"Liverpool have a free kick in a very promising position in the attacking third. Leo Lin is standing over the ball and looks ready to take it."
"If this goes in, Liverpool will take the lead. For most players this would be a difficult chance—but Leo Lin is known among fans as a free-kick specialist."
"And this very young free-kick specialist is famous for his signature Rainbow Free Kick. Not long ago, he also set a Premier League record by scoring four free kicks in a single match."
Leo Lin stood over the ball, staring toward the left side of the goal.
Chelsea set up the tallest possible wall, while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois prepared himself carefully.
Leo Lin began his run-up and struck the ball!
The shot carried slightly too much power. The ball rocketed toward the goal before beginning to dip!
Courtois dove desperately—but he could already tell he wouldn't reach it.
The ball climbed to its highest point in the air and then began to drop toward the goal!
Just as everyone thought it was going in—
A sharp metallic sound rang out.
Bang!!!
The ball smashed off the crossbar!
Liverpool fans clutched their heads in frustration.
But the very next second, the loose ball bouncing inside the penalty area was hammered by a powerful leg!
The shot blasted through Courtois's outstretched hands!
"A rebound!!!"
"Brilliant! Oh dear—Chelsea's second-ball protection was terrible!"
"They actually allowed Firmino, charging in alone, to get to the rebound and score!"
"That was from point-blank range—no goalkeeper in the world could have stopped that!"
"Courtois can only watch helplessly as the ball goes in! Chelsea trail 1–0!"
Leo Lin, who had been holding his head in disappointment moments earlier, instantly lit up when he saw Firmino score.
He sprinted toward him in celebration.
Firmino opened his arms wide, waiting for Leo Lin to leap into the embrace.
But before that could happen—
Mané and Salah rushed in from both sides and jumped into Firmino's arms as well.
"Hey! Hey, hey!"
"I opened my arms for Lin! You two get out of here!"
The beautiful two-man moment was instantly ruined by Mané and Salah.
Liverpool's players celebrated wildly, enjoying the hard-earned goal.
...
After play resumed, Chelsea were in an awkward position.
The intense pressing at the start of the match had drained much of their stamina.
So when Liverpool began to increase the tempo in the final twenty minutes of the half, Chelsea simply didn't have the energy to match their running.
Liverpool completely controlled the game during the last twenty minutes of the first half.
44th minute!
"Liverpool are pressing very high now, and the tempo has been completely lifted by them."
"Short touches advancing forward, penetrating through the middle—Kanté is marking Leo Lin."
"One-on-one!"
Kanté was defending Leo Lin directly, with Bakayoko and Fabregas positioned behind him, ready to provide cover.
Behind Leo Lin stood Henderson and Wijnaldum.
Leo Lin hadn't planned to take it alone.
Just as he prepared to pass to Wijnaldum, Kanté suddenly lunged forward.
He stuck his foot out.
That was a fatal mistake.
Kanté wanted to intercept the pass the moment Leo Lin released it.
But Leo Lin smoothly turned the motion into a feint, dragging the ball away instead of passing.
Then he pushed off the ground and exploded forward.
With the advantage of his first two explosive steps, he instantly beat Kanté.
Now facing Bakayoko, Leo Lin kept his body loose and agile.
A light touch with the tip of his foot changed the direction of the ball again—
And he slipped past him as well.
One dribble.
Two defenders beaten.
Fabregas had no choice but to rush in and shove Leo Lin hard to the ground.
For some reason, Leo Lin felt a strange sensation spreading through his body.
His form tonight felt incredible.
The more he played, the more excited he became. His shifts in body balance felt quicker than usual.
"The referee whistles for a foul! Fabregas receives a yellow card for pushing Leo Lin down."
"I really hate to say it, but Chelsea's proud midfield trio seem to have no answer for Leo Lin."
"That tight-space dribbling just now reminded me of Maradona. Not as sharp as Maradona yet, but you can already see the outline of it."
"And Leo Lin's explosive acceleration really helped him complete that breakthrough."
Sitting on the ground, Leo Lin adjusted his shin guards.
Fabregas had just received a yellow card for the foul.
Leo Lin thought about what had just happened.
He hadn't unlocked any new skills, yet his dribbling clearly felt better than before.
Since there was no system boost involved, that meant the improvement came from his own effort—training and playing matches over time.
It was his natural football talent showing itself.
Leo Lin's talent had never been poor.
Being scouted by Everton's academy and later moving to Leicester City proved that he had genuine football ability.
After awakening the system, its enhancements merged with his natural talent.
The system stimulated his potential while his own talent provided the foundation, greatly raising his ceiling.
The two worked together perfectly.
That was the real reason his improvement had been so rapid.
Not just the system.
But also his own talent.
Leo Lin tried to stabilize that strange feeling within his body.
He focused on close control and tight dribbling—step by step, touch by touch.
Explosive movements in small spaces allowed him to better control the power within his body, distributing it more efficiently.
That made his dribbling sharper and more dangerous.
...
When play resumed, the free kick was too far for a direct shot.
Leo Lin chose a tactical routine instead, but the ball was cleared away by Hazard tracking back.
Soon after, the first half ended.
Back in the locker room, Klopp made no tactical changes at all.
He was extremely satisfied with his team's first-half performance.
Chelsea, on the other hand, made careful adjustments.
They planned to further exploit the wings while using Giroud's hold-up play to better unleash Hazard's attacking threat.
Moments later, the second half began.
Chelsea tried to push forward again at Stamford Bridge and apply pressure on Liverpool.
But no matter how hard they pushed, they were still firmly suppressed by Liverpool.
Liverpool's attacking approach was extremely aggressive.
Especially the immediate counter-press the moment they lost the ball.
And at the center of it all—
Leo Lin.
He ran like a mad dog in midfield.
Explosive speed combined with physical strength created terrifying interception pressure.
Chelsea found it extremely uncomfortable.
Fabregas was supposed to be Chelsea's midfield distributor, responsible for sending passes out to the wings to activate their attacks.
Simply put, he was Chelsea's midfield engine—like the engine of a car.
But now, facing Leo Lin—
This relentless Leo Lin—
Fabregas couldn't even lift his head, let alone deliver a pass.
57th minute!
"Courtois plays a short pass out from the back to Fabregas."
"He turns with the ball—Leo Lin is already closing him down!"
"Kanté tries to push Leo Lin away, but he simply can't!"
"Head-on pressure! Fabregas shields the ball with his back!"
"He desperately protects possession and plays it back—almost intercepted!"
Leo Lin didn't win the ball that time.
But he quickly dropped back, maintaining the perfect distance from Fabregas.
Kanté and Bakayoko both kept their eyes fixed on Leo Lin.
Chelsea's three midfielders were completely focused on him.
Yet even so, they still felt suffocated under his pressure.
"Why does it feel like Chelsea's three-man midfield has been surrounded by Leo Lin?"
"Kanté and Bakayoko are trying desperately to create passing space for Fabregas, but they just can't do it."
"Meanwhile Leo Lin looks more and more fired up."
"Did this guy take something before the match or what?"