Chapter 669 Rampant Calderon!

Amos waited a moment before getting back to his feet.

He looked towards his teammates, then began organising the distribution.

Wigan had won themselves a little breathing room.

The goalkeeper eventually rolled the ball towards the right, where Femi Seriki collected it in stride.

The latter, having replaced the tiring Darikwa moments earlier, pushed forward before shifting the ball onto his left foot.

He looked inside and played a pass towards Henderson, and recognising this trigger, City’s press came immediately.

De Bruyne led the movement, with Foden and álvarez closing from either side.

But that wasn’t all.

Rodri stepped forward to cut off the passing lane, leaving Henderson surrounded.

Stuck in the middle, Henderson had little options, but one of those options was Leo.

He let the ball run across his body before guiding it into the midfielder’s path.

The action dragged the attention of the Manchester players away from him, and as Leo received on the turn, he came up against trouble.

Foden lunged, looking to catch Leo off guard, but Leo had already shifted his weight, dragging the ball away and leaving the City midfielder rushing past him.

And Leo, being the player he was, didn’t stop there.

The Wigan supporters rose as Leo pushed the ball forward and accelerated down the left flank.

Kyle Walker immediately began retreating.

He had Carlo to consider, who was moving ahead of him along the same side.

But Leo was carrying the ball himself, and Walker couldn’t afford to abandon him.

The fullback adjusted his stride, trying to keep both men within reach, but

Leo gave him no reason to relax.

He pushed the ball forward again, then took another touch towards the outside.

Walker stayed alongside him, using his pace to close the gap.

Leo was historically the slower of the two, and Walker knew it.

The City defender began leaning towards him, waiting for the moment he could step across and force him towards the touchline.

But his preparation all turned to nought when Leo knocked the ball beyond him.

It wasn’t particularly complicated.

Just a firm touch into the space ahead, followed by an explosive burst of acceleration, and Walker was caught flat-footed.

By the time he reacted, Leo had already gone past his shoulder.

"CALDERON HAS BEATEN WALKER!"

The commentator’s voice rose as the midfielder charged towards the penalty area.

"He’s away! Leo Calderon is driving at Manchester City!"

The noise inside the DW Stadium grew louder with every stride.

Walker was recovering quickly, but Leo had gained enough ground to make the defender hesitate.

He couldn’t simply pull across and challenge from behind without risking a foul.

Leo kept driving, and he waited until Walker drew level, almost allowing the fullback to believe he had recovered the situation.

Then, at the last moment, Leo cut across his path.

With the sudden situation, Walker had to slow down to avoid running straight into him.

And with that, Leo emerged on the other side with the ball under control.

He was now inside the right channel, approaching the edge of the penalty area.

His body opened towards goal, and for a moment, he seemed to be preparing a shot.

City reacted as the midfielder moved across the face of the edge of the box.

Rodri stepped forward, with Stones moving out from the defensive line.

But time and time again, they had anticipated wrongly.

Instead of the shot, Leo struck the ball hard into the turf.

The sudden force on the ball caused it to bounce sharply between the approaching defenders, passing through the narrow gap they had created as they stepped towards him.

And beyond that, Jake was waiting.

The defender had moved forward from his position, finding space just outside the penalty area.

He brought the bouncing ball down against his chest, allowing it to drop in front of him before spinning towards goal.

Then he struck.

Jake swung his right leg through the ball.

"IT’S SULLEYYYYYYYY!"

The commentator screamed his name as the shot travelled towards goal.

Ortega reacted, shifting across his line and throwing himself towards the incoming effort.

But the ball rose sharply, passing just above his reach and crashing against the underside of the crossbar.

It bounced down towards the goal line, and for a fraction of a second, the goalkeeper appeared ready to recover.

But Leo had somehow anticipated the possibility.

He had continued his run after releasing the ball, moving through the gap between City’s defenders.

The moment Jake struck, Leo was already charging towards the rebound.

The ball came back into play, and as Ortega was stranded on the far side of his goal, Leo arrived first.

He stretched out his right foot and guided the loose ball over the line.

The net moved, and the DW Stadium exploded.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!"

Leo’s momentum carried him forward. He landed on his side, rolled once and scrambled back to his feet.

He didn’t wait for anyone.

He sprinted towards the advertising boards, leapt over them and landed just in front of the supporters.

For a moment, he simply stood there.

Then he raised both arms and roared, and the reaction was immediate.

Hands reached out from every direction.

Supporters leaned over the barriers, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him into embraces.

Some were shouting his name; others were simply screaming, unable to contain themselves.

Leo laughed as he was pulled towards the front row.

Behind him, the Wigan players came rushing over.

Dawson was off his feet, punching the air as Nolan grabbed him by the shoulders.

Even the substitutes had spilt towards the touchline, celebrating with the staff.

Inside the commentary gantry, the two broadcasters had completely lost their composure.

"UUHHHHHHH! HE’S DONE IT AGAIN! LEO CALDERON HAS DONE IT AGAIN!"

His partner was half out of his seat.

"He has turned this game on its head! Two goals in a matter of minutes, and City simply haven’t been able to contain him!"

The main commentator could barely get another sentence out.

"Wigan Athletic are two goals ahead! Two goals against Manchester City! And with the clock running down, they are now on the verge of reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals!"

The camera returned to Leo, still surrounded by players and supporters.

City’s players stood scattered across the pitch.

De Bruyne had his hands on his hips, while Rodri looked towards the touchline.

Pep, as always, remained motionless, staring at the celebration.

Then the commentator’s voice rose once more.

"From the Championship to the brink of the FA Cup quarter-finals again. Wigan Athletic are doing something special here!"

"They are rampant!"