Chapter 817 - 147: Charge! Unstoppable Wang Shuo! The Fastest Hat-Trick in History! De Bruyne’s Deadly Diagonal Pass!

Unfortunately, the header was just slightly off target.

The Gunners had been constantly pressing Tottenham Hotspur, putting immense pressure on their North London rivals.

When Wenger walked into the locker room, he immediately heard his players complaining. For instance, Walcott was grumbling that Ledley King had shoved him from behind, causing him to miscontrol the ball. Arteta also had a long-range shot in the first half that didn’t go well due to interference from a defender.

Then there was Wang Shuo, telling Gibbs that next time he made a pass, he should anticipate the defenders’ positioning and jumping height.

"You’ve seen my vertical leap and hang time. It’s totally fine to pass it a little higher," Wang Shuo said with absolute confidence.

This reminded Wenger of a recent news report. Rumor had it that Wang Shuo had even sought advice from Ronaldo on jumping and heading the ball.

Looking around the locker room, everyone was passionately discussing the match. Their jerseys and shorts were completely covered in dirt. Not just the defenders, but even players like Arteta and Walcott had given it their all, throwing their bodies on the line several times to contest 50-50 balls. The grime on their kits was undeniable proof of their relentless effort.

An inexplicable wave of emotion swelled in Wenger’s heart. Because *this* was the team he had always envisioned!

They didn’t just need to play gorgeous passing and cutting football with fluid attacks; more importantly, everyone had to share a unified goal and be willing to give absolutely everything to achieve it. The previous Arsenal had been a disjointed mess, but now...

Wenger shifted his gaze to Wang Shuo.

Wang Shuo wasn’t a leader in the mold of Vieira or Roy Keane; he lacked that almost savage aura. He wasn’t Henry, either.

But beneath his seemingly harmless exterior, Wang Shuo was anything but. On the contrary, he possessed an incredibly fierce drive and competitiveness. He refused to lose to anyone, which was why he worked harder than everyone else. Yet, he had a knack for getting along with people, easily forging a strong bond with the squad. By leading by example, he managed to "infect" everyone around him with his fighting spirit.

Wenger realized that Wang Shuo possessed a subtle, hidden wisdom—one the young player might not even be aware of himself.

CLAP CLAP!

Wenger paused at the door and forcefully clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Everyone, you did an excellent job in the first half. For the second half, I only have one demand for you.

"Maintain this momentum, push forward without letting up, and crush our North London rivals!

"This is a derby!

"Remember, a derby is a matter of life and death. You can never score too many goals!

"Give it your all!"

Wenger didn’t give an overly long motivational speech, nor did he feel the need to arrange any specific tactics. He only hoped the team would carry on the brilliant performance they had shown in the final few minutes of the half.

The players, on the other hand, gathered in a huddle to pump each other up as they returned to the pitch at the Emirates Stadium. Wang Shuo immediately started issuing instructions to his teammates.

"They’ve made two substitutions."

Harry Redknapp had indeed made a double change during the halftime break. Van der Vaart came on for Kranjcar, and Sandro replaced Saha. This was a very clear signal. Van der Vaart was brought on to strengthen their midfield control, passing, and attacking capabilities. Meanwhile, Sandro was introduced to bolster their midfield interceptions and defense, injecting a much-needed element of toughness.

"This proves they’re scared! It also proves we did everything right in the first half. They are terrified!"

Although it had only been a few minutes, scoring three consecutive goals had been an overwhelming tidal wave of an attack. In those final moments, Wang Shuo and the others didn’t even know how many shots they had rained down on the opponent’s goal.

"As soon as the second half starts, we press high!"

"Yeah!" his teammates chorused in agreement.

"Eden, Theo, when we kick off, stay on the wings.

"Kevin, you come in and take the kickoff with me.

"Mikel, Alexander, we don’t pass back. We drive straight forward. If all else fails, just boot the ball deep into their half!

"Like I said before, keep the momentum going in the second half and eat them alive!

"Come on..."

When everyone had piled their hands together, Wang Shuo shouted with all his might, "Let’s go!"

"Let’s go!!"

***

Just three minutes into the second half, Hazard and Kyle Walker collided heavily on the left flank while contesting for the ball. It was a 50-50 ball, but because the Belgian was shorter, he had to resort to a sliding tackle. Although he ultimately knocked the ball out of bounds, resulting in a Tottenham throw-in, Hazard still earned a rousing round of applause from the stadium.

Players who gave their all never went unnoticed!

The Gunners’ relentless hustle only further ignited the passion of the crowd. Barely two minutes later, Vermaelen suddenly charged out. With a sliding tackle, he swept Adebayor, who had just received the ball, off his feet—without committing a foul. It was an exceptionally clean tackle.

The ball was poked loose straight to Alexandre Song. The midfielder immediately turned, shook off his defender, and passed to Hazard, who then laid it off to Gibbs.

Tottenham Hotspur had intensified their pressing in the second half. Especially with the introduction of Sandro and Van der Vaart, they placed a much heavier emphasis on midfield pressing and interceptions. Left with no other options, Gibbs was forced to pass back to Alexandre Song.

A series of one-touch passes failed to break through the midfield. Just as the fast break was about to fizzle out, Alexandre Song spotted Wang Shuo dropping back to the left side of the center circle to receive the ball and immediately threaded a pass his way.