Chapter 792: Dream Start! Domain Skill: Stabilizer! Stepping Stone to Superstardom! Arsenal's Strategic Opportunity

Arsenal still adopted their usual 4-3-3 formation.

Goalkeeper: Szczeny;

Defense: Vermaelen, Koscielny, Subotic, and Lichsteiner;

Midfield: Alexandre Song holding the line, with Matuidi and De Bruyne ahead of him;

Forwards: Hazard, Wang Shuo, and Walcott.

Wenger made a very interesting adjustment for this match. Vermaelen replaced Gibbs, taking up the left-back position.

Manchester United continued with the 4-4-2 formation they had frequently used recently.

Goalkeeper: Lindegaard;

Defense: Evra, Evans, Smalling, and Phil Jones;

Midfield: Nani, Carrick, Giggs, and Valencia;

Forwards: Van Persie and Rooney.

It is worth noting that due to his recent unstable performances, De Gea was benched. Scholes, who had previously retired, was recently urged back into action by Ferguson to make up for Manchester United’s lack of passing in the midfield.

As captains, Wang Shuo and Evra participated in the coin toss. Afterward, both sides returned to their respective halves.

The match officially kicked off!

The moment Mike Dean blew the starting whistle, Wang Shuo sprinted toward Carrick and Giggs at top speed. Manchester United, who took the kickoff, passed the ball back. Realizing how fast Wang Shuo was charging, they passed it even further back.

However, under Wang Shuo’s relentless pressing, Smalling was forced into a hasty long pass, hoping to find Rooney and Van Persie up front. Before Van Persie could even touch the ball, a wave of overwhelming boos flooded the stadium. It was obvious that the fans at Emirates Stadium despised the traitor.

Whether affected by the fans’ jeers or not, Van Persie failed to win the aerial duel against Subotic. Arsenal regained possession and strung together several passes. However, De Bruyne was disrupted by Carrick and forced to pass backward.

Wang Shuo made a run forward. Under the observation of his Intercontinental Level [Insight], he spotted a gap on Manchester United’s right flank and immediately pointed to the left.

Subotic delivered a lateral long pass to Vermaelen on the left, who then forwarded it to Hazard. The Belgian took on Phil Jones one-on-one. Executing a sudden stop, Hazard sharply cut inside, shaking off Phil Jones. He drove diagonally toward the left periphery of the Arc Top District, drawing the defense’s attention before passing horizontally to the unmarked Wang Shuo.

Receiving the ball just outside the center of the Arc Top District, Wang Shuo nudged it diagonally to his right and instantly launched into a blistering sprint. Empowered by the [Domain Skills: Blasters], he channeled all his strength into his right foot and unleashed a vicious volley.

In Manchester United’s 4-4-2 formation, there was a noticeable gap between the midfield and the defensive line. Evans failed to cover the space in time, allowing Wang Shuo to seize the opportunity and fire off a surprise shot.

The shot was thunderous. The ball streaked like a bolt of lightning, heading straight for the right side of the goal.

Lindegaard’s attention had been entirely focused on Hazard on the left, leaving him positioned too far to that side. It wasn’t until Wang Shuo took possession that he hurried over. Faced with the sudden long-range strike, he threw his entire body into a diving save.

But it was far too late.

The ball nearly grazed the right post as it drilled into the top right corner of the net.

“GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!!!!”

“My God! Just two minutes into the game, Arsenal has drawn first blood against Manchester United.

“This is simply unbelievable!

“A dream start!

“The very first shot of the match—a long-range strike from Wang Shuo outside the penalty area—has pierced right through Manchester United’s goal!”

The moment Wang Shuo scored, Ferguson jumped out of his seat in agitation. His face was plastered with sheer disbelief. At that very second, he was undoubtedly regretting his decision to start Lindegaard. His positioning had been highly problematic!

Meanwhile, Wang Shuo sprinted out of the pitch in jubilation. He ran all the way to the live broadcast camera on the sidelines, grabbing the hem of his jersey and lifting it to reveal a white T-shirt underneath. On it were four large red Chinese characters: Good Luck in the Year of the Dragon!

“Did you see that, friends in front of the TV?

“This is absolutely a momentous occasion in the history of China’s football.

“On this New Year’s Eve of 2012, our Chinese player has gifted us a magnificent goal to wish us well for the Year of the Dragon!

“And here, we would also like to wish all fans (and readers) a happy new year! May your dreams come true and may you rise higher with every step!”

After Wang Shuo opened the scoring, Arsenal pressed their advantage, launching a fierce onslaught against Manchester United. In the 6th minute, De Bruyne found an opportunity to shoot from outside the penalty area, but his long-range attempt was easily collected by Lindegaard. Just three minutes later, Wang Shuo delivered a brilliant pass in the attacking half. Walcott cut inside from the right flank and took a shot, but it missed narrowly.

Everyone could tell that relying solely on Evans and Smalling was nowhere near enough to stop a ferocious Wang Shuo.

In the 14th minute, Wang Shuo dropped back into the center circle to provide support. Alexandre Song headed the ball toward him.

Facing away from the attacking direction, Wang Shuo had Giggs and Carrick closing in from behind to double-team him, while Rooney was tracking back to defend in front. As Alexandre Song’s header came his way, the three players immediately formed a tight trap around Wang Shuo.

This was another tactical arrangement from Ferguson. They could absolutely not let Wang Shuo receive the ball and gain momentum! All kinds of statistics showed that once Wang Shuo carried the ball into the 30-meter zone, he was virtually unstoppable unless fouled!

Yet, facing the triple-team, Wang Shuo remained fearless. Moving forward, he brought the ball under control with his chest before directly flicking it up with his right foot mid-air.