Liverpool Had It in the Bag!

"Pressing down on my shoulder? I broke free!"

"Using his body to shove me aside? I shook him off!"

Yang Yang was not the kind of player who liked going down easily. It went against his values and his style of play. So even after charging into the penalty area, he continued to hold off Ferdinand, enduring his little tricks and struggling to break free from his grip.

But Ferdinand still refused to let up. When he saw Yang Yang trying to shake him off, his left hand, which had missed its target, suddenly swung up. His forearm struck Yang Yang on the right side of his face and neck, making his whole body lurch and nearly causing him to lose his balance.

Yang Yang's steps became a little messy, but the ball was still within his control. Almost purely by reflex, he nudged it a step ahead of himself, gritted his teeth, and continued charging forward.

By then, he and the ball had reached the area outside the left corner of the six-yard box.

Manchester United goalkeeper Van der Sar had been constantly adjusting his position. He had now moved to the outside of the left goalpost, crouching slightly and ready to react to Yang Yang's attack at any moment.

Yang Yang merely glanced at Van der Sar, but immediately took in the entire situation in front of goal, including the goalkeeper's position and posture.

By now, he could be called a battle-hardened veteran.

Years of persistent strength training allowed him to hold his own against Ferdinand's interference. The wealth of experience accumulated through long-term training and matches, meanwhile, enabled him to see through Van der Sar's defensive positioning in an instant and determine the best route for his shot.

That route was the gap between Van der Sar