Robben passed the ball back to Zabaleta, who had pushed forward on the right to receive it.
The Argentine passed centrally, then quickly played it back into the center circle of his own half, where Javi Martinez was waiting unmarked.
David Silva had already dropped into the center circle in the attacking half.
There was no doubt—he wanted the ball.
Javi Martinez didn't even stop it. He redirected Zabaleta's pass directly to David Silva.
From receiving to turning, David Silva's movement was as smooth as flowing water—flawless and composed, filled with elegance.
Chelsea's defense was retreating quickly.
Essien was right in front of David Silva, sprinting back to reposition and re-establish the three-man midfield block with Ballack and Lampard. The latter two had already returned to their defensive positions.
Chelsea's shape looked solid.
After all, the Blues had a strong defensive line.
But at that moment, Suarez suddenly made a run from the center toward the left, as if he was going into open space to receive the ball.
The sudden move confused Chelsea's defense, and Carvalho shifted in his direction.
At nearly the same moment, David Silva delivered a sudden through ball—not to the left, but behind Suarez, threading it perfectly between Essien and Ballack, who were trying to hold the line.
The pass sliced straight through Chelsea's back line, allowing Suarez to face the center-back one-on-one.
Suarez abruptly stopped and spun around to chase Silva's ball.
The pass arrived right between Suarez and Carvalho. As Suarez turned, he found himself directly in front of Carvalho.
The Uruguayan striker had won the positional battle, latched onto the ball, and shaped as if to control it with his left foot, then burst toward the penalty area.
Carvalho stepped in to block.
In the first half, Suarez had made a similar move from the same position and broke into the box.
That time, he was level with Carvalho. This time, he had started a body length behind, which allowed Carvalho to take the initiative in defense.
But no one expected Suarez to suddenly pull the ball back, faking out Carvalho. As Carvalho moved to block, Suarez feinted, then cut the ball to his right. He shifted diagonally across the edge of the box with his right foot, burst forward, and before Carvalho could react—he unleashed a long-range shot with his right foot.
The ball skimmed the grass and rocketed toward the bottom-left corner of the goal.
Carvalho had no time to block, Terry couldn't close in fast enough, and Ballack and Lampard behind them were left flat-footed.
The ball flew in a near-straight line into the left side of Chelsea's net.
Cech dove full stretch—but he was a moment too late.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
"Suarez again!"
"In the 77th minute, Suarez scores again!"
"2-0!!!"
"This is Manchester City's attack!"
"It comes out of nowhere—be it a pass, a run, or an opponent's mistake—City always pounce and turn it into a goal."
"David Silva's through ball was perfectly timed, and Suarez's fake-out was brilliant—just like a sly matador, playing with Carvalho."
"Both goals came from wide areas, and Suarez bagged them both. Manchester City now lead 2-0!"
…
"Wow!!!"
Gao Shen raised both arms, cheering wildly for Suarez.
Two-nil!
More than half an hour had passed since the last goal.
"Brilliant!" Gao Shen turned around, hugged his assistants, and couldn't help but laugh as they celebrated.
There hadn't been many goals tonight, but Manchester City had created a lot of chances.
Even though it was just 2-0, Gao Shen was very satisfied with how the game was unfolding.
He was confident: as long as the team maintained this form and avoided major issues over Christmas and the winter break, their performances would only improve.
"Luis has really integrated into our attacking system," Sarri said with a smile.
He truly admired Gao Shen's eye for talent.
When Gao Shen handpicked Suarez, everyone had doubts. After all, Suarez had only played in the Eredivisie, and people had seen the inconsistency of many Eredivisie exports in recent years.
But who would've thought Suarez would shine so brightly?
Unknowingly, the season was almost halfway through. Manchester City's players had gradually adapted and integrated into the advanced tactical system. It showed on the pitch, even under the intense pressing and pressure of Chelsea's midfield "meat grinder," City's players displayed excellent technical control and coordination.
Though the scoreline showed just two goals, this was easily one of Manchester City's best performances so far this season.
Gao Shen was extremely pleased with how his team had played.
And as he turned back to the pitch, his ambition swelled—he was determined to lead the team on an even longer winning streak.
The further they went, the better.
…
While Gao Shen on one side brimmed with enthusiasm, Ancelotti stood disappointed in front of the away team's technical area.
He hadn't slept well the night before—and now, he looked visibly aged.
Chelsea had mainly lost this game on the attacking front.
Ancelotti had initially feared Joe Cole wouldn't be effective against Javi Martinez and hoped to rely on Deco's experience and passing—yet Deco's performance ended up being worse than Cole's.
Truthfully, Deco wasn't comfortable playing centrally—especially now, older and with declining stamina.
Ballack was another veteran. Though still good at supporting the flanks, he relied heavily on help from Essien and Lampard. He lacked forward threat, which rendered Chelsea's vertical play virtually non-existent.
That made it much easier for Manchester City to defend.
In short, Chelsea barely posed an attacking threat all night, and their defensive issues were laid bare.
Ancelotti's 4-4-2 diamond midfield had been completely dismantled by Gao Shen.
"We've lost," Ancelotti sighed.
With Chelsea now trailing by two goals, no one understood better than him that a comeback was out of reach.
Wilkins could only nod in resignation.
No one wants to admit defeat, especially in a high-profile clash like this.
But it had to be acknowledged: Manchester City had simply performed better overall.
Chelsea only conceded two goals, which was already lucky. If not for Cech's heroics, City could have easily scored one or two more, and Chelsea would've been even more humiliated.
"So far this season, I'm afraid no one can stop Manchester City."
As he spoke, Wilkins glanced toward the home dugout, where Gao Shen stood.
Wilkins, a veteran of European football for decades, had never seen anyone quite like Gao Shen.
At just 29 years old, he had already performed this well as a head coach.
Based on tonight's showing, even against Ancelotti, Gao Shen hadn't looked outmatched at all.
It was simply astonishing!
…
Manchester City ultimately defeated Chelsea 2-0 at home, thanks to Suarez's brace, and extended their winning streak to 15 games.
After the match, Lineker cried out in frustration during Match of the Day:
"Who else can stop Gao Shen?"
It wasn't just Lineker's question—it was the question on the minds of countless media and fans.
Manchester City had been unstoppable.
Fifteen wins in a row, brushing aside almost every opponent in the Premier League. How could any team stop them?
It would've been understandable if they'd only beaten mid- or lower-table teams but even the traditional Big Four had fallen to Manchester City.
The Sun even published an article immediately after the game: "Will This Season's Premier League Lose All Suspense in the First Half?"
What it really meant was, Manchester City was too strong, and the rest of the Premier League was underperforming.
First it was Arsenal, then Manchester United, followed by Liverpool and Chelsea. None of the traditional top four could stop Gao Shen and his Manchester City. So what chance did the others have?
Manchester United had been doing well recently.
After losing to Chelsea in Round 12, they had bounced back with a 3-0 home win over Everton, a 4-1 away win at Portsmouth, and a 4-0 away win over West Ham in this round.
As always, Ferguson's team picked up form heading into winter. This was when they were at their most dangerous—during the Christmas and winter period.
After the West Ham match, Ferguson publicly acknowledged Manchester City's dominance.
"Manchester City has been the best team in the Premier League this season, no doubt. But it's still too early to say the title race is over."
"I said before the season that the biggest test for them would come during Christmas and the winter schedule."
"This is Gao Shen's first time coaching in the Premier League. It's also the first time for most of his players to experience it. I'm sure they'll prepare well, I have no doubt Gao Shen is a master of squad rotation."
"But I still believe they will run into problems over Christmas and the winter break."
Ferguson explained that "those who haven't experienced the Premier League's Christmas and winter schedule can't truly understand how brutal it is for the teams."
"Only after surviving that schedule can a team undergo real transformation. Only then do they deserve to be called champions!"
The media interpreted Ferguson's comments as an attempt to stir up pressure for Manchester City.
After all, this was United's favorite time of year to assert dominance. Over the past decade or more, they had consistently surged during the festive period.
Some outlets even boldly declared: Manchester United will make a comeback.
"Manchester City's current lead isn't as commanding as Newcastle's back in the day. United and Chelsea still have a chance!"
"Manchester City wants to wrap up the title race during the winter break?"
"That's impossible in the Premier League!"
(To be continued.)
***
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