Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 55

55. A Great Victory and a Great Battle

“Goal! Burnley’s third goal! The score is 3-0! The star of the show for the Clarets is…”

“Nicky Seiwald!!!”

The home fans roared in response to the announcer’s booming voice, their cheers shaking Turf Moor.

Following Nico Gonzalez’s elegant yet powerful mid-range shot in the 8th minute of the first half,

in the 11th minute, Dwight McNeil, Burnley’s left-winger, latched onto Nico Gonzalez’s long pass on the left flank. With a dazzling display of individual skill, he dribbled past Tottenham’s right wing-back, Matt Lowton.

Before the central defenders could react, McNeil burst into the penalty box and unleashed a precise shot that slipped under the arm of Tottenham’s goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris, finding the back of the net.

Burnley had scored their second goal.

Now, the 14th minute of the first half.

As the Burnley players celebrated their third goal in less than 15 minutes with the ecstatic home crowd, Coach Antonio Conte fixed a steely glare at the home team’s technical area, where coaches and substitutes were caught up in the jubilant celebrations.

Hey you, you’ve grown a lot, haven’t you?

Hmph. This is my home ground, you know?

Hyungmin, catching Antonio Conte’s burning gaze amidst the festive atmosphere of the Burnley bench after the third goal, subtly raised his chin in silent acknowledgment.

Arthur, shaking his head and clicking his tongue at the renewed silent exchange between the two coaches, stood beside him.

Ignoring the Burnley first team coach’s expression, Conte turned his attention to the field, erupting in shouts and wild gestures, his face reddening with each passing second.

His words were a torrent of Italian, largely incomprehensible to Tottenham’s players.

However, witnessing the Tottenham players’ faces blanch in an instant, Arthur turned to Hyungmin.

“What’s Conte saying?”

“I’m not entirely sure. I only took a few Italian classes and picked up a few words. But…”

“But?”

“I think I might have misheard… It sounds like he’s only yelling things like kill, murder, bury, behead, hang… Do I need to brush up on my Italian?”

If the first 15 minutes of the first half were Burnley’s opportunity to welcome the London gentlemen to Turf Moor and give them a taste of the countryside’s fiery spirit,

the last 15 minutes of the first half were the London gentlemen’s time to completely turn the tables and stage a forceful comeback.

The Tottenham players, galvanized by Antonio Conte’s intense instructions (read: threats), launched a relentless assault on Burnley’s goal for 15 minutes, from the 16th to the 30th minute of the first half. However, the Burnley players, buoyed by their 3-goal lead, managed to weather Tottenham’s offensive storm in the middle of the first half.

However, as the Burnley players gradually succumbed to fatigue from the sustained attacks, a lapse in concentration in the 31st minute of the first half led to a critical error.

[Ah! Burnley’s Ben Mee brings down Harry Kane in the penalty box!]

[The referee’s whistle has blown. Burnley’s players are swarming the referee in protest, but Tottenham’s players seem certain of the penalty and are congratulating Harry Kane.]

As the commentator exclaimed in dismay, the analyst watched the field intently and provided his assessment.

[The referee is communicating with the VAR [Video Assistant Referee] assistant referee, one hand raised to his ear.]

[Frankly, this is such an obvious foul that there seems to be little chance of a different ruling.]

Mee had blatantly grabbed the opposing attacker from behind with both arms and wrestled him to the ground.

As Captain Ben Mee, his face pale with the realization of his mistake, shook his head, Hyungmin, watching with his arms crossed in the technical area, clicked his tongue.

“Looks like a penalty is inevitable, doesn’t it?”

“Well, nothing can be done. This isn’t wrestling; why did he have to slam the kid to the ground?”

Arthur replied, shaking his head.

However, Ben Mee also had his reasons for protesting. While his movements, passing, and finishing are often highlighted, it’s easy to forget that Harry Kane is a towering figure at 188 centimeters [approximately 6 feet 2 inches].

On the other hand, Ben Mee appears larger due to his broad shoulders and tenacious spirit, but he is only 180 centimeters tall [approximately 5 feet 11 inches].

To contain the opposing team’s ace, who is almost 10 centimeters taller than him, normal tactics were insufficient, ultimately leading to the foul.

James Tarkowski, his usual central defense partner, was absent, and Oscar Mingueza, playing in his place, was struggling to keep up with Son Heung-min.

The disparity in the Burnley players’ capabilities, combined with the relentless pressure from the Tottenham players under Conte’s fiery commands, resulted in a penalty kick.

[Ah… Harry Kane is indeed placing the ball on the penalty spot.]

[Harry Kane missed the first kick in the penalty shootout in the Carabao Cup [EFL Cup] against Burnley last time, contributing to their defeat. How will he fare today…]

As the commentator and analyst discussed the situation, Tottenham’s central attacker began his measured approach to the ball.

Burnley’s goalkeeper, Nick Pope, engaged in a brief staring contest with Harry Kane before committing to a dive to his left.

However, Harry Kane had already dispatched the ball to the opposite side.

[Ah! Goal! It’s a goal! Harry Kane completely outwits Burnley’s Nick Pope goalkeeper and places the ball in the upper right corner of the goal!]

[The Tottenham players are quickly retrieving the ball and returning to the halfway line rather than celebrating the goal. Antonio Conte, standing in the technical area, remains unsatisfied and is waving his hands, urging the players to move quickly.]

The first goal seemed to break a dam that had been holding back a torrent.

The Tottenham players, brimming with renewed energy, maintained their relentless attack, putting immense pressure on the Burnley players.

And in the 38th minute of the first half, before the aftershocks of the first goal had subsided,

Burnley conceded a second goal to Tottenham.

The intricate passing patterns that Burnley often displayed were now being executed by Tottenham.

“Sonny!”

The ball, initiated from Tottenham’s defense, found its way to Son Heung-min, positioned as the left-winger, via left wing-back Sergio Reguilón.

After shaking off Oscar Mingueza, the Burnley central defender tasked with marking Son Heung-min, the South Korean winger used his lightning-fast footwork to penetrate Burnley’s penalty box.

“Support me!”

“Don’t all go out!”

Amidst Oscar Mingueza’s plea for assistance and goalkeeper Nick Pope’s attempt to maintain defensive structure, Burnley’s right defender, Matt Lowton, abandoned Sergio Reguilón and charged towards Son Heung-min.

However, Matt Lowton’s arrival was too late, and Oscar Mingueza’s skills and experience were insufficient to contain Son Heung-min alone. Moreover, he was at a disadvantage due to the attacker’s initiative.

Ultimately, Ben Mee, the only central defender remaining in the penalty box, relinquished his marking of Harry Kane and joined Oscar Mingueza in attempting to block Son Heung-min.

Perhaps reacting to every subtle movement of the South Korean attacker, renowned for his ambidextrous prowess in the Premier League, Burnley’s central defender duo, Oscar Mingueza and Ben Mee, hesitated.

Son Heung-min feigned a pass to the left, deceiving the two defenders blocking his path, and simultaneously, he casually flicked the ball to the right with his left foot, sending it towards the center of the penalty box.

Waiting near the penalty spot was Tottenham’s central attacker, Harry Kane, completely unmarked and free from Ben Mee’s attention.

Harry Kane unleashed a shot from the exact same spot where he had scored a penalty kick moments earlier, employing the same technique as before.

Even the placement of the ball was identical, but the Burnley defense and goalkeeper, consistently distracted by Tottenham’s left attacker who had penetrated the penalty box, could only watch helplessly as the ball rippled the net.

The announcer’s slightly apprehensive voice echoed throughout the stadium.

“Tottenham’s second goal. Number 10, Harry Kane. The score is 3-2, 3-2.”

“Go up and press! Don’t back down, go up!”

After Burnley’s second goal, the game intensified even further.

In the stands, Burnley’s home fans were fiercely cheering for their team, while the relatively smaller contingent of Tottenham fans were desperately singing their team’s anthem.

On the field, physical clashes erupted repeatedly between the Tottenham players, determined to level the score in the first half, and the Burnley players, striving to prevent any further goals.

Both teams had already accumulated 3 yellow cards each.

Sensing that the momentum had completely shifted, the Burnley players attempted to disrupt Tottenham’s attack before it crossed the halfway line, as instructed by Hyungmin, who was shouting from the technical area. However, their defense was crumbling under the influence of Harry Kane, who had scored two goals and was now fully energized and dictating play in the front line.

Eventually, when captain Ben Mee could no longer contain Harry Kane alone, central defender Oscar Mingueza was forced to close the gap with Harry Kane to provide support.

And when Son Heung-min, freed from Oscar Mingueza’s marking, began to exploit the space, Burnley’s right defender, Matt Lowton, stuck to Son Heung-min.

Consequently, Tottenham’s left wing-back, Sergio Reguilón, now with the freedom to roam, exploited Burnley’s right side, orchestrating Tottenham’s attack.

If Burnley’s defensive midfielder, Nicholas Seiwald, moved to the right to pressure Sergio Reguilón, who was delivering crosses from the right side of the penalty box, then the movements of Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur in the central midfield would become more fluid and dangerous.

Eventually, just as the fourth official began to adjust the electronic board to indicate the first-half stoppage time,

with the clock on the scoreboard already displaying 45 minutes, Tottenham succeeded in scoring the equalizing goal that Burnley had desperately sought to prevent.

“Harry!”

Tottenham’s central midfielder, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, after winning the ball in the central midfield, threaded a pass to Tottenham’s central attacker, Harry Kane, who was driving towards the goal with Burnley’s two central defenders in pursuit.

Harry Kane, receiving the ball with his back to the goal, laid off a pass to Tottenham’s other central midfielder, Rodrigo Bentancur, who was surging into the penalty box alongside Pierre-Emile Højbjerg.

“Lucas!”

Rodrigo Bentancur wasted no time, calling out to Tottenham’s right attacker, Lucas Moura, who was running behind Burnley’s left defender, Charlie Taylor, and delicately chipped the ball inside Burnley’s penalty box.

Lucas Moura, matching the ball’s trajectory with his own speed, latched onto the exquisite chip from the Uruguayan midfielder from Juventus and unleashed a shot without hesitation.

The ball, propelled by a player with momentum, soared over the outstretched hand of goalkeeper Nick Pope, who was diving, and nestled into the upper left corner of the goal.

“Aaaaaah!!!”

Against the backdrop of the Tottenham players sprinting towards the corner flag, erupting in joyous shouts, the referee blew the whistle, signaling the end of the first half.