Chapter 831 - 149: Bicycle Kick! Domain Skill: Agile Striker! Winning the Championship the Manchester United Way! Gunners, Where Are Your Tactics?

1–1!

What a familiar pattern!

Another defensive loophole on the left flank!

After Gibbs pushed forward to attack, he didn’t track back in time. Drenthe seized the opening, slicing diagonally into the right side of the penalty area to score.

The commentators on Sky Sports were getting excited.

The pattern had returned!

Arsenal really knew how to play!

This time, they scored first, let Everton take the lead, and then they’d turn it around against Everton again...

They were playing it so slick!

"But we have to admit, this really took everyone by surprise.

"We never expected it to be Drenthe!"

Why didn’t anyone expect Drenthe? Because the Dutch player had a huge falling-out with Moyes this season.

He had mostly come off the bench. So far, he had made 20 appearances, totaling less than 1,000 minutes on the pitch. In other words, he averaged less than 50 minutes per game—classic substitute minutes.

But his tally for the season so far was four goals and five assists. Not too shabby, right? Especially early in the season.

When Drenthe first joined on loan from Real Madrid, he only played for 10 or 20 minutes a game for a while, but his performances were highly eye-catching. In his first seven appearances, he racked up two goals and three assists. This included his subsequent two starts where he played the full 90 minutes. In one, he had a goal and an assist; in the other, an assist. His performance was nothing short of stunning. Everyone thought Everton had struck gold.

But unexpectedly, it wasn’t long before Drenthe clashed with Moyes and started throwing tantrums. The whole world only paid attention to Balotelli, unaware that at Everton, there was Drenthe, whose level of sheer stupidity rivaled Balotelli’s.

Wang Shuo had even heard a rumor that Arsenal had briefly considered signing Drenthe last summer. However, after making contact with him, they immediately backed out precisely due to his attitude problems.

An unexpected pattern, an unexpected goalscorer—it was full of surprises!

But to everyone’s surprise, after the 30-minute mark, neither team managed to score again. From the first half all the way through the second... Arsenal began making substitutions to adjust and bolster their attack, yet neither side could create any solid scoring opportunities. Everton heavily fortified the defense around Wang Shuo.

Just as everyone was wondering if there would be another grand finale goal, the pattern changed again.

Lichsteiner pushed up on the right flank and whipped in a cross, sending the ball toward the far post of the penalty box. Substitute Pogba surged forward at high speed, charging into the left side of the penalty area. Overpowering Everton center-back Heitinga, he headed the ball back into the middle. Wang Shuo arrived right on time. The moment the ball touched down, he stretched out his left foot and fired a low shot, sending it straight into Everton’s net.

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!

"The 76th minute! We haven’t even reached the climax of the plot, but Arsenal can’t wait to score!

"2–1!

"Wang Shuo seized the opportunity and bagged another goal for Arsenal!

"A truly brilliant piece of link-up play, courtesy of young Paul Pogba’s headed layoff.

"This combination play is definitely fresh. Pogba’s headed layoff had a bit of a Fellaini vibe to it.

"And Wang Shuo’s crucial toe-poke finish was as steady as ever!

"The only regret is that the last-minute buzzer-beater everyone was expecting is gone!"

In the end, the Gunners defeated Everton 2–1, thanks to goals from Wang Shuo and Vermaelen.

In this round, Manchester United crushed Wolves 5–0 away from home, capitalizing on a red card their opponents received in the first half. And this time, the team playing the comeback game was Manchester City. After conceding a goal in the 60th minute of the second half, the Blue Moon rallied to score twice, ultimately pulling off a 2–1 comeback against Chelsea.

Meanwhile, the victim of a last-minute winner was Liverpool. Despite having a two-goal lead, the Red Army conceded three consecutive goals away against relegation-battling Queens Park Rangers. Conceding in the 86th and 91st minutes, they ultimately suffered a 3–2 defeat in London.

The morning after the Everton match, Wang Shuo went to see Wenger.

"What? You want to start?"

In the dining hall of the Colney Training Base, Wenger’s astonished voice broke the silence. At this hour, the players hadn’t arrived yet, so the dining hall was filled only with coaches and staff. Hearing Wenger’s shout, those chatting nearby instantly stopped, ready to watch the drama unfold.

Were Wenger and Wang Shuo fighting? If word of this got out, it would definitely be massive news!

"No, didn’t I tell you? We’re currently leading by 10 points, and Aston Villa is safe from relegation. We’re playing at home, so there shouldn’t be any issues. Just focus completely on preparing for Bar?a next Wednesday," Wenger advised him earnestly, assuming Wang Shuo was worried about a slip-up in the Premier League.

Wang Shuo let out a bitter laugh in his mind. He wanted to rest too, but the grand old System wouldn’t allow it!

Why was he volunteering to play? Because after the Everton match, he realized his Passive Value was stuck at exactly 496 points. Damn it, he was just four points short.

Then why couldn’t he come off the bench? Honest to God, what if he didn’t get enough minutes as a substitute? Or if Aston Villa played too Sven, leaving him unable to scrape together those four points?

However, Wang Shuo had already prepared an excuse.

"Hey, Professor, you know me. I’ve got plenty of stamina. Playing Bar?a at home, running the full 90 minutes won’t be an issue for me at all," Wang Shuo said, first offering Wenger some reassurance.

At this stage, playing Bar?a was the crucial part. And Wang Shuo wasn’t the type to ignore the big picture. He was just thinking that if he quickly accumulated 500 Passive Value points, he could upgrade another of his Passive Skills to the World-level. When that happened, wouldn’t he be much more confident playing against Bar?a?