Chapter 818 - 147: Charge! Unstoppable Wang Shuo! The Fastest Hat-Trick in History! De Bruyne’s Deadly Diagonal Pass!

Trapping the ball and spinning around, Wang Shuo didn’t dribble. Instead, he swiftly distributed the ball to the right half-space. De Bruyne charged forward with long strides. Catching up to Wang Shuo’s pass, he continued driving it up the pitch.

Tottenham Hotspur’s defense was concentrated on the left, leaving the right flank completely wide open. After surging into the final third, De Bruyne spread the ball to the right wing, allowing Lichsteiner to make a rapid overlapping run to the byline while he himself accelerated toward the near post. Inside the penalty area, Walcott was also making a run.

Lichsteiner charged all the way down near the byline and sent a low, driven cross to the near post of the six-yard box. Goalkeeper Friedel abandoned his line to intercept, and Ledley King slid in for a tackle... But at the critical moment, De Bruyne beat them to it, stretching out a foot to poke the ball. The football slipped past Friedel and into Tottenham’s net.

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

"It’s in!!

"In the fiftieth minute, early in the second half, Arsenal scores again!

"A goal from the young Belgian, De Bruyne!"

After scoring, an ecstatic De Bruyne sprinted past the byline, running wildly along the advertising boards behind the Tottenham goal to celebrate. Wang Shuo and the others chased after him, joining in the festivities.

"Four to two!

"Even though Tottenham made a double substitution during the halftime break, they still couldn’t halt their decline.

"As we can see, the Gunners are showing incredible tenacity in the second half. Their fighting spirit is burning bright.

"Looking at the slow-motion replay, when the midfield progression was blocked, it was Wang Shuo who opportunely dropped back into an unmarked area to receive the ball. After getting it, he immediately distributed it to the right wing.

"I must say, Wang Shuo’s vision is incredibly expansive.

"This is a major headache for anyone trying to defend against him right now.

"If you try to man-mark him, you have to chase him all over the pitch. The physical toll on the players is immense, especially for defenders.

"As we all know, defenders are usually tall and heavily built. Running the same distance drains tall, strong defenders much faster.

"But if you don’t track Wang Shuo’s runs, he ends up receiving the ball in open space like he just did. From there, he can deliver an assist or dictate the play, shifting the ball to weak points in the defense. It’s incredibly troublesome.

"In fact, it’s virtually unplayable!"

Bolstered by their second-half goal, the Gunners continued their fierce assault on Tottenham Hotspur. Every player on the pitch was giving it their all. One moment, Lichsteiner was throwing himself into a reckless diving header; the next, De Bruyne was relentlessly hounding Sandro, chasing the ball all the way to the byline.

Who was Sandro? He was the very model of a beastly defensive midfielder, built like a tank. With his back to the pitch, he shielded the ball near the byline, leaving De Bruyne with seemingly no options. Yet the Belgian refused to give up, constantly fighting for possession and stabbing his foot at the ball. Although Sandro eventually bumped him away, seeing such tenacious effort truly moved everyone watching.

"This Arsenal team is really coming together!" Redknapp sat in the away dugout, unable to help but remark as he watched the Gunners fight tooth and nail on the pitch. But he quickly realized his mistake. "No, or rather I should say, they already have!"

Sitting beside him, assistant coach Kevin Bond had followed Redknapp for years and had even managed Bournemouth independently. He knew full well that a team’s success or failure ultimately boiled down to the dressing room. This was especially true for elite clubs, where the dressing room was the central battlefield. Everything that happened on the pitch was merely an extension of it.

The main reason Arsenal had stumbled over the past few years was precisely due to dressing room issues.

"I never imagined that a twenty-one-year-old Chinese kid, a complete newcomer, would actually manage to unify Arsenal!" Kevin Bond couldn’t help but smile bitterly. "I read the leaked pamphlet the media circulated about the Gunners’ dressing room regulations. Even though it was only a partial excerpt, it was genuinely impressive."

As their fierce rivals, Arsenal’s resurgence put Tottenham in an awkward position.

While the two were conversing, the match reached the fifty-seventh minute.

Arsenal completed a steal near the halfway line. Alexandre Song received the ball outside Tottenham’s defensive third and threaded a through ball ahead of De Bruyne for the Belgian midfielder to chase. Unexpectedly, Ledley King suddenly stepped up to intercept.

Realizing it would be extremely difficult to reach the ball, De Bruyne decisively threw himself forward. He went straight into a sliding tackle, beating Ledley King to the punch and prodding the ball behind the defensive line.

Wang Shuo made a rapid diagonal run behind Ledley King. Catching up to De Bruyne’s pass, he drove deep into the right side of the penalty area. He feigned a sudden stop before accelerating toward the byline, only to brake abruptly once more and chop the ball back. Planting his right foot firmly, he knocked the ball laterally with his left.

The football slipped perfectly between Caboul and Ledley King, landing near the penalty spot. Walcott arrived at a full sprint and stroked the ball into the Tottenham Hotspur net with a precise side-footed finish.

"It’s in again!

"Five to two!

"Tonight, Arsenal has delivered yet another exhilarating feast of attacking football!

"Their players have given absolutely everything.

"Especially on this goal—De Bruyne risking injury just to poke the ball through was truly moving!

"Wang Shuo didn’t let De Bruyne’s sacrifice go to waste, seizing the opportunity to assist Walcott for another goal.

"Tottenham Hotspur is in deep trouble!"

The match had become completely one-sided.