"Beep! Beep! Beep—!"
As the final whistle blew, the score of the match was ultimately set at three to one. Arsenal decisively defeated Liverpool at home, regaining their winning momentum.
"Clap clap clap!" After the game, the applause inside the stadium was incessant. Arsenal's fans regained their confidence in winning the championship.
81 points! This was already the highest score in the last seven seasons, and the team had only played 31 games! "Arsenal! Arsenal!"
Maël then followed his teammates to the hardcore fan zone, shoulder to shoulder, embracing each other, chanting the team name and jumping.
His face was filled with a joyful smile. This game was won easily, even surprisingly so.
Soon after, Wenger and the coaching staff also joined the celebration, jumping with the players. Later, they raised their hands, alternately jumping up and down.
"Maël!"
Wenger turned his head and asked with a smile, "You're about to score your 35th goal. How are you planning to celebrate?"
Many players also looked at Maël. That was going to be an extraordinary moment, and they really needed to think of a celebration in advance.
"Sliding on your knees?"
"Or a somersault?"
"No, no, no, I think the clown jump is more appropriate, it has a sense of irony."
"Don't be ironic about everything, it's meaningless. I think hugging yourself is better."
"Double fingers to the sky!"
Everyone was giving Maël ideas. They were enjoying themselves, as if they were about to break the record themselves.
A championship team is one where there is no 'you' or 'me'. At the moment of winning the championship or about to win it, the team's cohesion will reach its peak, and they will be unprecedentedly united.
If they couldn't achieve this, they wouldn't be in this position now.
"Let me think." Maël pondered, and soon had an idea. He came to the crowd and said, "How about everyone together? I'll imitate a Western Cowboy, pretending to hold a revolver."
He pretended to pull out two guns from his waist and aimed them at everyone, "You fall as soon as I move my hand, how about that?"
"Haha...!"
"Ah, I get it!"
Arsenal's players laughed. This kind of celebration wasn't unheard of in football, and it was indeed very cool and impressive.
"Okay!"
"I would refuse if it were someone else, but who asked the person about to break the Premier League goal record to make this request to us?"
"Haha, I'm in too!"
"Remember to agree on it in advance, don't let anyone forget, that would be embarrassing."
Everyone chattered, and Sagna turned his gaze to Van Persie, "You absolutely have to be the last one to fall, and you have to struggle a few times, add some drama to yourself."
"Why?" Van Persie looked blank, not understanding why he was being singled out.
"Because you are one of the most famous strikers in the Premier League." Sagna explained with a smile, "Isn't that easy to understand? Him taking you down last is like taking down all the Premier League strikers.
"Not just the active ones, but also the retired ones. Don't you think it's very creative?"
"Hey!" Many people sensed a bit of meaning and gave Sagna a thumbs up, "That's good, that's good! Just like that!"
"Haha..." Van Persie smiled helplessly. From the bottom of his heart, he didn't want to be the 'typical' one.
But after seeing Maël's gaze, and thinking about the contributions the other party had made this season, he raised his eyebrows and nodded, "Okay, remember to shoot me last."
"Yeah!" Arsenal's players shouted together, as if they had accomplished something important.
Maël jumped even more happily, he was very happy that everyone could cooperate with him.
Now, it was time to wait for the final 35th goal. In the next game, he would have the opportunity to complete this achievement!
After celebrating with the fans, everyone didn't rush back to the locker room, but waited on the field with their mobile phones for the results of the other two games.
Some of Arsenal's fans didn't leave either. Everyone waited with tacit understanding, looking forward to a better end to March.
"What's the score?" Maël took out his phone and was searching. Seeing that Arteta next to him had already opened it to watch, he couldn't help but ask.
"Manchester United one, Fulham zero."
Arteta replied, swiping his fingers a few times before adding, "Manchester City and Swansea are drawing, no goals scored."
"Suspenseful." Maël's eyes lit up, and he quickly turned on the broadcast, sitting on the bench to watch intently.
"Oh."
After watching for a while, he heard faint cheers and looked around, noticing some fans celebrating with their phones.
Who scored?
Something happening with either team?!
Intense anticipation filled his eyes; the delay on his phone's broadcast was different, and he hadn't seen the update yet.
"Ah!" A shout erupted beside him, and he saw Arteta rise from his seat, jumping up and down with his phone in hand.
Arteta quickly turned to him, grabbing his arm and saying, "Fulham scored! Manchester United might draw!"
Maël looked down and saw the Fulham striker diving to head the ball into the net, and Ferguson on the sidelines arguing anxiously with the fourth official.
Checking the time, it was already the 81st minute! It really might be a draw!
"Aaahhhh!" A massive roar swept through the Emirates Stadium as everyone saw the goal.
Maël didn't celebrate too wildly; he knew the game wasn't over, and anything could happen. Still, he couldn't help the smile creeping onto his face.
If Manchester United dropped two points, they could basically say goodbye to the title race, with only a theoretical chance left.
"Yeahhhh!!" Then, he heard an even louder cheer, with many people even throwing their hats and scarves onto the field.
"What's going on?!" He quickly looked at Arteta, his face full of anticipation.
Since both games were still ongoing, either Manchester United or Manchester City must have conceded a game-winning goal! "Hahahaha!" Arteta clutched his phone, leaning back and laughing uncontrollably. He came over to Maël and said, "Manchester City! Mancini's team conceded a game-winning goal! Swansea! Graham! God Lamp!"
Hearing the name of an old acquaintance, Maël quickly looked at the screen and saw Graham scoring with his signature Long Shot.
This time, he saw Mancini flying into a rage, jumping up and down, gesturing wildly, and cursing at the field!
A game-winning goal!
"Ahhhaaa!"
Maël couldn't hold back either, clenching his right fist and punching forward, roaring along with the fans, as thrilled as if they had just won an important victory.
The wheel of fortune turns!
Now, they were the lucky team. No one could have imagined that after Manchester City's four-three comeback against Sunderland, they would concede a game-winning goal away against Swansea! Nor could they have imagined that Fulham would equalize, drawing with Manchester United.
"Phew." He took a breath, calming his excitement, and refocused on his phone.
If these scores held, the Manchester teams would be five and six points behind them, respectively, meaning they would still control their title chances even if they drew two more games.
Maël clenched his fists nervously, waiting for the final results.
After watching for a while, he suddenly felt the urge to pee, so he put his phone in his pocket and headed to the restroom inside the tunnel.
"Wow!!" Just as he entered the restroom, a passionate shout erupted from the field, signaling that one of the games had ended with the original score.
They were about to take an even bigger lead!
Maël hurried through his business and rushed back towards the field, ready to celebrate with everyone.
"Wow!!" Before he even entered the field, he heard another thunderous shout echoing throughout the stadium, reaching for the sky.
Both games were over!
Most likely with the same scores!
Maël excitedly burst out of the players' tunnel, seeing the scene of jubilation.
The Arsenal players were running around, cheering, gesturing to the fans, or laughing with their heads thrown back.
Soon, he caught Arteta's eye, and the joy in Arteta's eyes confirmed his guess.
Manchester United one, Fulham one!
Manchester City zero, Swansea one!
Just that day, Arsenal won! "Vamos!" With great understanding, the two people who liked to celebrate in Spanish clenched their fists and shouted this satisfying phrase.
Maël then looked at Wenger, and saw that although the latter tried to appear calm, joy still emanated from every part of him, whether it was an uncontrollable chuckle or a leg shake.
From this perspective, today's victory was especially important, as it helped Arsenal widen the gap in points! "Olé, olé, olé!"
The players hugged each other again and went to the fan zone, jumping and celebrating with the one or two thousand fans who had stayed behind.
After chanting a simple melody for a while, they prepared to switch to another song.
At this moment, Sagna became a musical conductor, waving his hands and starting from zero: "Dang dang dang dang! I have a friend! Come on!"
The Arsenal players all leaned back and laughed, but did not refuse, "Dang dang dang dang..."
A familiar melody first rang out from them, and then drove the entire Emirates Stadium, with everyone joining in, singing the song over and over again.
Maël, who was selected as the best player of the match, deserved this treatment, as he helped the team win a crucial victory.
Maël clapped his hands with a smile, and later joined the singing, celebrating happily with everyone for a long, long time.
Often, he would feel that he didn't have a strong sense of the happiness he had at the moment, but at times like this, he felt that he did.
He was truly happy.
...
"Major upheaval! Swansea with a game-winning goal against Manchester City! Fulham draws with Manchester United! Arsenal significantly leads the standings!" - Football Record
"Giving you a chance, but you're useless. After Arsenal drew in the 30th round of the league, Manchester City and Manchester United both offered a big gift, losing and drawing their respective Premier League round 30 matches!" - Zhibo8
"Maël scores 34 goals, tying the record held by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole! Unprecedented!" - The Guardian (UK)
"Just one goal away from breaking the record, vote and guess Maël's celebration move!" - Sky Sports (UK)
"Standings one: Arsenal, 31 rounds, 25 wins, 6 draws, 81 points. Standings two: Manchester City, 30 rounds, 23 wins, 4 draws, 3 losses, 73 points. Standings three: Manchester United, 30 rounds, 22 wins, 6 draws, 2 losses, 72 points." - Premier League standings after the match. Because everyone's expectations for the Premier League title had reached their peak, and because the Manchester clubs' gifts were too abstract.
The news of Maël tying the record failed to become the hottest news at this stage.
Or rather, from the moment he scored 30 goals, people had already confirmed that this day would come!
They were still waiting for the day when the player officially broke the record, and then give the player their most sincere blessings!
...
Wales, Liberty Stadium.
At the post-match press conference between Manchester City and Swansea, Mancini appeared in a red-faced state, revealing a rare scene.
"We have been targeted too much, there were at least 3 fouls in the first half that were not called!"
He slammed the table, speaking forcefully, "If the opponent's defender had received a yellow card, the situation of the game might have changed!
"You may think I'm making excuses, but this is football, some small factors can affect the game, we were originally prepared to win the game!"
"Knock knock!" He tapped the table twice again, expressing his dissatisfaction with the referee, "Everyone knows what kind of comeback we made in the previous game, and what kind of ambition we have! If it weren't for some off-field factors, we would never have gotten this result!"
After he finished speaking, the scene fell into a long silence.
It wasn't until more than ten seconds had passed that a reporter stood up, "Sorry, I would like to ask, has Manchester City basically withdrawn from the title race?
"The team now has no room for error, as long as they drop points in another game, Arsenal may win the title in advance in April."
Mancini stared at the reporter, gritting his teeth and said: "One game less, only 8 points behind, who taught you math? Why did we withdraw from the title race?! We have no room for error, does Arsenal have room for error? As long as they drop points, won't we come up again?
"Are you media all Arsenal fans, or are you deliberately trying to make me uncomfortable?"
The reporter glanced at Mancini, did not answer the question, but continued: "Manchester City legend Peter Reid just said that any game in the title race may affect the final result.
"Fans can understand this, the nerves of the players in each title-contending team are highly tense, as long as they relax a little, it may trigger a chain reaction, or even a complete collapse.
"After this game, Mr. Mancini, are you worried that the team's players will not be able to withstand the pressure, resulting in consecutive losses or defeats?"
Mancini packed up his things and stood up directly. He waved his hand at the reporters as he walked towards the door, "I shouldn't be treated like this, I have 3 league titles, just like Wenger! Please respect me! Don't teach me how to lead the team, don't worry about me!
"Respect!!"
He threw his suit up, put it on, and turned around and left smartly.
On the other side, Ferguson directly refused to attend the press conference. An assistant coach attended the press conference with Giggs, and the whole process was a bit boring.
...
"Bang bang...!"
In the evening, next to the Emirates Stadium, in Jones Bar, countless people were toasting and drinking around a somewhat legendary round table.
In the center of the round table, Jones was already flushed from drinking, but he couldn't help but keep raising his glass. "Come on! After this cup, there's another!"
"Haha..." The others laughed as they watched him, understanding Jones's mood at the moment.
A man who had accomplished nothing and had little savings suddenly became a small-time rich man because of a player on the team.
Even if it couldn't make him rich for life, it should be enough for him to live it up for a few years.
"Jones, you said you'd treat us to drinks when the time came, it's not just this time, is it?" someone asked.
"Of course not."
Jones waved his hand generously, "When the time comes, I'll treat everyone who comes into the bar to drinks... but I get to choose the drinks!"
"Alright!" A chorus of cheers rang out, and many people applauded Jones.
"How much did Jones invest in total, and what's the return?" a newcomer asked the person next to him.
That person chuckled and explained with a smile, "A little over 10,000 pounds in total. After the last bet, I heard his return has reached 250,000 pounds."
"Really?!" The young man's pupils constricted instantly, and he gasped. "Is there still a chance for me to bet now?"
"No way," the person shrugged. "Maël has already tied the goal-scoring record with 34 goals. Even if he gets injured now and doesn't play anymore, no other striker can compete with him.
"What's more, the player is in good health, and the probability of injury is very small."
"In this case, would the bookmakers still dare to offer odds on his Golden Boot? Even if it's 1 to 1.1, there would definitely be people betting heavily on it. It's no different from getting money for free."
Seeming to think it wasn't precise enough, the person added, "Ah, if he gets injured, Van Persie, who has nearly 30 goals, might have a chance.
"But obviously, that's not going to happen."
The young man nodded regretfully, nodding a few times and then shaking his head, "It's hard to imagine, from 50+ to 1 when he first came, to no longer being offered, how unexpectedly well the player has performed this season.
"I also can't imagine why Jones had that kind of courage back then."
The person sitting next to him started chatting with him, "The player's top-flight debut was the best in history. No one's debut was more amazing than his, whether it was in the EFL Championship or the Premier League.
"In this regard, he is the GOAT! Definitely!
"As for Jones."
He glanced at Jones, who was bragging to people in the center of the table, "He is indeed a godlike person. I don't know why he had the courage.
"If you ask me to analyze it after the fact, I can talk about it. This is the player version of the Kaiserslautern Miracle.
"A record-breaking young Golden Boot winner from the second division, who improves and is promoted to the Premier League, does have a slight chance of winning the Golden Boot.
"It's just that at the time, who would dare to bet on him? Probably no more than 100 people, and those 100 people are the ones who got rich with Maël."
The person remembered something and looked at the young man, "However, he seems to have a set of mantras."
"What?!" The young man's eyes widened, with a kind of eager-to-learn feeling.
"All In!" The person's expression also changed. He remembered what the bar owner looked like when he told them about it, "All In is an art! First All In! Second All In! Third All In!"
The more he spoke, the more intoxicated he became, gradually closing his eyes and shaking his head: "Fourth All In! Fifth..."
After saying a lot in a row, he came back to his senses and waved his hand, "Maybe not that many, just All In."
The young man was stunned in place, feeling that this theory was a bit strange, and didn't seem very convincing. He thought it was some kind of data analysis.
But thinking about it carefully, it seemed to make a little sense? He raised his head and his eyes lit up, "You just mentioned that the player is the GOAT in his debut, and he's about to participate in the European Cup, is there a chance?"
The person looked at the young man from a distance and asked, "You want to try? You want to become the second Jones?"
The young man looked at Jones, and the desire in his heart grew stronger. He nodded, "Yes, I crave a lot of money, so I can afford to study at Loughborough and buy a car."
"But what if you lose?"
"All In is an art."
"Haha...!" The two laughed together. When they parted, the person pointed to Jones and said to the young man, "He's drunk today, he might not be in good shape. Come back next time when he's sober and ask for his opinion."
"Okay!"
The young man agreed, keeping the matter of seeking advice from Jones in mind. The European Cup doesn't just have Golden Boot odds, there are also championship odds.
If he could get some guidance from Jones, maybe he really had a chance to succeed.
That night, on the BBC's live broadcast, Lineker invited Manchester City legend Peter Reid to conduct the post-match analysis.
"Let's talk about it."
Lineker suppressed a smile, raising his eyebrows at Peter Reid, "We saw reporters inform Mancini of your theory after the game, but Mancini seemed speechless.
"Because the 30th and 29th rounds of matches were not the turning point for Arsenal, nor for Manchester City.
"Arsenal ultimately took down Liverpool very smoothly, while Manchester City was defeated by a game-winning goal from Swansea."
Peter Reid had a helpless smile on his face. He was old and took such slaps in the face lightly, unlike when he was younger and cared about his image.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have appeared on tonight's show.
From his perspective, such a wave of attention, participating in more shows, might even earn him more retirement money.
"That's right." Peter Reid shrugged, smiling wryly, "No one imagined that the Premier League title race this season would have such a situation.
"It's too unexpected. Football is unpredictable. You can't accurately apply any past laws to the present.
"When I said that, it wasn't because I was biased towards Manchester City, whom I used to coach. If you ask me now, I would agree with the reporter who angered Mancini at the post-match press conference.
"This game seems like a turning point for the two title contenders. Manchester City is in danger."
He spread his hands, shaking his head, "Can we not talk about this? Although fans definitely want to see this, I only want to say so much."
"Then what should we talk about?" Lineker still had a smile on his face. He had seen many such scenes since he started this show.
Indeed, as he said, no one can predict football matches. Making rash conclusions here will mostly backfire.
"Talk about..." Peter Reid thought for a moment, grinning, "Let's talk about Maël equaling the record, what a great player.
"I came from the 90s and am very clear about the dominance and performance of Alan Shearer and Andy Cole back then."
"Haha." Lineker didn't speak, just laughed twice. Last time, he said he didn't want to talk about players, but this time he changed his mind.
And so, Arsenal successfully concluded all their matches in March. Throughout March, they achieved a good record of 5 wins and 1 draw, remaining undefeated across the board!
Even though they were eliminated from the Champions League, they made progress in the Premier League, increasing their lead over the second-placed team in the standings!
With 7 league games remaining, and the team in such hot form, leading by 8 points with one more game played is actually a significant advantage.
If they continue to play like this, they are very likely to end the suspense of the Premier League title in April and win the championship early!
Maël also successfully concluded this month's schedule. His Premier League goal count increased from 27 to 34, scoring 7 goals in 5 Premier League games in a single month, and also providing 1 assist! He and Wenger will become popular candidates for the Monthly Best Player and Monthly Best Coach awards.
If he wins another Monthly Best award, he will have completed the flag he set in front of the media, winning 3 Monthly Best awards in his debut season! Next season, he may have to try to improve further, striving to achieve even greater dominance! Time continued to move forward, and it came to April. The football atmosphere throughout the British Isles also became increasingly heated as time went on.
Everyone clearly understood that this was the month that the champion could be decided! "Bang, bang..."
On the 1st, on the lawn in front of the villa, Maël was training headers with José.
This ability should have been upgraded last month, but filming commercials delayed it for a few days.
But it's okay, today he should be able to train this great weapon to lv4.
In the last 7 rounds of the Premier League, an even more terrifying Arsenal number 7 will appear! "That's right! Almost!"
José passed the ball from time to time, and threw the ball by hand from time to time, always carefully observing Maël's training performance, and sometimes praised: "The accuracy is getting better and better, and the success rate is also high! It seems that your choices are always right, you are still like before, you can practice whatever you want.
"Sometimes I think, what if you really master Fancy Skills, what kind of player will appear in European football at that time... Haha.
"Come on, one more!"
He threw a hand-thrown ball, and then saw Maël look back at the moon and head the ball into the far corner of the goal, with amazing power and accuracy.
José was about to lower his head to pick up the ball and continue, when he found that the other party suddenly stopped, tied his shoelaces, and then sat on the ground.
"Okay, let's take a break."
Maël waved his hand at him, pretending to be tired and needing to buffer, and sat for a while before lying on the ground.
Seeing that José didn't come over, he showed a comfortable smile, turning his head left and right to feel the completely different feeling between his head and neck.
His header had just completed the upgrade from lv3 to lv4! Versatility, here it comes!
[Skill: High-Altitude Bombardment lv4]
[Effect: After learning to judge the landing point and how to exert force, you begin to try to improve the accuracy of your headers, using slight adjustments to the angle and direction of the header to change the trajectory of the ball, and finally approach perfection! Possess the ability of High-Altitude Bombardment!]
What the proficiency panel said was just his improvement in header accuracy, but his own feelings were more than that.
He could clearly feel that his ability to judge the landing point, as well as the way and skills of heading the ball, had improved.
So, the improvement of each single characteristic described in the proficiency panel is actually too general.
It still enhances other minor skills that have been practiced before, so that these minor skills all have the strength of skill levels, achieving balance! Maël didn't feel it strongly before, probably because the improvement of his legs and body was not as sensitive as his head and neck, and he didn't pay attention to it later.
"Looking at it this way, lv5 might be unimaginably strong."
Maël's heart became clearer about the level of lv5 skills, and his eyes filled with longing.
At that time, it will probably be an all-round evolution from top-notch to perfect! Lv5 will improve all the abilities in his single skill, not just a simple evolution. It will even make up for some small weaknesses and loopholes in that ability, truly reaching the pinnacle!
"No wonder it's hard to train." He sighed secretly in his heart, but he was not discouraged, it's good as long as he keeps improving.
He opened the proficiency panel to view the progress of other skills, and this time he also took a look at the 'Judgment' ability that automatically increases proficiency.
[Skill: Sprint lv4]
[Proficiency: (764/5000)]
[Skill: Godly Strength lv4]
[Proficiency: (291/5000)]
[Skill: Judgment lv4]
[Proficiency: (1442/5000)]
[Skill: Brutal Shot lv4]
[Proficiency: (1153/2000)]
[Skill: Fancy Breakthrough lv3]
[Proficiency: (473/2000)]
[Additional Skill: Fancy Skills lv1]
[Proficiency: (1072/1500)]
"Judgment has broken a thousand?"
Maël hadn't paid attention to this skill for a long time, but he was pleasantly surprised when he looked at it.
This is considered the fastest progressing lv4 skill with a basic proficiency of 5000 for him, and it might break through lv5 earlier than Sprint and Godly Strength!
This ability is still very important, and it has a strong improvement on his performance in the game, which can be classified as football IQ.
This season, he has used his football IQ + special strong skills to score many times. It can even be said that every goal has the blessing of football IQ.
Without it, there would be no 34 goals in the Premier League, no 7 goals in the Champions League, and no 8 goals in the EFL Cup! When it breaks through, his efficiency will probably improve in all aspects again! "Fancy might not be possible this month," he calculated the improvement speed of other abilities, "but after the end of the season, I will focus on strengthening Brutal Shot, and the first lv5 skill will definitely be unveiled in the European Cup!"
Thinking of this, he was even more looking forward to the European Cup after the end of the season.
This is his first intercontinental-level event, and he really doesn't know how far he can go with his current ability combined with Deschamps' French Team.
In short, if he becomes a superstar at the end of this season, then on the stage of the European Cup, he believes that he will definitely become a super giant with international influence!
Keep moving forward, I hope everything goes as planned, and I also hope that there will be fewer twists and turns in the process! ps: Monthly update of 551,000 words.
If I can't finish the updates this month, I will continue to make up for it next month *1.5, but the basic goal for next month may have to be lowered a bit (a bit shameless, but I will still try my best to give back to everyone, so that everyone feels that every vote is worth it, and every reward is worth it).
Thank you brothers for your support, I'm going to rest first, I hope I'll be in better shape tomorrow!
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