Chapter 728 - 134: Derby! Born Leader! Clash of the Top Three! Another Hat-Trick! Being Wang Shuo’s Enemy is Too Terrifying!

Meanwhile, other teams began to fall behind, their points gap gradually widening. Interestingly, the Guardian Newspaper specifically analyzed their top three favored teams.

Manchester City possessed the most formidable lineup in the Premier League, a luxurious squad literally built with mountains of cash. Therefore, the most important asset for the Blue Moon was money. For Manchester United, their most crucial asset was Ferguson. He always managed to defeat opponents with his masterful tactics and formations.

And for Arsenal, their most important asset was Wang Shuo. How critical was Wang Shuo to Arsenal? Currently, the Gunners had scored 21 goals in the Premier League, ranking first overall. Behind them in second place were Manchester City and Manchester United, both with 19 goals. Out of Arsenal’s 21 goals, a staggering 16 came directly from Wang Shuo’s goals or assists. The Guardian Newspaper even compiled a specific statistic: without the points secured by Wang Shuo’s crucial goals, the Gunners would currently be languishing in the relegation zone.

Another reason the media favored the two Manchester teams and Arsenal was that all three possessed top-tier goalscorers. Manchester City’s Aguero had scored eight goals in six rounds. Manchester United’s Rooney had scored nine goals in six rounds. Furthermore, the Red Demon had Van Persie, who was still integrating into the team. It was safe to say that all three teams boasted exceptional attackers.

In the middle of the week, during the second round of the Champions League group stage, Arsenal hosted Ligue 1’s Lille. As soon as the match began, Arsenal took the initiative, leveraging their home advantage to suppress Lille. However, as the defending champions of Ligue 1, Lille were no pushovers; they adopted a solid defensive counterattacking strategy.

It wasn’t until the 18th minute that Hazard, carrying the ball down the left flank, made a Breakthrough past two defending players and delivered the ball in front of the goal. Wang Shuo unleashed a left-footed volley, piercing through Lille’s net.

1-0!

After switching sides in the second half, Arsenal earned a corner kick in the 65th minute. Arteta took the kick, and Subotic headed it home.

2-0!

This was also the Serbian center-back’s first Champions League goal for Arsenal!

The score remained unchanged until the final whistle. After losing Hazard, Lille’s strength had been significantly compromised. Their 2-2 home draw against Naples in the first leg had already exposed the Ligue 1 team’s weakness. After wrapping up their home game against Lille, the Gunners shifted their focus to the weekend’s North London Derby. This was one of Arsenal’s most important matches in the Premier League, and it was also Wang Shuo’s first derby since arriving in the league.

On the afternoon of October 2, at the White Hart Lane Stadium in London.

For the seventh round of the Premier League, Arsenal played an away game against Tottenham Hotspur. When referee Mike Dean blew the starting whistle, the home team, Tottenham Hotspur, lunged at Arsenal’s territory like rabid dogs, throwing caution to the wind.

Tottenham’s starting lineup resembled a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Goalkeeper: Friedel;

Defense: Ekotto, Ledley King, Caboul, and Corluka;

Midfielder: Parker and Sandro formed the double pivot, with Gareth Bale, Van der Vaart, and Modric ahead of them;

Forwards: Adebayor leading the line.

It was only "similar" to a 4-2-3-1 because Gareth Bale and Modric’s positions were relatively deep. The overall formation actually looked a bit more like a 4-4-1-1.

The Gunners, on the other hand, stuck to their 4-3-3 formation.

Goalkeeper: Szczeny;

Defense: Gibbs, Koscielny, Subotic, and Lichsteiner;

Midfielder: Alexandre Song dropped deep, with Matuidi and Aaron Ramsey ahead of him;

Forwards: Hazard, Wang Shuo, and De Bruyne.

Since both teams had been distracted by their midweek European fixtures, they had made appropriate squad rotations. Faced with Tottenham’s frantic pressing tactics, Arsenal still chose to proactively push forward. Just over two minutes into the game, Van der Vaart and Adebayor consecutively fell into offside traps.

The entire White Hart Lane Stadium was whipped into a frenzy. Tottenham Hotspur fans cheered themselves hoarse from the stands, building momentum for their team. Whenever Arsenal took possession, they were met with boos and even verbal abuse from the spectators. Wang Shuo bore the brunt of this hostility.

For this match, Redknapp gave Wang Shuo plenty of "respect" by deploying heavy numbers to tightly mark him. Whether it was center-backs Caboul and Ledley King, or defensive midfielders Parker and Sandro, their primary task was to lock Wang Shuo down. Tottenham was laying their cards on the table; they fully intended to fight tooth and nail against Arsenal on their home turf!

And the North London team certainly had the capital to be arrogant. They had won all three of their recent league matches: a 2-0 away victory against Wolves, a 4-0 home demolition of Liverpool, and a 2-1 away win over Wigan Athletic. Redknapp’s squad was undeniably formidable!

In the sixth minute of the game, as Gibbs tried to execute a give-and-go with Hazard on the left wing, he was aggressively pressured by Modric. In a shocking blunder, Gibbs’s initial pass went straight to the opposition. The Croatian naturally wouldn’t miss such an opportunity, threading a through ball behind the defensive line to the right side of the penalty area.

Adebayor made a rapid forward run. Shrugging off Koscielny’s challenge, he unleashed a furious strike that pierced Arsenal’s net. The entirety of the White Hart Lane Stadium instantly transformed into a sea of jubilation for the Tottenham fans!

After taking the lead, Tottenham Hotspur didn’t rest on their laurels; instead, they sought to press their advantage. From the seventh minute all the way to the twentieth, they capitalized on Arsenal’s unsteady footing following the conceded goal, relentlessly bombarding the Gunners’ left flank. Redknapp even specifically repositioned Gareth Bale to the right wing to target Arsenal’s left side, forming a potent right-flank attacking combination with Corluka.