, get your mates back on the ball."

The latter, hearing his name being called, raised a hand towards Pep despite not catching too much of what his manager had said.

Still, he knew it was none other than Goodwill.

Near the corner flag, Jake was still surrounded by his teammates, several of them patting his head and pulling him into hurried embraces.

Henderson approached him, saying something that brought a brief smile to the defender’s face.

One goal was enough to put them in control of the tie, but there was still work to do.

Now, with the clock running down, they were within touching distance of finally winning a game against Manchester City, and on the way to a cup quarter-final place at that too.

Across the pitch, the City players were slowly getting themselves ready.

Haaland walked towards the centre circle, exchanging a few words with Bernardo about where the ball could be in their bid for the equaliser.

De Bruyne gestured towards the right flank, while Rodri tried to organise those around him.

Leo wiped the sweat from his forehead with the cuff of his compression sleeve.

He took a few steps backwards, checking his position as the referee moved towards the halfway line.

"Well, what a turnaround we’ve witnessed here at the DW Stadium!" the main commentator exclaimed.

"Wigan have found themselves a goal ahead, and it has been their substitute, Leo Calderon, who has completely changed the complexion of this game."

"He’s given them something they were missing in the first half. A willingness to take players on, to play forward and, more importantly, to make things happen. City have struggled to deal with him since his introduction."

While the two went at it on the broadcast, the referee raised his whistle, and Manchester City restarted.

But the moment the ball got back in play, the game suddenly turned frantic.

The City players, despite their intent not to make it visible, were beginning to feel the clock.

Every pass that failed to reach its intended target, every second spent retrieving the ball, brought another wave of urgency.

Their movements became sharper, their passes more direct, and their forwards began making runs much earlier, but Wigan were having none of it.

Whenever the ball came near their defensive line, it was sent away without a question being asked.

Whatmough cleared one towards the stands, and when another City attack came to the back, O’Shea followed with another, launching it beyond the halfway line.

Darikwa didn’t even attempt to build from the back when City crowded him, instead putting his foot through the ball and sending it as far from Amos’s goal as possible.

The Wigan supporters responded to every clearance with applause and roars of encouragement.

They knew exactly what their team was doing, and Pep recognised it too.

The Spaniard knew he couldn’t have that for the rest of the game, and so he turned towards his bench and began making changes.

"Jeremy! Phil! Julián!"

Doku was the first to be called. Foden followed, and then Julián álvarez was brought forward.

The three changes being made all at once were a clear indication of City’s intentions.

Haaland was withdrawn, with álvarez taking his place through the middle.

The former had failed to make his mark, and now the more crafty and mazy Argentine would replace him.

On the flanks, Doku and Foden added fresh attacking options, giving City more players capable of carrying the ball and creating chances in tight spaces.

They were going to throw everything at Wigan.

Leo watched as álvarez stepped onto the pitch and knew he couldn’t let his eyes off him.

The Argentine immediately moved between Wigan’s defensive and midfield lines, looking for somewhere to receive.

A few seconds later, he dropped deeper, pulling away from Whatmough before the defender could react.

And instantly, Leo’s worries began to manifest.

The Argentine called for the ball, but Doku had already spotted him.

He gave the ball only for álvarez to touch it back.

Then like rubber, Alvarez squeezed in between Whatmough and Henderson.

Seeing this, the Belgian winger collected the ball and lifted a delicate pass over the approaching defender.

álvarez turned his head, checking the incoming ball and where he could take it to make the most of it, but he never got to the ball.

Just as it had looked like he would have his chance against Ben Amos, a mound of flesh struck him from the side, sending shock through his body.

And when he fell, he glanced up well enough to catch who it had been.

Leo had tracked the run all the way from midfield and arrived just as álvarez tried to move into the space, and the Argentine had been caught off balance by the challenge, with Leo using his strength to get between him and the dropping ball.

"That’s Calderon! He’s come across brilliantly!"

álvarez stumbled and went down, while Leo continued forward.

He deliberately left the ball alone, allowing it to roll towards Ben Amos, who stepped out of his goal and collected it comfortably.

"Excellent defending from the Wigan number eight! He read that movement from álvarez and refused to let him turn."

The home crowd erupted ecstatically.

What had begun as a wild roar of encouragement turned into applause, with supporters recognising the importance of the challenge.

Leo, after his intervention, turned and jogged back towards his position.

álvarez, on the other hand, remained on the ground, raising both hands towards the referee, but the official looked at him and shook his head.

There was going to be no foul.