"Careful!"
Mascherano remained focused throughout the entire play, and the moment he saw the ball's trajectory, his first instinct was to head it clear.
But just as he moved, he suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure crash into him. It was as if a mountain had collapsed onto his shoulders, making his body feel impossibly heavy.
He jumped at the same time as his opponent, but at just 1.74 meters tall, the Argentine midfielder was easily outmuscled.
The moment they collided, Mascherano knew, they weren't in the same weight class at all.
Having outmuscled Mascherano, the Manchester City player met the ball with a powerful header, redirecting Giroud's flick toward the left side of the Liverpool goal.
Goalkeeper Reina was positioned on the right and couldn't reach it in time.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
"In the 71st minute, Manchester City finally scored through Javi Martínez's header from a corner kick!"
"1–0!"
"After relentless pressure all game, Manchester City finally break through Liverpool's defense."
"A brilliantly executed corner!"
"Once again, Liverpool concede from a set piece. Benítez's zonal marking has come under fire this season, but he's continued to stand by his methods and tonight, at Anfield, it's cost them again."
"This was Manchester City's sixth corner of the match. The previous five didn't produce any danger, but this time, Javi Martínez made the most of his opportunity."
On the sidelines, as soon as Javi Martínez struck the decisive header, Gao Shen raised both arms high and shouted in celebration for the Spanish midfielder.
Just like he had emphasized in the pre-match meeting, the issue with Liverpool's set-piece defense wasn't zonal marking or man-to-man coverage. Those were superficial factors. The real problem lay with the players themselves.
It was just like Barcelona.
Barcelona often conceded from set pieces because of their lack of height across the squad. But does that mean their set-piece defending tactics are at fault?
Even if they changed their tactical approach, would that make up for their physical disadvantage?
The truth is, with modern defensive tactics becoming more refined, set pieces have become a crucial offensive weapon. And as a result, more goals are being scored from dead-ball situations.
For a side like Liverpool—with a compact, organized defense—it's difficult for opponents to create chances in open play. That makes set pieces a more viable attacking route, which inevitably results in more goals conceded from them. It's a form of survivor bias.
Still, no matter the explanation, after tonight's game, Liverpool's set-piece defending would certainly be criticized again.
Gao Shen was ecstatic as he watched Javi Martínez run to the sidelines to celebrate, with Manchester City players chasing after him in delight.
As long as the ball is in his control, what's there to fear?
…
Benítez now fully understood why Capello had once been so furious at Gao Shen.
After taking the 1-0 lead, Gao Shen didn't push for a second goal. Instead, he pulled his team back, slowed the tempo, and patiently kept possession, deliberately running the clock down and frustrating Liverpool.
It was as if he were holding a microphone and announcing to the world: "One goal is enough for me!"
Benítez took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself and avoid an outburst, but he still opted to make a change, bringing on Benayoun to form a front three with Babel and Kuyt.
With Manchester City now sitting deep, if Liverpool didn't want to lose at home, they had to go for it.
Step one: win the ball back from Manchester City.
But to do that, they needed to push higher up the pitch and apply pressure in midfield and the attacking third. That meant shifting the entire formation forward.
And the further forward Liverpool pushed, the more space they left behind them.
In the 78th minute, Manchester City strung together a sequence of passes in midfield. Rakitic sent the ball wide to Robben on the right. The Dutchman controlled it, cut inside, and after shaking off Insua, curled a shot with his left foot from the top right corner of the penalty area.
The ball traced a beautiful arc into the far-left corner of the Liverpool net.
2–0!
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
The Dutchman, Peter Pan, sprinted out of the stadium in celebration, both hands pointing forward, sending the Manchester City supporters in the stands into a frenzy.
Since joining Manchester City, Robben's performances on the right had become more and more dominant.
And now, everyone was praising Gao Shen's vision and his ability to utilize players. All those who had once questioned Gao Shen's selections had gone quiet and changed their stance.
It was plain to see—Robben was thriving on the right.
Most importantly, he looked healthy.
…
"It's done!"
When Robben's shot hit the net, Gao Shen clenched his fists and shouted joyfully.
Two–nil. That lead was enough.
There were still over ten minutes left on the clock, but Manchester City now had one clear objective: keep the ball.
If Liverpool chose not to press, even better. If they did press, Manchester City would hit them with quick counters, just like this one.
To maximize the counterattacking threat, Gao Shen brought on Sturridge to replace Suárez.
For this match, Gao Shen had made an exception by starting several key players—including Suárez, Zabaleta, and David Luiz—despite them returning late from international duty.
Normally, after international fixtures, South American players were rotated out to rest.
But not this time. For Liverpool, Gao Shen broke his own rule.
The result? Suárez's performance was below par.
Still, as the Premier League's top scorer, Suárez contributed tactically with his movement and work rate.
Now, replacing him with Sturridge brought speed and explosiveness to the counterattack.
After the substitution, Gao Shen couldn't help but laugh.
…
In front of the home dugout, Benítez cursed aloud.
He finally understood why Capello never had anything good to say about Gao Shen.
Simply put, this guy was shameless.
How aggressive was he before scoring?
And the moment he took the lead, he dropped deep and slowed the game. Where was the dignity?
Benítez knew full well that this was a pragmatic and clever tactical shift.
But he was the one trailing now. He wanted Gao Shen to keep attacking, to leave gaps and give Liverpool a chance.
Instead, all he saw was Manchester City calmly keeping possession, winding the clock down.
And that's when Benítez felt it.
Despair.
Without Torres, Liverpool's attack had been toothless tonight.
There were only two shots on target from Liverpool throughout the entire match and neither posed any real threat in open play.
The most crucial player, Gerrard—on whom Benítez had pinned great hopes looked mediocre when matched up against Javi Martínez. As for Kuyt, the former top scorer from the Netherlands had long lost his cutting edge since transitioning to a wide role in the Premier League.
"This bastard!" Benítez exhaled heavily.
He admitted it—he lost.
And he lost at Anfield, his own home ground.
Once he accepted that, and reviewed the match in hindsight, he quickly realized that Gao Shen had targeted set pieces from the very beginning. Manchester City launched wave after wave of attacks, creating a multitude of dead-ball opportunities.
Free kicks in the final third, corner kicks, throw-ins…
It was clear that Gao Shen had intentionally sought to break Liverpool down through set pieces.
And whenever Manchester City regained possession, they used their passing and control to drop deep, forcing Liverpool to push higher.
And let's not forget—Gareth Bale was still sitting on Gao Shen's bench.
So far, only two substitutions had been made.
"It's really not easy," Pellegrino said, glancing at Gao Shen on the touchline in front of the visiting team's dugout. He couldn't help but admire him.
"We fell right into it, Rafa."
Benítez snorted coldly.
It wasn't even that they had been tricked. Gao Shen's strategy had been open and obvious, he just had the tools to make it work.
If nothing else, he simply had more quality players at his disposal than Liverpool.
Once Torres was ruled out, Benítez had practically no forwards left to choose from.
And Gao Shen?
God knows where he found a backup striker like Giroud.
What's worse is that both Suárez and Giroud were bargains and effective, too.
Benítez had been plagued all game by Liverpool's weakness on the left. If only he had a player like Gareth Bale at his disposal, he was sure that the Welshman would've added a whole new dimension to Liverpool's attack.
Especially with Glen Johnson overlapping on the right—it wouldn't have been a dream to see both wings flying.
But reality was cruel.
Gareth Bale belonged to Manchester City.
And all of it—every bit of it—was because of that damn Gao Shen!
…
"Congratulations, Boss!"
Manchester City ultimately defeated Liverpool 2–0 away from home, with goals from Javi Martínez and Robben.
As soon as the final whistle blew and the players walked off the pitch, Biglia came over to shake hands with Gao Shen.
Even after joining Liverpool, Biglia had repeatedly stated in interviews that Gao Shen was the coach he respected and appreciated the most, because it was Gao Shen who had discovered him and brought him to European football as a young player.
Though he had lost the match, Biglia still came over to offer his congratulations.
"Thank you, Lucas," Gao Shen said, shaking his hand warmly. But soon, his eyes drifted past Biglia—toward Mascherano and, a little further back, Benítez—both of whom were glaring at him with less-than-friendly expressions.
Gao Shen couldn't help but chuckle.
"Go on, get out of here—otherwise, I'm afraid you're going to be in trouble later."
Biglia seemed to sense the same thing. He glanced back and saw the looks on Mascherano and Benítez's faces, then gave a helpless smile.
"He's probably furious after Javi Martínez scored over his head," Biglia joked, taking a jab at his old friend. "As for our head coach, to be honest, sir, sometimes he really feels like a child."
That sent Gao Shen into a burst of laughter.
Biglia quickly said his goodbyes, promising to visit soon and treat Gao Shen to a meal.
After all, Liverpool and Manchester weren't far apart.
But Gao Shen had to admit, Biglia was absolutely right.
Benítez could be like a child sometimes, especially with his stubborn personality.
A child obsessed with football.
But today, that child got his lesson.
(To be continued.)
***
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