After all the pre-match ceremonies were completed, the competition officially began.
Although Lineker, Jon, and the fans watching the game all hoped that the two teams could put on a thrilling goal-fest.
However, this was a crucial match for both sides, so neither side immediately launched an all-out attack after the match started. Instead, they both played very cautiously.
It wasn't until the thirteenth minute that some changes occurred on the field.
It was originally a Leeds United attacking opportunity.
Kaka dribbled past Essien's challenge and passed the ball to De Bruyne, who was coming closer. However, De Bruyne did not pass the ball immediately after receiving it and was intercepted by Mikel.
Chelsea launched a counter-attack on the spot.
Mourinho's understanding of counter-attacking football is indeed profound.
Chelsea's counter-attack, from Mikel intercepting the ball to Drogba's feet, took only about 5 or 6 seconds, with Lampard and Phillips linking up the play and both passing the ball with one touch.
After receiving the ball, Drogba fully utilized his physical advantages, stubbornly pushing Thiago Silva towards the penalty area. It looked like the Ivorian "Beast" was about to dribble into the 30-meter danger zone.
Left with no other option, Silva had to forcibly pull on Drogba's shirt hem to stop Chelsea's quick counter-attack!
But Silva's foul did not escape the referee's notice. After being pulled to a stop, Drogba turned around and faced Silva speechlessly, spreading his hands and complaining to the referee.
The referee promptly ran over and showed Silva a yellow card.
"I knew it... Silva's foul!" Lineker sighed, as if he already knew. "He really couldn't withstand Drogba's attacks. It's only been a dozen minutes into the game, and he's already got a yellow card! What will he do if Chelsea does that again later?"
When Li Shiguang saw the referee show Silva a yellow card, he waved his right hand upwards, his expression showing great dissatisfaction.
He wasn't dissatisfied with Silva's defensive actions.
When he selected Silva to start in this match, he had already considered some of the possible consequences.
Just like when Drogba carried Silva forward, if Silva hadn't fouled, he would have run another five meters at most before Kompany caught up.
Originally, Li Shiguang's plan was for Kompany, who was physically stronger, to closely mark Drogba.
The counter-attack from Chelsea came too quickly, and Silva was closer to Drogba, so he was the one who came up to interfere with Drogba first.
Li Shiguang was dissatisfied with the referee, Atkinson, for this match.
He felt that the game had only been going on for a dozen minutes, and Silva was not the last defender for Leeds United besides the goalkeeper. He had not made a single tackle, but only pulled him, yet Atkinson had already shown Silva a yellow card!
This is really disrespectful to the home team.
In a situation like this, shouldn't a verbal warning be given first?
If it weren't for the Leeds United anthem at the start of the game, Li Shiguang would have thought he was standing on the sidelines at Stamford Bridge, directing his team in battle!
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Regardless, this premature yellow card created a potential problem for Leeds United, as Silva became more cautious in defense in the remainder of the game.
Chelsea also seemed to adapt to the pace of the game faster than Leeds United.
Once Leeds United gain possession.
Chelsea would press forward as a whole, their players like a pack of mad dogs, seemingly without any regard for managing their energy. Even if Neuer simply passed the ball to the defense with a short pass when taking a goal kick, at least two Chelsea players would immediately rush up to press him.
In particular, Kaká, who connects the backfield and the frontline for Leeds United, is a key target for Chelsea's defense. Whenever he gets the ball, Essien and Mikel will immediately move over, and sometimes even Lampard will drop back to double-team him.
This made things very difficult for Kaká, as he had to focus almost all his energy on controlling the ball at his feet and figuring out how to safely pass it out.
Li Shiguang was not unaware of this problem.
Seeing that Kaka had repeatedly caused Leeds United's attacks to fail because he was surrounded, Li Shiguang took advantage of a dead ball to call Modric to the sidelines and instructed him to tell his teammates to move the organization work back in the subsequent attacks and try to draw some firepower from Kaka.
It has indeed been moved backward.
However, Modric and Alonso encountered difficulties when they tried to pass the ball forward.
Once Chelsea retreats to their own half, they immediately enter the "park the bus" mode, which Mourinho has ingrained in their blood. The dense defensive formation makes it difficult for Modric and Alonso to penetrate Chelsea's layers of defense with simple passes!
"...Compared to Leeds United, Chelsea, playing away, got into the game earlier today. Mourinho used the high-pressing tactic that Li Shiguang brought in the Premier League. They surrounded and pressed every Leeds United player who had the ball...To be honest, at least for now, Chelsea's tactic seems to be working well today..." Lineker said with concern.
In contrast, Jon's tone was cheerful during the commentary: "Yes! In comparison, Chelsea looks to be in better form than Leeds United right now. Although they haven't scored yet, if they keep playing like this, Leeds United's goal will be breached sooner or later."
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Jon's words were not an exaggeration.
Twenty-first minute of the match.
Chelsea's relentless pressing finally paid off.
Xabi Alonso's pass from midfield to the left was intercepted by Essien, who then launched a quick counter-attack.
Essien first passed the ball to Lampard, who then passed it to Malouda on the right flank.
Malouda didn't stop the ball. Instead, he used his body to shield Lahm behind him, letting the ball roll past him before pushing it to the edge of Leeds United's penalty area.
There.
Drogba has drawn the attention of both Silva and Kompany.
The Ivorian, who has always been known for his violent aesthetics, made a move that surprised everyone. Instead of receiving the ball, he let it slip between his legs after seeing two Leeds United center-backs rushing towards him!
Wright-Phillips, who was making a high-speed run behind him, received a pass from Malouda with no one marking him. He then took a step forward and, before the onrushing Neuer could reach him, curled a shot into the air!
The ball sailed over Neuer's outstretched left arm, heading towards the far corner before striking the post and bouncing into the net!
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