The reason a derby is called a derby is because it is different from ordinary league matches.
Derby matches in every city are almost always fiercely contested, and the Arsenal-Chelsea derby was no exception. The tension was palpable even before the match began at Stamford Bridge. The presence of a number 4 in the game meant that once the match started, both teams went straight into attack without any probing.
At the start of the match, Chelsea capitalized on their unique attacking advantage, with Fabregas delivering a precise long pass to Willian on the right flank.
Perhaps influenced by the atmosphere of the fans at the stadium, William didn't even think about stopping the ball when he received it, and immediately decided to unleash a sudden shot with a volley.
However, the result was that he failed to control the shooting angle properly, resulting in the shot going high and wide.
I'm covering my face!
The quality of that shot was really poor.
When it was Arsenal's turn to attack, their attack was anything but conservative. After passing the ball to Chamberlain, the player played two one-twos with his teammates, and the ball successfully reached the opponent's wing. Chamberlain then chipped a curved pass, which was headed by Lacazette to Sanchez, who was in a better position on the other side.
However, Sanchez failed to capitalize on this excellent opportunity because his shot lacked power and angle, and the ball was caught by the opposing goalkeeper Courtois immediately after the shot.
From the start of the match, the clash between the two teams was intense. In just the fifth minute, the referee had already given two verbal warnings.
In the face of a derby, the referee is clearly aware that he cannot be too lenient in his officiating, as that would cause the game to get out of control. However, sometimes, in order to make the Premier League match more exciting, it is normal to occasionally let the game go a little easier.
"Beep~~"
12th minute of the match.
When Chelsea attacked, the referee blew the first penalty of the match directly at Arsenal as he ran into the penalty area.
Mustafi accidentally touched the ball with his arm while defending. Perhaps because of this unintentional action, the referee did not issue any further cards after awarding a penalty. Otherwise, interfering with the opponent's attack by handling the ball would have resulted in a red card.
Clearly, the referee didn't want to kill the game's suspense too early. He knew exactly what this penalty meant for the match. As a referee, finding balance in a game is a must, and he obviously did a good job in that regard.
The fans of both sides showed different feelings about the handball, and even the two head coaches on the sidelines had similar reactions.
Wenger looked grim and unhappy. If this goal were scored, it would put them in a very passive position. After all, only ten minutes had passed in the game, and Chelsea, leading by one goal, could have come up with many more attacking strategies.
On the other hand, Conte seemed quite excited. If he could get a goal in hand, he was 80% confident of winning the game. Although he said in an interview with the media that it was just an ordinary Premier League match, he still took it very seriously.
After all, the chances of winning against the professor are becoming increasingly slim, almost one match less and less, because everyone knows that Wenger is getting old and will soon retire, making it virtually impossible for him to face the legend again.
In front of Arsenal's goal, Cesc Fabregas, wearing the number 4 jersey, stands 12 yards out. In Chelsea's squad, if Hazard is not playing, he will be the designated penalty taker.
At this moment, the away fans also gave him a particularly loud booing as encouragement.
"Damn it, you absolutely can't score that! We have a goalkeeper who's even more talented than you were back then!"
"Traitor, how dare you come to the Premier League to make money and pursue your dreams?!"
"You bastard, you're just a spineless coward!"
...
Almost every time he plays against Arsenal, Fabregas is inevitably subjected to a barrage of insults from Arsenal fans. Although he can't hear the noise from the stands very clearly while standing on the field, he can guess from his head that those rude people are cursing at him again.
However, so what? He is a professional player, and more importantly, a player with professional ethics. He will not be affected even if he faces ridicule from fans.
On the contrary, he really wanted to test whether the goalkeeper in front of him was as amazing as the head coach said.
He clearly remembered that yesterday the head coach had specially gathered them together to explain the goalkeeper's characteristics. At first, he didn't pay much attention, but after watching the opponent's game, he was indeed somewhat surprised.
This is clearly the best moment to prove oneself.
Lei Ming's actions were different from most goalkeepers when defending a penalty kick. He appeared very calm, simply standing quietly in front of the goal in a star-shaped formation.
Looking at the number 4 free throw shooter in front of him and listening to the enthusiastic boos from the surrounding fans, he suddenly realized that it was quite remarkable for a player to be booed by so many people.
With the referee's whistle, he sensed the ball's trajectory once again and confidently lunged to the right, only to find that the ball was caught perfectly in his hands.
His body moves in accordance with the Dharma. Now, after being enlightened by the Taoist priest, he is doing better and better in this respect. In addition, his physical fitness has improved significantly, so successfully blocking this penalty kick is really not a difficult task for him.
This scene, however, stunned many people.
Especially on Chelsea's side, from the manager to the forwards, almost everyone was clutching their foreheads in frustration.
"Holy crap, is this goalkeeper really that freakish? He can even catch a penalty kick so steadily? Are his gloves magnetic?!"
Because Lei Ming caught the ball securely, Chelsea's attacking players had no chance to get a follow-up shot. However, as the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot, Lei Ming's instincts for attacking and defending have always been quite good.
While many Chelsea players were distracted, he used his powerful arm to throw the ball far to Cazorla, who was in a better position. There were basically no Chelsea players around him, and he had enough time to adjust or do anything else. In short, Lei Ming had done everything he could. As for whether the team could take the lead, that would depend on the ability of his teammates in the frontcourt.
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