Chapter 583 - 143: A Change of Plans! Preparing for an Early Title Win! Drogba’s Admiration! Smiling Away the Manchester Derby!
If it weren’t for the rain, fearing the rainwater would slide down his hair into his body, he would have taken it off long ago.
In the 44th minute of the first half, it was former Arsenal player again, Nasri, who received a pass from Tevez on the right side of the penalty area, rushed into the box, and shot into the net.
Two to zero!
Expanding the lead!
"Come on...!" Nasri jumped in place, then roared passionately towards the home team’s stand.
This action angered the Wolves fans and subsequently infuriated the Wolves players.
"Beep! Beep——!"
Soon, the first half ended, and the Manchester City players walked towards the dressing room.
At this moment, the heavy rain slowly turned into light rain, showing signs of clearing up.
After Mancini finished discussing the first-half issues in the locker room, he borrowed a hairdryer from the staff, dried his hair, and then prepared to go out.
Therefore, he was a few minutes late to appear at his team’s coaching area.
Looking at the time, he roughly estimated that if Wolves didn’t score by the 65th minute, they would most likely win the match.
"Phew..."
He took a deep breath, occasionally checking his watch, relaxing his mood.
"Bang!"
In the 64th minute, Wolves launched a quick attack, Knightley suddenly played through the legs of two defenders, passing the ball to Carl Henry on the weaker side.
The latter faced Sabaleta’s defense, seized the opponent’s reckless mistake, sped past on the outside, and shot towards the far corner.
"Swish!" A fast-paced low ball hit Manchester City’s side net, changing the score.
One to two!
Wolves got one back!
"Wow...!"
On the sidelines, Mancini listened to the roar of the home fans, his face turning ashen, his mind unsettled as he raised his left hand.
The second hand moved, driving the hour hand, gradually approaching 4:48, just in time for the 65th minute of the match.
Perceiving the fighting spirit of the Wolves players, he then retracted David Silva and Tevez, replaced them with Nigel de Jong and Adam Johnson, seeking stability.
He glanced at his watch again, estimated that if the opponent didn’t score before the 85th minute, then the possibility of scoring another goal would be minimal.
"Flying out across the country....!!"
In the high-spirited cheers of the fans on-site, the match time quickly reached the 84th minute.
Mancini’s face was tense as he stared at the field, sighing in relief when he saw De Jong disrupting the opponent’s attack in the midfield.
He looked down at his watch, noticing the time had crossed 5:08, 85 minutes had passed!
He wasn’t careless, still standing on the sideline, observing the team’s clashes with the opponent, observing the state of every player.
In the 90th minute, the fourth official raised the stoppage time board on the sidelines, indicating 1 minute of added time for the second half!
"Beep beep!"
Mancini quickly sent Kolo Toure onto the field, using substitutions to drag time.
Watching Nasri walk off the field sluggishly, he raised his head, finding the rain still hadn’t stopped, but at this moment the light raindrops became lovely, falling on one’s face feeling so comfortable.
"Beep!"
"Bang!"
The match restarted, Wolves played a long pass from the back, attempting one last attack.
In Manchester City’s penalty area, Kompany jumped up to head the ball out of the box, then signaled to press up the defense line.
"Bang!!"
In front of the arc of the box, a loud shooting noise was heard, Wolves midfielder Carl Henry struck a powerful airborne shot with the outside of his foot.
This kind of ball he was certainly unsure, just putting all his strength into a try, to see if he could have some good luck.
Under the gaze of all the fans, the soccer ball flew towards the far corner of the goal with a fierce outward bend.
Manchester City’s goalkeeper Joe Hart had had enough of miracle balls, seeing the opponent’s footing he rushed to the predicted landing spot.
"Swish!" But the ball rolled into the net past his hand.
Here it is again!
Joe Hart’s face was ashen, he knew what conceding a goal at this time meant.
"Beep!!" The referee’s whistle sounded first, he pointed to the center circle with one hand, indicating the goal was valid.
The ball went in!
Two to two!
Equalization!!
"Aaaahhhh...!!" Molineux Stadium exploded like it was igniting explosives, Wolves fans all opened their mouths wide as if they were about to eat Manchester City’s players.
Carl Henry pulled off his shirt in a hurry, ran to the sidelines impatiently, and slid tackled the corner flag to break it.
Precious 1 point!
Manchester City’s players were dumbfounded, this was definitely Wolves’ last attack... but it was this final one that dropped them from heaven to hell, making the result unacceptable.
Many bowed their heads looking at the ground, letting the rain from the hair in front of their foreheads slide down their faces, at this moment, it felt as if God was crying for them.
Beside the coaching area, Mancini’s expression changed several times, finally his eyes squinted into a mess, his expression intriguingly watching Wolves’ celebration team.
Molineux’s rainy day saw no ’Forza’, only a sad Italian, saying goodbye to this sorrowful ’West Midlands’ journey with eyes full of melancholy.
"Standings one: Arsenal 34 rounds 28 wins 6 draws, 90 points. Standings two: Manchester City 34 rounds 26 wins 5 draws 3 losses, 83 points. Standings three: Manchester United 34 rounds 25 wins 6 draws 3 losses, 81 points."—Premier League Standings
...
"Yeah...!!"
In London, inside the meeting room at the Korni Training Base, a burst of intense cheers erupted.
Arsenal’s players stood up hugging and high-fiving each other, some danced in place, some ran back and forth jumping, everyone was trapped in a frenzy of joyful surprise.
The rivals dropped points again!
"Henry!"
Sagna playfully twisted his hips and shoulders, looking at the celebrating Carl Henry, said: "The title of the Great Emperor can be lent to him for a day, I know he invited the gods to another peak Henry!"