Amidst a sparse round of applause from Arsenal fans, Lei Ming stepped onto Anfield Stadium, waving to the fans who had traveled from afar to offer their blessings.
Clearly, these fans were well aware of the pressure this debut put on the young man. Although Wenger was not well-liked by them, his coaching ability had always been evident, and the fact that he was allowed to play spoke volumes.
Hopefully, he'll be a great young man!
At this moment, Lei Ming retracted his prejudice against Arsenal fans from a few days ago, because he had no reason to hate the fans who had come along.
Perhaps he just doesn't quite understand the culture of gunmen!
But that's okay, we have plenty of time to get to know each other in the days to come.
Lei Ming, who was stretching his joints in front of the goal, gradually shifted his attention to the field.
In this match, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp deployed the classic 4-3-3 formation. Judging from their previous two matches, this formation has proven very effective, with Mohamed Salah showcasing impressive attacking prowess, having already scored three goals in those two games.
As I mentally reviewed the Liverpool attacking tactics that the assistant coach had explained to me before the match, the game had already begun on the pitch.
When Arsenal had possession of the ball first, and the game had just begun, they did not rush to organize an attack, but instead chose to pass it back to Liverpool to disrupt their formation.
For the first fifteen minutes of the match, the two teams were almost evenly matched, with most of the time spent battling in midfield. The few shots that were taken were mostly from outside the penalty area, making it seem more like the forwards were trying to find their rhythm.
However, in the 17th minute, the situation on the field suddenly changed, and the atmosphere became so tense that even the fans in the stadium stood up.
This was originally an attacking opportunity for Arsenal, but unfortunately, Welbeck, who replaced Lacazette today, failed to seize the opportunity. His header was too straight and was easily caught by the opposing goalkeeper Karius.
Karius didn't miss the counter-attack opportunity, throwing the ball directly to his Liverpool teammate near midfield.
At that moment, the Red Army's counterattack came crashing down on the gunmen like a surging tide.
As Salah, Firmino, and Manny attacked Arsenal's defense, their own defenders Holding, Koscielny, and Monreal seemed to have lost their composure.
Just as Monreal and Koscielny were about to step forward to block Salah, Lei Ming stepped forward without hesitation.
"Laurent, watch your defense. Trust Nacho's defensive abilities."
Just as Koscielny was about to join the attack, Lei Ming decisively stopped him. At this moment, not only was Salah a threat, but Firmino's position, if left unchecked, would also pose a significant risk to Arsenal's defense.
Upon hearing Lei Ming's call, Koscielny forcefully resisted the urge to rush forward and instead focused most of his attention on Firmino.
After stopping Koscielny, Lei Ming continued to say to Monreal, "Nacho, don't shoot easily, just block his inside cut, he can't do it from that angle."
At that moment, Monreal understood perfectly and held firm against the opponent's attack.
Salah, who was trying to break through, was in a difficult position. His opponent was not fooled by his feints at all. He also heard the opposing goalkeeper's instructions, but they were clearly full of contempt. Almost instantly, Salah's resentment was ignited. Seeing that there was no chance to cut inside, he simply pulled down to the byline and unleashed a powerful outside-of-the-foot shot at Arsenal's goal.
The football, spinning wildly, hurtled towards the near post of the Arsenal goal. Its high-speed spin even carried a slight curve. All the fans watched the shot with bated breath, imagining that the young Arsenal goalkeeper might fumble the ball due to its high spin, resulting in a goal.
But the result was completely unexpected. The young Arsenal goalkeeper remained remarkably calm when faced with the ball, steadily using his body to block the shot.
Liverpool's attack came quickly and stopped just as quickly. With Thunder deliberately stalling for time, Arsenal's players had mostly returned to their positions.
Salah, running back, frowned as he looked at the tall, young, yellow-skinned goalkeeper, feeling quite displeased.
Just now, he was clearly affected by the other party's words. If he had passed the ball to Manny on the other side, it would have been more effective. But after hearing what the other party said, he acted impulsively and chose to shoot from a tight angle.
After passing the ball, Lei Ming naturally noticed the other person's gaze and smiled slightly at them, saying, "Thanks for your cooperation!"
Lei Ming's goalkeeping clearance clearly earned him unanimous praise from Arsenal fans, who applauded his outstanding performance in encouragement.
They could see that if it weren't for his temporary command, the defense would never have been so good.
Some fans excitedly said:
"It's strange, I just saw a leader's aura in this goalkeeper!"
"Yes, I felt that too. He can lead the team's defense very well. If Laurent had left just now, we would have been in even greater danger."
"That's right. Even though I've only watched him play for less than twenty minutes, I'm already looking forward to him playing more."
Not only were the fans satisfied with Arsenal's coordinated defense, but Wenger, who was standing on the sidelines, was also pleased.
Lei Ming's defensive awareness is very comprehensive. With him around, the previously loose defense seems to have been twisted into a tight rope. His shout that deliberately provoked Salah was also quite surprising. This is enough to show that he is not a big, dumb guy, but a cunning big goalkeeper.
As the game resumed, Arsenal's attacking pace slowed down, and Liverpool launched several impressive attacks amidst the cheers and shouts of their Anfield fans.
However, despite their impressive offensive play, the home team failed to capitalize on their advantage, with Salah and Firmino's several tricky shots being brilliantly saved by Lei Ming.
His repeated saves undoubtedly touched the hearts of many Arsenal fans who were with him at the stadium, because they had never felt such a reassuring goalkeeper before.
Even though Cech performed brilliantly last season, they didn't feel that way because he's really getting old!
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