Li Shiguang didn't expect Real Madrid to include Sneijder in the deal, but that didn't shake his determination to make Calderon bleed a little. Anyway, there were still nearly half a month before the winter transfer window opened, so he had plenty of time to deal with them.
The most pressing issue right now is the league; we need to get through the Christmas schedule first.
After get off work, Li Shiguang invited Chen Guanhai, who had come to Leeds for a visit that day, to have dinner together.
After dinner, Li Shiguang originally planned to let Chen Guanhai go back to London on his own, but Chen Guanhai, who was already on Christmas break, insisted on staying in Leeds, saying that as a shareholder of the team and Li Shiguang's number one fan, he must witness Li Shiguang's feat of beating Mourinho at the home stadium this weekend! Then, after Chen Guanhai repeatedly assured him that he would not bother him, Li Shiguang took this nominal second shareholder of Leeds United home.
After returning home, Li Shiguang quickly took a shower, then sat down in the living room with his tactical board and turned on the two TVs to wait for the two major events of the evening to begin.
Li Shiguang wanted to watch these two matches tonight for two reasons. First, he wanted to understand the form of Chelsea and Manchester United. Second, Leeds United lost yesterday, and Li Shiguang was also thinking that maybe some kind of superstition was on their side, and Manchester United and Chelsea might also slip up today?
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At 7:30 p.m., the two games started at roughly the same time.
After watching for a while, Li Shiguang felt that Manchester United and Chelsea might really have an upset tonight!
Both teams were playing away today, and their opponents, West Ham United and Everton, were in good form. Chelsea managed to keep pace with Everton, while Manchester United had a tough time, being dominated by West Ham United for the first 30 minutes or so.
However, to Li Shiguang's surprise, it was not Manchester United, who were struggling in their own half, who conceded the first goal!
Inside the television set on the right.
In the 37th minute, Everton won a free kick in a good position in the attacking third. Arteta took the free kick and fired a perfectly placed shot into the top corner with his right foot, beating Cech in goal! Everton took the lead at home!
Soon, the referees blew the whistle to end the first half. Manchester United and West Ham United were still tied 0-0, while Chelsea went into halftime trailing by one goal.
Fifteen minutes later, the four teams switched sides and resumed play.
From Li Shiguang's perspective, the second half was much more exciting than the first half.
First, regarding Manchester United, Ferguson apparently lost his temper at halftime, and Li Shiguang could clearly sense that the Manchester United players' enthusiasm for the game increased in the second half. However, West Ham United simply stuck to their old tactics, sticking to the same approach as in the first half. Whenever Ronaldo or Giggs got the ball and tried to advance, two or three large players would immediately surround them and press them, their actions were frighteningly aggressive, and at worst, they would get past the player but not the ball.
Li Shiguang seemed to be inspired, nodding repeatedly as he read.
In any case, Premier League referees encourage physicality, so Leeds United can use this tactic in their match against Manchester United two rounds later. The main goal is to intimidate you, making you afraid to make any moves or to break through with the ball. This will also limit Manchester United's flanks to some extent!
In this situation, in the 75th minute of the match, Manchester United finally conceded a goal to West Ham United through a counter-attack, with their midfielder Cork scoring the opening goal!
Ultimately, West Ham United secured a victory at home against league leaders Manchester United thanks to this goal!
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Meanwhile, at Goodison Park, Everton and Chelsea engaged in a goal-fest.
Chelsea equalized through Essien just as the second half began.
But just 10 minutes later, Everton took the lead again.
The two teams remained deadlocked for nearly 20 minutes. Even Li Shiguang thought Chelsea was about to lose, but in the final stages of the game, Chelsea suddenly exploded!
First, in the 80th minute, Lampard received a pass back from Drogba in the middle, and with a powerful shot despite the interference from the left defender, he helped Chelsea equalize the score at 2-2.
Five minutes later, Lampard delivered another brilliant through ball to Drogba in the middle, and Li Shiguang once again witnessed the beast's ferocity. De Broglie broke through the encirclement of two Everton center-backs, received the ball in the penalty area, and calmly slotted it home, helping Chelsea complete the comeback in the final moments!
While Drogba was celebrating with a knee slide, Li Shiguang, under Chen Guanhai's extremely strange gaze, ran to the TV and stared intently at the marks left by Drogba's knee slide. He wanted to see if there really were the legendary three stripes...
Overall, Li Shiguang was fairly satisfied with tonight's two matches.
Chelsea have overtaken Leeds United again after defeating Everton, now leading by 3 points. However, the two teams will face off directly next Saturday, and if Leeds United can win, the two sides will be back on equal footing!
Manchester United suffered a careless defeat today, losing to West Ham United. Their lead over Chelsea is now only two points, and their gap with Leeds United remains at five points. If Leeds United can win their next two matches, they might climb to the top of the table on goal difference.
Watching the two head coaches on TV with their drastically different expressions, Li Shiguang habitually stroked his chin, squinting his eyes as if lost in thought...
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