Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 200

200: The Fifth Showdown

“Uwaaaaa!!!”

The atmosphere at Anfield is even more heated after the opening goal.

Relentless cheering continues non-stop for 90 minutes, a testament to the fanatical support for the home team.

New Turf Moor was also gaining fame for its enthusiastic atmosphere, but it still couldn’t compare to Liverpool’s Anfield, which has been notorious among opposing teams for decades as having the most fervent support in Europe.

The few Burnley fans, overwhelmed by tens of thousands of home team fans, were desperately waving flags and banging drums, but frankly, it wasn’t easy to hear them.

In the midst of it, Anselmo Garcia McNulty, who lost his defensive partner due to injury and conceded the opening goal to Liverpool’s attack that exploited the gap, was gritting his teeth, while Mika Marmol, whose substitution was finally completed on the sidelines, ran towards him at full speed.

“I’ll take the right. You’ll cover the left, right?”

Mika Marmol nodded at Anselmo Garcia McNulty’s question.

Mika Marmol, moving to his position in preparation for the kickoff, muttered something.

“What was that?”

Mika Marmol turned his head slightly at Anselmo Garcia McNulty’s question.

“It’s nothing.”

“Didn’t you just say something about Maldini?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Is that so···.”

Anselmo Garcia McNulty tilted his head at his teammate’s firm denial.

He definitely heard something···.

However, Benyamin Sesko was now preparing for the kickoff in the front, and Anselmo Garcia McNulty pushed the unnecessary thought into a corner of his head.

If I remember after the game, I’ll ask again then.

“It’s starting! Get ready!”

“Okay.”

This time, Anselmo Garcia McNulty nodded at Mika Marmol’s shout.

Beeeep!

With the referee’s whistle, the game resumed.

***

[…Ooh! Mohamed Salah! The breakthrough is blocked! With the path to the goal blocked, he looks around for a teammate to pass to.]

[…In the meantime, Burnley players swarm towards Salah like bees! Luca Pellegrini, captain Nikolas Seiwald, and Mika Marmol, who has just come on!]

“Yes!! Get him!! Get him!!”

Amidst the enthusiastic shouts of the commentators and casters on TV, The Rifle Volunteer Inn was filled with the shouts of Burnley fans.

Mohamed Salah, in the red uniform surrounded by Burnley’s uniforms on the screen, struggled desperately, moving from side to side, but eventually lost the ball to the Burnley players who were converging from three directions.

[…Ah! Liverpool’s attack is thwarted once again! Liverpool, who haven’t made any significant achievements since scoring the opening goal! Burnley launches a quick counterattack!]

[…Mika Marmol’s defense was excellent in the previous scene. It wasn’t pretty, but he threw his whole body into delaying Mohamed Salah, and eventually succeeded in buying time until defensive support arrived.]

With the commentator’s exclamation, the previous attack scene was replayed.

Mohamed Salah received a cross from Liverpool’s left defender Andrew Robertson, who broke through the left flank and sent it to the right flank in one swift movement.

The small and agile ace of the Egyptian national team dribbled at full speed and cut into the center, and Mika Marmol blocked his path.

Mohamed Salah’s first feint, slightly lowering his right shoulder and moving to the left, was intercepted by Mika Marmol.
The second feint, moving his legs intricately and trying to escape to the right, worked, but Mika Marmol, caught in the reverse motion, didn’t hesitate to dive onto the grass, scrambling with both hands and feet, throwing his body to block Mohamed Salah’s path to the goal with his whole being.

When Mohamed Salah hesitated to avoid the opposing team’s defender lying in front of him, the remaining Burnley defense and midfield provided support and won back the ball.

The commentator, who had been watching the defense scene, exclaimed again.

[…Mika Marmol, who was substituted after Anel Ahmedhodžić was carried off due to injury, is doing a great job of containing Mohamed Salah today. Mohamed Salah can’t get past him at all!]

The caster nodded in agreement with the commentator’s words.

[He seems to be completely focused today. The young Burnley defender, who showed a great piece of defending just now, claps and encourages his teammates who are launching an attack!]

***

There are times when the flow of a game shifts in an instant.

And the moment Mohamed Salah, who had been freely tormenting the Burnley defense in the first half, was stopped by Mika Marmol’s desperate defense, Burnley’s promising players, who were young but had accumulated experience no less than veteran players, sensed an opportunity.

Although they are young promising players, they are already skilled players who have won two cup competitions and a Europa League trophy over the past two seasons under one of the best managers in the Premier League.

Having gone through a hellish five-game losing streak at the beginning of this season, they have become hardened [mentally tough], and wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow at most crises or pressures. They cheered inwardly at the feeling that the door that had been closed in front of them was suddenly opening.

To be exact, it was closer to the feeling that it was worth trying rather than the certainty that they could win, but the players, including captain Nikolas Seiwald, sensed the shift in atmosphere and began to cling to it as if even that was a blessing.

“Press! Press!!”

“Defense! Focus on defense!!”

It wasn’t just the players who sensed the change in atmosphere.

Hyungmin, who was standing in the technical area with his arms crossed, watching the game, and Liverpool’s manager Jurgen Klopp, who had been sitting on the bench, leisurely observing the game, also jumped up and started shouting and encouraging the players.

One to seize the slender opportunity for victory that came only after enduring a whopping 270 minutes and 30 minutes.
The other to prevent the victory that was almost in his hands from being snatched away by young upstarts.

And Liverpool, who boast the strongest team in the Premier League this season, and Burnley, who were resisting after overcoming the misery of recording four consecutive losses against them this season alone, collided head-on.

***

Thwack!

A dull sound of feet and flesh colliding echoed, but whether it was the person who kicked or the person who was kicked, they ignored it and lunged towards the flowing ball like dogs.

Burnley’s relentless attacks and Liverpool’s counterattacks continued throughout the second half.

Liverpool fans’ fanatical cheering was still going on, but Burnley players were fighting fiercely as if this were New Turf Moor.

“Don’t back down!”

Captain Jordan Henderson, who was brought on instead of Liverpool’s pass master Thiago to reinforce the midfield battle that had turned into a dogfight, shouted in an angry voice, but it was already too late.

Nikolas Seiwald succeeded in winning the ball first, putting his upper body in front of Jude Bellingham’s feet, who was trying to clear the ball.

The counterattack opportunity that Liverpool had barely seized amidst Burnley’s wave of attacks that had been going on throughout the second half.

If the pass connects here just once, the path straight to Burnley’s goalkeeper opens up, but this was blocked.

Burnley’s counterattack, seizing the moment when Liverpool was trying to launch a counterattack and disrupting it.

“What the FXXK!!”

A rough curse escaped from the lips of Virgil van Dijk, who was directing the defense.

With Liverpool’s players, who were caught off balance in their forward momentum, stopped all at once, Sebastian Szymanski, who received the ball that Nikolas Seiwald had desperately pushed forward, launched a pass towards the front line.

The place where the ball, which curved softly to the left, was aimed was the path in front of Burnley’s left winger, Dwight McNeil, who was running at full speed.

It is the space that Liverpool’s right defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, who had surged forward with the start of the counterattack, had vacated.

He had run forward to support Liverpool’s right attacker Mohamed Salah, who had been tightly marked and contained by Burnley’s Mika Marmol since scoring the opening goal, but thanks to that, the space behind him that had been left open was completely exploited.

Ibrahim Konate, the fellow central defender next to Virgil van Dijk, who was uttering curses, suddenly ran towards Dwight McNeil at full speed.

“No!!”

The veteran defender shouted to his teammate who had made a rash decision, but it was already too late.

He should have held his position in the penalty box and defended the cross while working together to contain the player breaking through…

Burnley’s central attacker Benyamin Sesko sped past like the wind next to Virgil van Dijk, who was horrified at his teammate’s misjudgment.

“Huh?!!”

Burnley’s central attacker Benyamin Sesko, who started his run from next to Liverpool’s defensive midfielder Fabinho simultaneously with Sebastian Szymanski’s long pass, was now running towards the Liverpool goal at full speed like a sprinter.

“Benyamin!!”

Simultaneously with calling out to his teammate, Dwight McNeil didn’t control Sebastian Szymanski’s incoming pass, but instead hit it first time with a volley, sending a cross towards the center of the penalty box.

The ball, which changed direction in flight, flew towards Benyamin Sesko’s path, gliding on the grass.

“Damn it!!”

Liverpool’s goalkeeper Alisson, who was guarding the goal with a curse, rushed forward, but it was already too late.

Benyamin Sesko, who shook off Virgil van Dijk, who was chasing desperately from behind, swung his right foot sharply towards the incoming ball with his upper body lowered.

“Uwaaaa!!!”

Amidst the away fans, who were sending out fierce support in a corner of Anfield, rising up and shouting in unison, the ball, which flew like a cannonball, passed next to Liverpool’s goalkeeper, who was wearing a bewildered expression, and smashed into the goal, as if tearing the net.

“Alright!!”

The young manager, clenching both fists, shouted in jubilation from beyond the sideline. Benyamin Sesko, who didn’t reduce his running speed, ran straight into the Liverpool goal and picked up the ball from inside the still-shaking net.

“Huh?!!”

Amidst the home fans of Liverpool, who were mixed with bewilderment and embarrassment, the young attacker, who started his sprint again at full speed, placed the ball on the center spot located in the middle of the center circle and gestured to the Liverpool players as if to start the game quickly.

“That X발 개자식이 [son of a b*tch]!!”

He scored the equalizing goal in the away game against the league leaders, but instead urged them to restart the game quickly.

Captain Jordan Henderson spat out curses, grinding his teeth at the sight of the young attacker provoking them, showing that he could do it enough during the remaining 16 minutes, and would definitely take 3 points in the Anfield away game.

“Woowooo!!!”

Amidst the enraged home fans who understood the situation, the players of Liverpool, who had been openly ignored, were also furious.

And the managers of both teams joined in.

“Carolina! Hurry! Get the substitutions ready!”

“Who?”

Carolina retorted to Hyungmin, who was shouting to the bench while turning his body from the technical area.

“Lupescu and Nathan, and Guga and Amar!”

“Okay!”

It is a substitution instruction from the manager to not miss the flow of something, but it is not understood immediately now.

Carolina was running, and the shouts of Jurgen Klopp, who was also instructing substitutions in the adjacent technical area, were heard clearly.

“Hurry! Hurry!”

“Alright!”

Carolina replied irritably, she was running towards the fourth official as soon as she gave the instructions to the players.

Amidst the players confronting each other and the head-to-head anger of Liverpool, the substitution cards thrown by the managers of both teams appeared on the field.

And the game recorded an unprecedented 14 minutes of added time in Premier League history, with 7 yellow cards being handed out during the final 16 minutes before it was restarted.