Hierro felt the live broadcast camera on him, and all he could do was try not to blush, because this was the sixth time recently that he had appeared at one of Leo Lin's matches.
Once could be scouting. Twice could still be scouting. Three times could still pass as scouting. But showing up this many times at his matches was definitely not that simple anymore.
At first, Hierro really had come to watch Leo Lin's performances, as well as Rodri's. But as he kept watching, he found himself completely hooked.
When he went home at night and closed his eyes, all he could see were scenes from Leo Lin's matches. So Hierro could not stop himself from coming back again and again to watch Leo Lin play.
He had even rented a hotel in Liverpool, then showed up on time in the Liverpool stands, enjoying every kind of performance from Leo Lin alongside the Liverpool fans.
After scoring, Liverpool continued with the method they had used at the start, simplifying the match tactically once again.
Wolves were once again drawn in against their will. Even though they now knew Liverpool were doing it deliberately, they still could not shake the feeling.
Some traps, once you fall into them the first time, will lure you in a second time, then a third, until you are trapped inside and unable to break free.
Liverpool had created a dream on the pitch.
Wolves struggled inside that dream. They did not know when Liverpool would launch another pressing attack, so they could only do what they were capable of doing.
But until the end of the first half, Liverpool did not change again.
"Liverpool only changed once in the entire first half, but it was that one counterattack that gave them the goal. Wolves, however, spent a long time on edge because of it."
"Klopp is no longer satisfied with playing tactics. He's started playing torture instead."
"This way of playing is pure torture for the opponent."
In the Liverpool dressing room, Zubizarreta was very satisfied with the effect of the first half, while Krawietz encouraged all the players.
"This is the torture effect we need. This is exactly the kind of torture scene we want."
"Keep tormenting Wolves in the second half. As long as we wear down their spirit completely, we'll take this match for good."
Liverpool used to play more of a heavy-tank style, but now that they had switched to a torture-style war of attrition, the players had an easier time on the pitch, and victory became even more secure.
"If Wolves want to win now, they need two goals. If they want one point, they at least have to equalize first."
"So after my extremely rigorous analysis, I believe Wolves' final result will depend on whether they can score."
Ashley Cole stroked his beard as he gave his analysis. This time, Gullit could confirm that Ashley Cole had been the one with the cold earlier, not him.
"I'll say this one last time, Ashley Cole. If every analysis you give is nonsense, then don't take part in this kind of professional segment."
"Leave these segments to me and Scholes. Promise me."
The Wolves manager was looking for a way to score, but halftime was only fifteen minutes, and the second half soon began.
After the second half started, Liverpool's tactics were still their torture style.
You never knew when they would go from simple to complex, or when they would go from complex back to simple. It was precisely this unpredictable switching that left Wolves with no answer.
The 56th minute of the match.
"Wolves want to counterattack. Fabinho is about to block the forward route, and Rodri has pulled out wide. The two of them are working very well together."
"Ruben Neves' passing lane has been erased by Liverpool again. He's being surrounded, the ball has been won, and Leo Lin steals it to counter!"
After winning the ball, Leo Lin only took a brief look around. Without much hesitation at all, he immediately struck at goal.
Because he had noticed that the Wolves goalkeeper's positioning was slightly off.
But the Wolves goalkeeper somehow unleashed his potential in that instant and blocked the shot.
Firmino wanted to follow up, while Coady tried to clear it. The two collided and bounced away from each other, but the shooting chance was still there.
Salah appeared, and while the goalkeeper was still not back on his feet, he blasted the ball into the empty net.
"The second empty net!"
"Salah scores!"
"But Lin and Firmino were also involved in creating this goal."
"Wolves keep conceding this kind of goal in this match."
"Liverpool have scored their second empty-net goal of the game."
"After this goal, Salah's league tally for the season is now fixed at twenty."
"But I think Salah will definitely feel this goal is more important than the previous nineteen."
At this point, Ashley Cole spoke up for Salah.
"Not necessarily."
"If not for those nineteen goals before this, Liverpool wouldn't have reached the point of winning the title this early."
Scholes was used to it. If Gullit and Ashley Cole ever stopped arguing, he would actually feel uncomfortable.
This goal completely fired up the Liverpool fans. The title-winning posters they had prepared in advance on social media before the match could finally be shown openly.
"The plan hasn't changed! Still winning the title!"
"I used to think the Premier League title was so hard to win, but now it doesn't feel like much at all."
"Our second Premier League title. We need to hurry up and make up for everything we missed before."
The fans believed the title was already in their hands, and the players on the pitch also felt they had their fingers around the edge of the Premier League trophy. But the Liverpool players wanted to grip it even tighter.
"Open it up completely!"
With no more worries holding them back and a two-goal lead in hand, Liverpool had even more room to work with.
The 62nd minute of the match.
"Mané is carrying the ball. Wolves have to send at least two players to defend him."
"He passes into the middle. Leo Lin has the ball. Even two players defending him together isn't enough against this guy."
After receiving the ball, Leo Lin fired from distance again.
The Wolves goalkeeper could only push the ball out over the byline. He did not even dare leave any room for risk.
He could have chosen to push the ball out toward the flank, allowing his teammates to collect it and launch an immediate attack, which would have given Wolves a chance to score.
But he was afraid of giving Liverpool a chance at a second attack. The Wolves goalkeeper had already started to lose faith in his own defenders. He did not believe his team could protect the first or second ball.
That was the change brought by this attrition-based torture style.
"I don't think Wolves have any chance of equalizing, because they've already started doubting their own ability and performance."
Seeing the change in the Wolves goalkeeper's hand shape when he made the save, as well as the nervousness of the Wolves defenders when clearing the ball, Gullit believed Wolves were no longer even thinking about equalizing.
"In their last five league matches, Wolves have only lost once and won four. They're seventh, and they have a chance to enter the top six. A very good chance."
"Wolves are not a weak team. They have the strength to play in Europe."
"But in this match, Liverpool have made Wolves, a team that finally began to rise again this season, feel the same suffocating pressure they felt during their past low seasons."
"If a team like this doesn't win the Premier League title this season, then who should?"
...
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