After the restart, the away side Tottenham Hotspur had absolutely no way back, they had to throw everything but the kitchen sink at Aston Villa.
Midfielder Dele Alli picked up the ball.
Instead of holding possession, he drove a cross-field pass out to the left flank.
Son Heung-min trapped the ball on the wing and instantly hit the accelerator.
Facing a wall of claret and blue defenders, Son looked brimming with confidence. He didn't hesitate for a second.
With a terrifying burst of pace, the South Korean exploded down the outside lane!
His lightning-fast speed left the Aston Villa defenders chasing shadows.
"See ya!" Son shouted, blowing past two markers in the blink of an eye.
As Son reached the byline, both Harry Kane and Harry Winks had busted their lungs to get into the box.
Both Spurs players threw their hands in the air.
"Sonny, front post!" Kane bellowed.
Son didn't need a second invitation.
Famous for having no weak foot, he whipped a vicious, pinpoint cross into the penalty area.
The delivery traced a dangerous arc, dropping dead toward Harry Kane!
The England captain had already scored a brace and was in scorching form.
In the center of the penalty area, Kane launched himself into the air, perfectly positioned to bury the header.
But just as he prepared to nod it home, a shadow eclipsed him. Theodore Bjorn.
Theodore knew exactly how lethal Kane was in the air. If the Spurs striker won that first contact, the net was going to bulge.
At the critical moment, Theodore stepped up. Both men leaped simultaneously!
"Kane rises... BUT BJORN IS THERE!" Peter Drury shouted from the commentary booth.
In terms of raw aerial dominance, it wasn't even a contest.
Theodore soared higher, outmuscling the veteran striker to violently clear the ball away before Kane could even make contact.
The clearance fell perfectly to the center of the pitch.
John McGinn brought it down with a cushioned touch and immediately swiveled, pinging a sharp pass out to the left flank.
Jack Grealish was waiting.
"Villa are away!" Jim Beglin chimed in. "Look at the space!"
This was a classic Aston Villa counter-attack.
In the stands, tens of thousands of fans rose to their feet, their roars deafening.
They desperately wanted Grealish to kill the game!
Receiving the ball, Grealish didn't overthink it. He put his head down and drove straight at the retreating Spurs defense.
With Tottenham having committed bodies forward, their backline was dangerously exposed.
Only Eric Dier and Serge Aurier stood between Grealish and the goal.
Grealish was oozing confidence.
He strode forcefully into the penalty area. Aurier scrambled across to block his path, but the Villa captain was too quick.
Bang!
The moment Grealish engineered half a yard of space, he pulled the trigger with his right foot.
The ball skimmed the turf, flashing past Hugo Lloris and nesting into the bottom right corner.
4-2!
"AND GREALISH SEALS IT!" Drury bellowed. "Aston Villa climb the mountain!"
After scoring, Grealish completely lost his mind.
He sprinted to the Holte End, vaulted the advertising hoardings, and threw his arms wide.
"GET IN THERE! COME ON!" he screamed, engulfed by a sea of delirious fans.
@VillaFanTV: "SUPER JACKY GREALISH! What a hit! He finally turns up!"
@BrummieBoy: "He might love a pint, but the man delivers when it counts. 4-2!"
@EPL_Scout: "Theodore stops Kane at one end, Grealish finishes it at the other. Elite transition."
@SpursHub: "Absolute collapse. Mourinho should just surrender now."
...
Grealish's goal plunged José Mourinho into absolute despair.
The Tottenham head coach slumped back into his seat on the bench, aggressively shaking his head.
He was visibly disgusted with his team's second-half collapse!
More tellingly, the fight had drained from the Special One's eyes.
Although there were still about fifteen minutes left, overturning a two-goal deficit against the league leaders was an impossible mountain to climb.
Furthermore, the way Villa was counter-attacking, there was no guarantee they wouldn't score a fifth.
The Spurs players on the pitch mirrored their manager's despair.
After surrendering a 2-0 lead and shipping four unanswered goals, their morale was completely shattered.
They went through the motions.
For the final fifteen minutes, Dean Smith gave Mourinho a taste of his own medicine.
Villa dropped into a rigid, impenetrable defensive block, utilizing the classic Mourinho counter-attacking strategy.
Tottenham had absolutely no answers.
They resorted to aimless crosses from the flanks, desperately hoping to find Harry Kane.
But Theodore had dropped deep, specifically man-marking the England striker.
Kane didn't get a single sniff of the ball.
After ninety minutes of play, the referee blew the whistle.
The home team Aston Villa managed to defeat their opponents 4-2, successfully completing the season double over Tottenham Hotspur!
...
In the tunnel post-match, journalists swarmed a bitter Mourinho.
"José, your thoughts on the collapse? Villa's number 33 scored a hat-trick tonight," a Sky Sports reporter asked.
Mourinho scowled, his voice low and defensive. "The opponent played well. Not just Theodore Bjorn, but Grealish and McGinn too. We were 2-0 up, completely in control. But in the second half... my players suffered a bizarre collapse."
He crossed his arms. "This result does not reflect Tottenham's true quality. We have the ability to win these games. But this is football. Sometimes... the luck is simply not on your side."
Mourinho blaming 'luck' for throwing away a two-goal lead sparked fury online, with Villa fans flooding social media to mock the manager's excuses.
But for Aston Villa, the focus quickly shifted.
The Europa League awaited.
It was time for the highly anticipated clash against Espanyol—a match that pitted Theodore Bjorn against Chinese international Wu Lei.
...
In the days leading up to the tie, global football forums were ablaze with debate.
"Espanyol got the worst possible draw..."
"Villa is going to absolutely annihilate them!"
"As much as I like Wu Lei, Espanyol should just play the kids and focus on avoiding relegation in La Liga."
"Is Wu Lei even going to start?"
"Villa are a machine right now. This could be a bloodbath!"
The hype was inescapable across sports media.
"Aston Villa vs Espanyol! The Norwegian prodigy takes the European stage!" headlines blared.
....
February 21, 2020. 8:00 PM GMT.
Villa Park was sold out.
Before kickoff, pitch-side reporter Des Kelly managed to grab quick interviews with both stars.
For Theodore, the occasion was strictly business. He approached it with ice-cold focus.
"Espanyol were good last season, but they are struggling in La Liga now," he stated calmly. "Barring any surprises, we expect to win at home. As for Wu Lei, I know he's a great forward. I'm looking forward to the challenge."
Wu Lei, however, was visibly nervous and excited.
"It's an absolute honor to share a pitch with Theodore," Wu Lei admitted, his voice slightly shaky.
"He's the best midfielder in the world right now. He's genuinely an idol of mine, I watch his games every weekend back in Catalonia. Villa are strong. They just beat Mourinho's Spurs... it's going to be incredibly tough, but we won't back down!"
...
In the broadcast booth, Clive Tyldesley and Ally McCoist set the scene.
"Welcome to Villa Park for this Europa League Round of 32 clash!" Tyldesley began. "Aston Villa taking on Espanyol under the lights!"
"Let's look at the lineups," McCoist added. "Abelardo sets Espanyol up in a 4-4-2."
"Diego López in goal."
"Dídac Vilà, Fernando Calero, Naldo, and Víctor Gómez at the back."
"Matías Vargas, Ander Iturraspe, Víctor Sánchez, and Wu Lei across the midfield. Wu Lei starting on the right flank tonight, Clive."
"Facundo Ferreyra and Óscar Melendo up front."
"And for the high-flying hosts," Tyldesley continued. "Dean Smith also goes with a 4-4-2."
"Emiliano Martínez in goal."
"Matt Targett, Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, and Ahmed Elmohamady in defense."
"Conor Hourihane, Marvelous Nakamba, John McGinn, and Theodore Bjorn in midfield."
"Jack Grealish and Wesley leading the line."
The teams emerged to a thunderous reception.
During the pre-match handshakes, Wu Lei nervously asked Theodore to swap shirts after the game.
Theodore smiled and agreed.
The referee blew the whistle.
Aston Villa immediately seized control. Wesley laid the ball off to Theodore in the center circle.
Instead of pinging a safe pass, Theodore unexpectedly dropped his shoulder and drove straight at the Espanyol midfield!
The sudden aggression caught the Spaniards off guard.
Abelardo had done his homework. He knew Villa's entire system flowed through Theodore.
He had instructed his team to neutralize the teenager at all costs.
"Show him outside!" Iturraspe yelled, rushing to close the gap with Víctor Sánchez.
Theodore did not flinch. He lowered his shoulder and bulldozed the gap.
In terms of physical strength, it was a total mismatch.
Theodore smashed his way right through the two veteran midfielders, sending them stumbling backward.
"He takes them both on!" Tyldesley exclaimed.
"Absolutely brushed aside!" McCoist laughed. "It's men against boys out there! They look like schoolchildren trying to tackle him!"
Twitter buzzed with excitement.
@EuroScout: "Theodore is bullying grown men in Europe now."
@Villan82: "Give him the Ballon d'Or today! We are going to score five!"
Theodore stormed into the Espanyol penalty area. He set his feet, ready to unleash a shot.
But just as he pulled his right leg back to pull the trigger, a desperate figure threw himself into the firing line!
It was Wu Lei.
Despite starting as an attacking winger, Abelardo's system demanded heavy defensive tracking, and the forward had sprinted all the way back to protect his goal.