Chapter 727 - 134: Derby! Born Leader! Three Powerhouses Contending! Another Hat-Trick! Being Wang Shuo’s Enemy Is Too Terrifying!

Would they repeat the same mistakes in the Premier League?

Just 1 minute and 30 seconds after the kickoff, Bolton won a free kick on the left side of the attacking half. This sent the hearts of the Gunners’ fans straight into their throats.

"Damn it! We’ve been traumatized!"

When Bolton took the free kick, center-back Whit flicked a header from the near post to the middle. Midfielder Platt unleashed a volley near the penalty spot, sending the ball flying straight toward Arsenal’s goal. This nearly caused the 60,000 Gunners fans in the Emirates Stadium to suffer a collective breakdown.

At the crucial moment, Szczeny made a diving save, parrying the ball out of bounds with one hand. Only then did the entire stadium breathe a sigh of relief, feeling as if they had just survived a disaster. It was truly terrifying whenever the Gunners faced a free kick now!

But in the 7th minute, Arteta threaded a through ball into the left side of the penalty spot. Wang Shuo beat the offside trap with lightning speed and burst into the box for a one-on-one. Facing Jaskeleinen, he smartly faked a shot, cut inside, and blasted a left-footed strike into the empty net.

1-0!

The Emirates Stadium instantly erupted into thunderous cheers! It was only at this moment that the Gunners’ fans could finally let their guard down a little. That was far too close for comfort!

As Wang Shuo sprinted to the sidelines to celebrate, they leaped from their seats, screaming his name at the top of their lungs. After hugging and celebrating with his teammates, Wang Shuo turned to applaud the fans in the stands. He waved his arms repeatedly, urging them to cheer even louder and hype up the atmosphere further.

After that, the match fell into a stalemate. Bolton adopted a deep defensive block, waiting for counter-attacking opportunities, while Arsenal patiently controlled possession and dictated the tempo.

However, right after the teams switched sides for the second half, Arsenal launched an attack straight from the kickoff. Positioned inside the D at the top of the penalty area with his back to the goal, Wang Shuo received a through pass from De Bruyne. With a beautiful touch and turn, he shook off center-back Knight, exploded into a sprint, and drove forward. He easily broke past Whit and surged into the left side of the box.

Wang Shuo unleashed a furious left-footed strike. The ball flew like a cannonball, once again blasting past Jaskeleinen and into the net.

2-0!

At this moment, the outcome of the match was set!

In the 55th minute, Wang Shuo dropped deep to receive the ball before threading another through pass. Walcott made a rapid diagonal run into the right side of the penalty area, caught up to the ball, and fired a low shot into the near post.

3-0!

Then, in the 71st minute, Walcott forced his way down the right flank and crossed the ball to the front of the goal. Wang Shuo shaped up to shoot at the near post, but with his angle blocked, he smartly flicked the ball backward with his heel. An unmarked Hazard followed up and coolly slotted the ball into the back of the net.

4-0!

Arsenal began making consecutive substitutions, resting key players for their mid-week Champions League fixture. In the 73rd minute, Alexandre Song delivered a through ball that put Walcott through on goal for a one-on-one inside the box. Unfortunately, his finishing strike was parried by Jaskeleinen.

But in the 88th minute, Alexandre Song took matters into his own hands. A long-range strike from just outside the box pierced Bolton’s goal, locking the final score at 5-0!

The Gunners’ fans in the Emirates Stadium cheered endlessly. On the sidelines, Wenger broke into a smile, clearly highly satisfied with the result. After enduring heavy criticism following their narrow 5-4 victory over Blackburn in the previous round, the Gunners finally proved their strength with a resounding and emphatic win!

In this round, Manchester City defeated Everton 2-0 at home. Chelsea beat Swansea 4-1 at home. Liverpool defeated Wolves 2-1 at home. Tottenham claimed a 2-1 away victory against Wigan Athletic.

Only Manchester United faltered. Ferguson was also resting players for the Champions League, and as a result, they failed to secure a win against Stoke City. The two sides shook hands on a 1-1 draw.

After 6 rounds of matches, Manchester City successfully overtook Manchester United to claim the top spot, with both Manchester giants tied at 16 points. Arsenal stood at 15 points, boasting a record of 5 wins and 1 loss in 6 matches.

Following the match against Bolton, Wang Shuo, with two goals and two assists, once again walked away with the Man of the Match champagne. He was also showered with praise by numerous media outlets after the game.

In just 6 rounds, he had racked up 11 goals and 5 assists!

It was safe to say that Wang Shuo had completely dispelled any lingering doubts about whether he could adapt to the Premier League. More importantly, he proved his immense importance to Arsenal.

Just as Wenger had said after their comeback victory against Blackburn, "Wang Shuo has shown extraordinary leadership. He is the team’s most crucial difference-maker!"

After the clash with Bolton, The Times of the United Kingdom also stated, "As long as Wang Shuo keeps scoring, Arsenal will remain firmly in the title race!"

The Guardian Newspaper echoed the sentiment, asserting that if any team wanted to defeat Arsenal, their first priority had to be shutting down Wang Shuo!

"The Gunners’ defense still has many issues. Their set-piece defending remains a massive weakness.

"It is foreseeable that for some time to come, the Gunners’ backline will continue to be plagued by problems.

"However, for Wenger, the immediate priority isn’t to fix the defense, but to further elevate the team’s attacking prowess in the final third.

"Specifically, they need to figure out how to best assist Wang Shuo in scoring.

"Using offense as their best defense is the only way this team can maintain their competitive edge!"

The Guardian Newspaper concluded that based on the current state of the Premier League, a three-horse race for the title was gradually becoming clear. The Manchester giants both sat at 16 points, while Arsenal trailed closely at 15 points. All three teams were displaying formidable competitiveness.

Chelsea had 13 points and Tottenham had 12 points, so it wasn’t impossible for these two teams to catch up as well.