Chapter 790 - 143: Dream Start! Domain Skill: Stabilizer! Stepping Stone to Superstardom! Arsenal’s Strategic Opportunity

1-0!

"Only three minutes into the match!

"My God, in such freezing weather, Wang Shuo got into the zone incredibly fast!

"Looking at the slow-motion replay of this goal, we can see that he was simply one with the ball, and moving at breakneck speed!

"Swansea’s two center-backs didn’t even have time to intercept!"

After conceding the goal, Swansea launched a frantic counterattack. In the fifteenth minute, Joe Allen drifted to the right flank and executed a beautiful one-two pass with right winger Dyer. After breaking into the penalty area, Dyer was tripped by Koscielny inside the box. The referee pointed to the spot without hesitation. Sinclair converted the penalty with ease, equalizing for Swansea.

1-1!

With the match tied once more, neither team held back, opting instead to continue their fierce end-to-end battle. Playing on their home turf, Swansea displayed incredibly tenacious fighting spirit.

In the twenty-ninth minute, De Bruyne received the ball in the midfield and threaded a through ball right into the right side of the penalty area. Wang Shuo made a rapid diagonal run, controlled the ball, and then executed a sudden stop-and-go. He bypassed the onrushing goalkeeper Vorm. Left with no shooting angle, he squared the ball across the face of the goal. Hazard charged in just in time, sliding the ball into the empty net.

2-1!

Just three minutes into the second half, Wang Shuo, Hazard, and Matuidi tore Swansea’s defense apart with a series of quick, one-touch passes. Matuidi played the ball across to the right side of the penalty arc, finding an unmarked De Bruyne. The Belgian trapped the ball and immediately unleashed a furious strike, breaching Swansea’s goal once again.

3-1!

However, in the fifty-seventh minute, Joe Allen drove through the center and delivered a through ball. Dyer shook off Gibbs and suddenly fired a volley from the right side of the penalty area.

2-3!

Then, in the sixty-ninth minute, Wang Shuo dropped deep into the midfield to receive the ball. He turned, shook off Augustine’s defense, and threaded a precise through pass right into Walcott’s path. The Little Tiger chased down the ball like lightning and calmly slotted it past the keeper, sending it into Swansea’s net.

4-2!

Shortly after, Wang Shuo was substituted off for Henry.

Unfortunately, the former Gunners legend failed to recreate his past glory upon entering the pitch and instead made a fatal mistake. The downside of playing in the United States’ Major League Soccer became glaringly obvious. When trying to link up with his teammates, Henry’s rhythm was noticeably off the pace. While attempting a backpass, he inexplicably passed the ball straight to the feet of an opposing midfielder. Sigurdsson played it forward, and Graham scored from a one-on-one situation.

3-4!

Nevertheless, in the final ten minutes of the match, the Gunners made a series of substitutions and relentlessly battered Swansea. Though they failed to find the back of the net again, Arsenal secured a thrilling 4-3 away victory over Swansea, emerging unscathed despite the late scare.

After the match, public attention remained fixed on Arsenal’s left flank. Aside from Henry’s passing error—which somewhat shattered the nostalgic sentiments of Gunners fans—the other two goals conceded primarily originated from the left side. Arsenal’s left flank had clearly become a prime target for their opponents, especially against a team like Swansea, who boasted wingers like Dyer.

Everyone was deeply concerned about their upcoming clash with Ferguson’s Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium in a week. Their opponents featured elite wingers like Valencia, Nani, and Ashley Jan. Could Arsenal’s left side hold the line?

In this round of fixtures, Manchester City narrowly defeated Wigan Athletic 1-0 away from home. Manchester United swept past Bolton with a 3-0 victory. Liverpool played out a 0-0 draw against Stoke City at home. Chelsea secured a 1-0 home win over Sunderland.

...

January 22nd, New Year’s Eve.

Lingshan State, China.

From early morning, every household bustled with preparations for the Spring Festival. Wang Wenjun and his wife hit the county’s wet market at the crack of dawn, purchasing a massive haul of fish, meat, vegetables, and fruit that completely stuffed the trunk of their Haval.

For them, this New Year’s Eve was quite different from previous years. Wang Shuo’s aunt and uncle arrived early with their family. Ever since Wang Shuo went abroad, leaving only Wang Wenjun and his wife at home, the two families often celebrated the holidays together.

By early afternoon, families everywhere began cooking, and the mouthwatering aroma of New Year’s Eve dinner drifted through the air.

"Uncle, Aunt, Sister Qinghe just called me," He Jianwei said.

"Has her flight landed?"

"She just arrived. She said my cousin asked her to bring a lot of things back. She just got to Hu City and plans to spend New Year’s Eve at home tonight, then deliver everything to our place in person tomorrow."

"There’s no need. Tell Qinghe to relax and enjoy the holiday at home. We’re in no rush," Xu Xiuying replied. She felt it was inappropriate to have a young woman travel all the way from Hu City to Quanjiang just to deliver items on the first day of the New Year. Even landlords didn’t boss people around like this.

"I told her that, but she insisted, saying it’s the perfect opportunity to pay us a New Year’s visit," He Jianwei said with a smile.

"You silly boy, have you studied so hard that your brain turned to mush? Don’t you know how to be polite?" Wang Shuo’s aunt scolded playfully from the side.

Just last July, He Jianwei was admitted to a prestigious Project 985 university in the Capital, bringing immense honor to the family. Nowadays, not only the surrounding villages but even the entire county had heard of their family. Producing a football star and a top-tier scholar—it was truly remarkable!

"Oh, right, Sister Qinghe also mentioned that she booked a medical checkup for you at the provincial hospital," He Jianwei added. "You can go right after the holidays. Make sure to prepare in advance; she’s going to come over and take you there herself."

"Another checkup?" Wang Wenjun grumbled reluctantly.

"Did Xiao Shuo arrange this?" the aunt asked.

"Definitely not. That boy isn’t nearly so meticulous," Xu Xiuying replied. No one knew a son better than his mother, and she knew perfectly well who was really behind this.