Chapter 243: The complete Liverpool condemner Atkinson missed a penalty!

Beep!!! With the referee's whistle, the game officially began! Chu Feng kicked the ball back to Matic.

Manchester United's formation was quickly deployed, using the width of the field to advance forward. Although Mourinho said before the game that he would focus on defense, it did not mean giving up the ball without limit.

If Manchester United can seize the early game and catch Liverpool off guard, the rest of the game will be very easy.

Of course, Klopp also made preparations in advance. He did not let Arnold start the game, but chose Klein, who is more defensively stable, considering that Manchester United might launch an attack at the beginning of the game.

Pogba received a diagonal pass from Matic on the left and wanted to use his personal ability to break through, but two defensive players had already surrounded him.

Under the double-team of Salah and Wijnaldum, Pogba finally chose to pass the ball directly to the wing.

"The ball has been transferred to Rashford's feet. Since he returned to the left winger position, his condition has been getting better day by day!"

"Back-to-back pass, smooth movement!"

Facing Liverpool's crazy running style, passing and controlling the ball is meaningless. It is necessary to use a fast pace to prevent Liverpool from building a complete defense line.

From this point of view, Manchester United and Liverpool have the same offensive tactics.

After Rashford passed Klein, he looked up on the left side of the penalty area and spotted Chu Feng in front of the penalty area.

So he did not hesitate and decisively crossed the middle.

Chu Feng stopped the ball steadily in front of him and prepared to take a long shot! Van Dijk did not "retreat" again, but rushed forward quickly, compressing Chu Feng's shooting space.

But he did not lose all his focus, but controlled his speed.

As expected!

"Xiao Chu's classic fake shot and real dunk!"

"Wow, Van Dijk has reacted and is defending very quickly!"

"A head-on confrontation between the two!"

Van Dijk is now approaching the peak of his career. There is no doubt that he is at least ranked in the top three among the current central defenders in football.

And it's hard to find shortcomings.

Chu Feng tried to break through with explosive power, but found that Van Dijk was following him like a shadow.

In fact, his physical fitness is not as good as Chu Feng's. After all, the physical function of a 30-year-old is definitely not as good as that of a 20-year-old.

But Van Dijk's defense is very distinctive.

He is used to occupying space, forcing the opponent to choose the worst offensive method, and then stealing the ball or destroying it.

This is Van Dijk's defensive art: compressing space!

While dribbling, Chu Feng looked up and observed his surroundings, and found that his teammates were all tightly guarded and there was no suitable passing route.

Suddenly, he realized that his position and Van Dijk were rapidly getting closer.

So he decisively swung his right foot and hit the football hard!

The quality of the shooting space that was forcibly snatched away was naturally not very high, and the ball was blocked by Alisson's side dive and went out of the baseline.

Liverpool fans were so happy to see Manchester United's core players being restricted. They made mocking expressions and laughed with various gestures.

"Manchester bastard, isn't that your area? Why didn't you score the goal!"

"Look at the power of your shot, it's not even as strong as my grandma's!"

"Did you waste too much energy on women last night?"

"Corner kick, watch your position!" Chu Feng ignored the Liverpool fans and waved to the Manchester United players.

Although he has only been in the Premier League for a year and a half, he has no idea how many times he has encountered similar situations and has become accustomed to being ridiculed by opposing fans when playing away games.

Just respond with a goal.

According to the established corner kick tactics, Manchester United players quickly took their positions and confronted Liverpool players.

"Just a few minutes into the game, Xiao Chu scored a goal."

"So far this season, Manchester United has scored 11 goals through set pieces, ranking first in the top five leagues, which shows that Manchester United is very efficient in using set pieces!"

"After all, with an average height of 182cm, Manchester United players will have a big advantage when competing for high balls."

"Come on, let's see if Manchester United's corner kick has a chance to change the score!"

Zhan Jun's passionate voice rang out, stirring the hearts of the fans.

Mahrez passed the ball to the front of the penalty area with his left foot. Maguire, who came from the back row, rushed over fiercely, pushing Fabinho and Naby Keita aside, and his forehead was printed on the football.

"Bang!!!" The football hit the goal.

Unfortunately, Van Dijk in front of the goal reacted very quickly and used his head to block the ball back into the penalty area.

In the chaos, Chu Feng took advantage of his long legs and used his toes to poke the ball towards the goal.

But Alisson was ready and he turned sideways to grab the ball between his hands.

"Back to defense! Back to defense!"

Seeing that the attack was fruitless, Chu Feng urged his teammates loudly.

The two teams formed a tacit understanding and rushed towards Manchester United's half. After Alisson climbed up from the grass, he threw the ball directly to the right with a powerful hand throw.

Wijnaldum and Pogba had a fierce confrontation. The former took advantage of being the first to move and jumped up to head the ball to Salah in front! Liverpool also had to use a very fast pace to tear through Manchester United's defense line that had not yet formed.

Even though Salah was pulled by Ramos last season, causing serious injuries to his shoulder and back muscles, he can still burst out with terrifying speed now.

"The only player in the top five leagues who has scored more than 30 goals but has not won the Golden Boot."

This is the media's evaluation of Salah. Although Salah seems not to care, in fact, he has long wanted to meet Manchester United again to prove that he is stronger than Chu Feng.

Fearing that Salah would rub past him directly, Luke Shaw did not rush forward to grab the ball, but instead quickly retreated sideways to the backcourt.

Use space to buy time and allow your defensive players to get into position.

"A very sophisticated defensive strategy! Luke Shaw's speed is not as good as before since his serious injury, but his defensive skills are more mature."

"But in fact, he is only 23 years old!"

"I can only say that injuries are the biggest enemy of football players!"

After entering the 30-meter area, Luke Shaw slightly leaned to the outside, revealing a route to cut into the hinterland.

Salah took advantage of the situation and moved into the middle.

"In the absence of space, only appropriate physical confrontation and marking restrictions are needed to maximize the weakening of Salah's role."

This is what Mourinho said before the game.

Matic was already on full alert, and he took advantage of the moment when Salah touched the ball and got close to him!

In desperation, Salah could only pass the ball back to Fabinho.

The Brazilian defensive midfielder from Monaco has a stronger desire to attack than the average defensive midfielder and also has an excellent vision.

If he were to play for another team, it would be difficult for him to display his full strength.

But Klopp's running and gunning tactics covered up his shortcomings and made him the most critical flag in Liverpool's offense and defense transition.

Fabinho made a long pass without stopping the ball.

The football fell accurately to the left side of the penalty area, and the two little black eggs started a speed contest! Although Mane has a bad temper, his strength is definitely beyond doubt. Even if Wan Bissaka has been specially trained by Chu Feng, it is difficult for him to keep up with Mane's rhythm.

So he used the simplest method, rushing towards the person instead of the ball!

Soon the two men fell to the ground in a tangle.

"What the hell do you want to do?" Mane got up and without saying a word, he pressed against Wan Bissaka's forehead.

"What?" Wan Bissaka retorted, "Fuck you!"

Players from both teams immediately gathered around.

The clashes broke out right at the start of the game, making Anfield even more noisy, with fans from both sides making international friendly gestures and greeting each other's families cordially.

Atkinson arrived belatedly and pointed toward the side of the court.

Out of bounds.

Liverpool players immediately changed their target and put pressure on the referee with words.

This is their home ground. It would be fine if they didn't blow the home whistle, but they actually favor Manchester United. This is absolutely unacceptable.

Who knew Atkinson was very firm in his attitude, "Gentlemen, I have my own standards for penalties. If you surround me again, you will definitely receive a yellow card."

"As long as the penalty standards are consistent, we will have no objections." Van Dijk pulled away the violently beaten Mane.

After the chaos on the field ended, the game continued.

Liverpool has a throw-in coach named Gronemark, who has studied throw-in tactics and techniques for 15 years.

He believes that the hand ball is a powerful killer in the offensive third.

There was once a video widely circulated on the Internet, in which a person threw a ball 50 meters in a backflip. That person was Gronemark.

Naby Keita wiped the ball clean with his jersey and retreated directly to the billboard.

The result was very dramatic. "Naby Keita stepped on the line with his right foot and was penalized for a violation by the linesman." Zhan Jun was furious.

Zhang Lu next to him made a joke: "This player doesn't look very smart."

"But Naby Keita is quite suitable for Liverpool, because Liverpool's midfield is currently engineered, which has led to stagnation in central advancement and breakthroughs."

"Whether it's Wijnaldum, Henderson or Fabinho, none of them have the ability to get forward and pass threatening balls."

"Naby Keita's main responsibility is to push forward. He played well in the previous matches and he might be too nervous to participate in the first Manchester United game."

Zhang Lu explained briefly.

In the Sky Sports commentary booth next door, Rooney laughed and said: "Hahaha, Steven, this guy is still wearing the No. 8 jersey, do you have any ideas?"

"No!" Gerard's mouth twitched wildly.

Neville and Carragher were also bickering, attracting the attention of many fans.

The camera turns back to the green field.

The Liverpool players were speechless as they had finally regained the ball only to give it back easily.

But don't be too harsh.

The following game became more intense, and due to Atkinson's penalty standards, fouls on the field can be said to be endless.

In less than ten minutes, the front players of Manchester United and Liverpool were covered with grass and dirt, looking very disheveled.

As the game entered the 20th minute, Liverpool entered its strongest phase, and heavy metal music seemed to sound at Anfield.

Manchester United's overall formation retreated to their own half and built a dense defense within a 30-meter area.

Mourinho's idea was very simple. Through reasonable tactical arrangements, he would lead Liverpool into a positional battle and launch a defensive counterattack against Liverpool.

After all, Liverpool has the "Black and Gold Trident", and Manchester United's forward line also has Rashford, Chuck Torre and Mahrez. If you really compare them, Manchester United should be better.

The tactics did achieve good results, but Mourinho soon discovered something was wrong.

Because Salah began to reduce the time he held the ball, and instead started to distribute the ball, run, and pull, becoming more team-oriented.

Liverpool's attack also gradually shifted to the left.

When he wanted to remind her, it was too late.

Naby Keita received the pass from Fabinho on the left, and then he stopped and dribbled past Kovacic to avoid the pressure from him.

He advanced several meters and then passed the ball directly to the front of the penalty area.

Firmino, nicknamed "The Jade-faced Young Man", is different from a regular center forward in that he is best at passing the ball.

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

His ability to control the ball in front of the penalty area is absolutely world-class.

"Half turn and dribble the ball towards the left baseline? Is this preparing for a small-angle shot?"

"No!"

Firmino and Mane's cross-position exchange successfully disrupted Manchester United's defense.

Liverpool's No. 9 made a cross, and Liverpool's No. 10 followed up with a shot in the near corner, and the ball went into Manchester United's goal without any suspense!

1-0!!!

Anfield suddenly erupted in deafening cheers, and tens of thousands of Liverpool fans couldn't help but stand up and wave their arms wildly.

The feeling of sending the ball into the enemy's goal made everyone go crazy.

The humiliation of being defeated twice by Manchester United last season and being trampled underfoot by Manchester United can finally be paid back today! Carragher in the commentary booth also shouted excitedly.

"Mane! Beautiful shot! He is the hero of Anfield!"

"In the 27th minute of the game, Liverpool scored the first goal!"

"The 168 million euros of signings have solved Liverpool's lack of creativity in the midfield and have made Liverpool one of the strongest teams in the Premier League."

"Manchester United, what do you have to win?!"

Neville next to him remained silent. Although he had confidence in Manchester United, he couldn't help but worry. After all, the cost of losing the bet was too high.

He doesn't want to be the laughing stock of English football for the next 20 years.

Gerrard also smiled very happily and glanced at Rooney provocatively, "It turns out that Naby Keita is qualified to wear the No. 8 jersey."

Rooney remained silent after hearing this.

Chu Feng looked at Mane who was sliding on his knees gracefully and couldn't help wiping the sweat from his forehead. Van Dijk did put a lot of pressure on him, but he didn't limit himself to death.

The key to the problem should be in the midfield.

Manchester United's midfield defense is too weak and it is easy to make mistakes in positional battles. If it were the previous Liverpool, no one would be able to pass the ball forward and this goal would definitely not have been scored.

But the joining of Naby Keita improved this problem.

"It would be great if Herrera was on the court." Chu Feng said secretly in his heart, but unfortunately Herrera was injured in the Club World Cup and could only sit at home and watch the game.

He didn't say anything encouraging because today was a Manchester United derby and every Manchester United player didn't want to lose.

Beep!!! The referee blew the whistle and the game started again.

Liverpool took advantage of the situation and launched a frantic pressing campaign. They seemed to regard themselves as hungry beasts and the football as the delicious prey.

It was very difficult for Manchester United players to cope with it.

First of all, they had just returned from the UAE, and they were no match for the Liverpool players in terms of physical fitness or condition.

The second is the weakness of the midfield.

Liverpool players frequently use their personal abilities to engage in one-on-one battles with defensive players, and even if they lose the ball, they will quickly counterattack on the spot.

Either stop Manchester United's quick counterattack or interfere with Manchester United's backcourt pass.

Mourinho frowned on the sidelines, he also noticed the problem in the midfield.

Pogba and Kovacic's defensive abilities are too weak, and their defensive enthusiasm is not high. They are double-teamed during offense, which causes Manchester United's overall formation to be out of touch.

The strikers were isolated and helpless in the frontcourt.

Mourinho couldn't think of a good solution for the time being, so he could only let Rashford and Mahrez retreat and use the numerical advantage to make up for the gap in the midfield.

Time passed by unknowingly, in the 34th minute of the first half.

Salah dribbled in the frontcourt and saw the opportunity to shoot from a distance with his left foot. Although the power was not enough, the angle was very appropriate.

"Beautiful! De Gea!"

"A world-class save to keep the goal intact!"

"I've noticed that De Gea always performs far beyond his normal level when facing strong teams."

Zhan Jun sighed.

"What about the World Cup against Portugal?" Zhang Lu teased.

"Well, that's a special case."

Zhan Jun laughed.

Just five minutes later, Bailly's interception paid off, taking the ball away from Mane and passing it diagonally to Kovacic.

Kovacic and Pogba have similar technical styles, both have excellent ball control, as well as the ability to dribble and create opportunities.

Continuous touching of the ball shook off Naby Keita.

Liverpool players nearby quickly provided support, but Kovacic did not stick to the ball and handled it neatly.

Bang! The football was like a precise scalpel, hitting Liverpool's right rib.

“Nice pass!”

"Although Kovacic played less, his pass success rate was 86.2%, which exceeded 92% of midfielders!"

"And an average of 8.01 advancing passes per game!"

As the camera quickly moved, Mahrez entered the picture. He accelerated and made a diagonal run to the ribs, followed closely by Robertson.

As we all know, Liverpool's two full-backs have unlimited rights to advance.

Because Klopp's tactical preset is to use the full-backs to move forward to break the deadlock in the frontcourt.

Therefore, Liverpool's full-backs' defensive capabilities are not very strong.

For example, Arnold and Robertson.

Robertson was thrown away unexpectedly and could only grit his teeth and chase after him.

But Mahrez had already cut inside to the middle.

Pretending to shoot but actually passing the ball!

Everyone's eyes followed the ball and found that the end point was Manchester United's No. 7! "Don't let him turn around!" Van Dijk shouted anxiously.

Since he stepped forward to block Mahrez's shot, Lovren had to mark Chu Feng.

But he knew how strong Chu Feng was. No matter how the opponent defended, he could always find a loophole and strike a fatal blow! Unfortunately, he reminded him a little too late.

Chu Feng leaned against Lovren with his back, and the trajectory of the football was in his field of vision.

How can he shoot in a limited space? He subconsciously thought of three-dimensional space.

Lift your right foot slightly upward to unload the ball, and exert force in the opposite direction.

Bang! The football jumped over Lovren's left side like a leaping elf, and Chu Feng completed a gorgeous turn!

Manchester United fans have stood up, ready to cheer after the goal.

But the next second, Lou Fulun found that he had missed the ball and rushed forward with all his strength.

Chu Feng lost his balance and fell to the ground, and the football slowly rolled out of the baseline.

“No problem!”

Atkinson signals Liverpool's goal kick.

"He deliberately hit me from the outside and ruined my chance to attack with the ball. Shouldn't this be a penalty?" Chu Feng climbed up from the grass, ran to Atkinson, and questioned angrily.

Manchester United players also gathered around.

But no matter how Chu Feng explained, Atkinson remained indifferent.

"Fuck!" Chu Feng cursed inwardly.

However, he looked at the captain's armband on his arm, suppressed the anger in his heart, and called on the Manchester United players to go back to defend.

There is no point in worrying about these things now, and the referee will not change the penalty.

Manchester United fans in the stands were also very annoyed and booed Atkinson, but they were quickly drowned out by the cheers of Liverpool fans.

Lovren breathed a sigh of relief.

He was prepared for a yellow card and a penalty, but he didn't expect to escape.

"I think this is a penalty foul. Lovren made an obvious foul on Chu's side. He prevented Chu from facing the goalkeeper alone in the penalty area!"

Neville was spitting.

"I think there is no problem. The referee is considering whether the impact is strong enough to make Chu fall to the ground." Carragher's face flushed, "Obviously, no!!"

The two had a heated argument over this issue in front of countless online viewers.

The game on the field has resumed. With only a few minutes left in the first half, Klopp decisively chose to reduce the intensity of the attack and take the lead into the halftime break.

Things went as he expected.

After Manchester United missed a great opportunity to equalize, they never threatened Liverpool's goal again.

Mourinho simply called it a day, safely passed the final stage, and looked for opportunities in the second half.

Beep-beep! Not long after, the referee blew the whistle and the first half of the game ended!

(End of this chapter)