Chapter 1,247 Losing the Opportunity

Chapter 1246 Losing the opportunity

At 12:45 local time in the UK, the FA Cup quarter-finals between Manchester United and Liverpool kicked off at Anfield Stadium.

Anfield is the most famous home ground of the Devils in Europe.

Countless powerful people have fallen into disgrace here.

The famous slogan "This is Anfield" in the player tunnel not only reminds Liverpool players to regain the supreme glory that once belonged here, but also warns opponents not to act wild here.

In this stadium, facing their mortal enemy, Liverpool's players were like real Red Army soldiers, bursting out with unprecedented fighting power.

In the 4th minute of the game, Gerrard, the soul of the Red Army, passed the ball. Maxi Rodriguez showed a strong desire to shoot. He directly kicked off the goal from 30 yards.

De Gea was not very well prepared and had to hit the ball awkwardly, almost giving Carroll a chance to make a shot.

Not to be outdone, Manchester United launched a counterattack under the fierce pressing of the Red Army.

Valencia, who scored in the last round, is still in excellent condition. He used his speed to break through from the wing and saw that no one was outflanking him in the penalty area. Valencia passed the ball across to the front of the penalty area to find Gao Xiaodong.

Gao Xiaodong was tightly entangled by Henderson, but when he saw Valencia passing the ball, Gao Xiaodong took the lead in giving Henderson a physical confrontation, knocking Henderson staggering with his shoulder, and then quickly grabbed the point.

Liverpool's defense against Gao Xiaodong was very tight and well-organized. After Gao Xiaodong got rid of Henderson, center back Skrtel stepped up again.

Gao Xiaodong couldn't hold the ball anymore, otherwise he would only hit more people.

After wearing super glasses, Gao Xiaodong had an extremely wide field of vision. He ran over and knocked the ball with his heel, avoiding Skrtel's block and passing the ball to Giggs.

After Skrtel pushed out, there was space in the middle. Manchester United veteran Giggs kept the ball and volleyed directly from the top of the penalty area.

The ball was a little straight and hit Reina's arms.

At first, Manchester United could keep up with the rhythm. As Liverpool's offensive became more and more fierce, Manchester United could only fight back.

In the 11th minute, Henderson made a breakthrough pass from the left. Gerrard stepped in at high speed and stopped the ball slightly in the air. The ball was cleared by Evans with his big foot.

In the 14th minute, Liverpool full-back Kelly made a pass from the right. Center Carroll beat Smalling to header, but the ball was pushed into the stands by Carroll.

Manchester United was passive, with few shooting opportunities, and the pace of the game was almost entirely controlled by Liverpool.

The Manchester United team is experienced and has experienced all kinds of games. They know how to deal with such a scene. They did not panic and patiently looked for opportunities to score goals in the defense.

In the 19th minute of the game, Manchester United got a chance to counterattack.

Full-back Rafael passed the ball through, and Valencia quickly counterattacked after getting rid of Maxi Rodriguez on the right.

Manchester United's counterattack was concise and fast. Liverpool was attacking aggressively and could not defend in time, forming a three-on-three unfavorable situation in the backcourt.

Valencia dribbled the ball to the side of the penalty area and looked up at the center. Gao Xiaodong and Welbeck were inserting into the penalty area from two directions.

However, Liverpool's three defensive players were retreating quickly, sandwiching Gao Xiaodong and Welbeck. The ground ball may be intercepted, and the ball in the air requires very precision.

Just when Valencia was hesitating whether to pass the ball or cut inside,

Gao Xiaodong suddenly changed direction and went around the outside of Henderson.

Valencia was overjoyed and immediately passed the ball to Gao Xiaodong.

Gao Xiaodong penetrated the outside of Henderson diagonally. He could get the ball easily, but shooting was not easy. If Henderson got stuck inside, it would be difficult to break through.

However, this cannot stop Gao Xiaodong. After buying many shooting skills, Gao Xiaodong has the ability to shoot in any situation.

Gao Xiaodong rushed to the ball, lifted the outside instep of his right foot, and the ball drew a strange arc and flew to the center, then turned and went straight to the far corner of the goal.

Almost everyone didn't think it was possible to shoot directly. Welbeck moved to the center to receive Gao Xiaodong's pass. At least half of Red Army goalkeeper Reina's attention was on the running Welbeck.

Seeing the ball flying towards the center, Reina thought Gao Xiaodong was going to pass it to Welbeck, so he quickly attacked to get the ball.

However, as soon as Reina took a step, the ball turned and flew to the far corner.

Reina was shocked, but his center of gravity had gone out, and it was impossible to come back. He could only watch the ball flying toward the goal.

The Anfield ball, which had been roaring like a tsunami, fell silent at this moment. Tens of thousands of Red Army soldiers were so frightened by Gao Xiaodong that they almost stopped breathing.

Bang

This was the sound that broke the hearts of Manchester United fans. The ball unfortunately hit the post in the far corner.

In an instant, countless voices of relief came from Anfield Stadium, and the Red Army fans finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Sir Alex Ferguson slapped his thigh heavily on the sidelines, his regrets palpable.

The on-site commentator sighed: "What a pity that a world wave was destroyed by the goalpost."

Manchester United failed to seize the opportunity to score. Center back Agger, who was returning to defense, grabbed the spot and immediately made a long pass forward to launch a counterattack.

At this moment, most of the Liverpool players did not return to their own half, but the Manchester United players were pushing forward, and their defensive positions were in a mess. This counterattack made Manchester United very uncomfortable.

Gerrard took the ball and took two steps, attracting the defense and passing the ball. Enrique shot from 25 yards on the left.

Smalling desperately blocked in front of the penalty area. The ball hit Smalling and flew out of the baseline. Liverpool got a corner kick opportunity.

Gerrard quickly took a corner kick. Manchester United's De Gea saw the ball approaching him and wanted to hit it out.

There were many people in the penalty area, and the Liverpool players deliberately blocked De Gea's path. De Gea jumped up but did not touch the ball, and the ball flew to the back point.

De Gea's mistake was fatal. The ball flew to the back point and was grabbed by Liverpool defender Agger. Agger made a light header and the ball flew into the net from the near corner.

1:0

This was Agger's first FA Cup goal in his career. Agger was very excited after scoring. He lifted his jersey over his head and ran towards the stands.

The Liverpool players rushed after Agger, pushed him down on the edge of the pitch, and stacked up on top of each other.

Dalglish was as excited as the players on the field. He raised his arms and roared, and then called on the fans to applaud in celebration.

Dalglish didn't need to greet him. The moment the goal was scored, the entire Anfield was already boiling. 50,000 fans applauded, jumped, and shouted, venting their joy to their heart's content.

Ferguson was very dissatisfied with this conceding goal. He yelled at De Gea and complained about his low-level mistake.

The on-site commentator also said with regret: "De Gea is still too young. There is no need to hit the ball at all. He is tall and has long arms. He only needs to hold the goal line. The opponent will not be much of a threat. Gao Xiaodong The missed shot from the outside of the instep also hurt morale. The Manchester United players are probably still feeling regret in their minds, but the game has just begun, and it’s hard to say who will advance. I can only say that Liverpool has taken the lead now.”

End of this chapter