Chapter 601: A TIC-ing Performance

The match went on, but after another stop in play, Nicolas Jackson’s afternoon came to an end.

Mudryk replaced him on the left flank while Enzo Fernandez came on for Gallagher, and the changes were nothing short of dramatic.

Chelsea suddenly had a different look about them and began looking threatening again with their attacks.

Enzo immediately demanded the ball on his arrival and pushed forward whenever possession reached him, no longer concerned about leaving spaces behind because Chelsea had little choice but to attack.

Mudryk was even more direct.

He stayed wide when he could, then suddenly cut inside whenever the opportunity appeared, and just like that, it stacked, forcing the game to open up.

Chelsea had nothing to lose now.

And for the first time in a while, Wigan were being forced to retreat, but it was different because, unlike earlier, they didn’t have a choice in this one.

"These changes have certainly injected some life into Chelsea," the lead commentator said.

"Enzo is playing like a man who knows his side has to score, and Mudryk gives them something completely different."

His co-commentator nodded.

"That pace of his changes the picture."

And it was true.

Whenever Mudryk received on the left, all he did was run.

Femi Seriki would turn, but whenever it looked like he’d catch up, Mudryk reached another gear.

The next time he received the ball, Palmer was already moving toward him.

The two exchanged a quick one-two, and with his third touch, Palmer returned the ball into Mudryk’s path and just like that, the winger was free.

He had space, and his stronger right foot would have been the obvious choice.

Instead, Mudryk took it onto his left, giving Ben Amos more time to cover.

He opened his body, but instead of the obvious far post, Mudryk smashed the ball right through the roof of the net, wrong-footing Ben Amos as the ball bent beyond his reach.

Eighty-five minutes and Chelsea had their goal.

"THAT’S A GOALLLLL! CHELSEA ARE BACK IN IT!"

"IT’S NOT OVER YET, HERE IN WIGAN!"

The away end erupted as Mudryk sprinted toward the corner, his teammates chasing him, but Pochettino suddenly called out to them, sending the Chelsea players back toward their half as Nkunku grabbed the ball out of the net.

"Come on! Come on!" Mauricio Pochettino said and then pointed toward the centre circle.

"Get the ball! Quickly!"

As this went on, the Wigan supporters fell quiet because they knew a 2-0 lead was one of the most dangerous things in football, as it provided security until the other team scored.

After the team down scored, momentum shifted to them, and for the first time that early afternoon, uncertainty spread across the field.

The referee signalled for the restart, and the ball went back to Wigan, finding none other than Leo.

Immediately, two Chelsea players closed him down, but he took a touch away from the first and then another.

He turned his back to the nearest player, used his body to protect the ball, and the Chelsea supporters immediately began booing.

Leo, however, did not care.

He waited and drew another player toward him, then passed backwards.

Chelsea pushed again, and Leo received again.

This time he turned into pressure, absorbed the contact and won a foul, but the away end erupted in frustration.

"He’s playing like a grandmother!"

"Get up, you wanker!"

"Stop wasting time!"

The insults grew louder as Leo picked himself up.

But he took the ball and, as the game restarted, slowed it down again.

The clock moved toward ninety, and Wigan had three minutes to hold on.

Chelsea, realising their situation, sought eagerly after the goal because either way, they were losing.

Because of that, Chelsea’s defensive line pushed higher.

They were desperate now.

They had committed almost everyone forward, and the Wigan players knew exactly what that meant.

At ninety-three minutes, Leo received the ball near the middle and beat Cole Palmer with a simple touch into space.

Seeing Leo’s escape. Ezra started this run, and at that instant, the Chelsea backline stepped up together.

The offside trap was obvious, but Ezra went anyway.

Chelsea had caught him, and that much was known, but Leo’s foot came down on the ball anyway.

He shaped his body as if he were going toward Ezra, then bent the ball around the left half of Chelsea’s defensive line.

Disasi watched it pass and then turned his head to follow as the ball skipped beyond him.

Then it curled farther left, and somehow Carlo was there.

Malo Gusto, who hadn’t even noticed until it was late, sprang forward while Carlo led him on.

Jake, who stayed central, also began sprinting toward the penalty area.

Carlo reached the ball before Gusto could close him down, and before the latter could catch up, he bent it into the box.

Petrovic came rushing off his line, and his eyes were fixed on Jake.

The goalkeeper expected the ball to reach the striker, but it never did.

Bending in from the other side, Ezra popped out of the Wigan striker’s shadow, and by the time Petrovic realised, Ezra was already there.

The winger reached the ball first and, with no other option, Petrovic lunged, but Ezra dragged it across the goalkeeper with his right foot, leaving the Chelsea keeper in a mess.

And with nothing else left to do, Ezra took another touch and rolled the ball into the empty goal.

3–1 and the DW exploded all over again.

"EZRA!"

The commentator’s voice cracked with the roar.

"THAT HAS KILLED IT! IT IS OVER FOR THE BLUES!"

Ezra immediately turned toward Carlo, who had serviced him, and pointed.

Then sprinted straight into his teammate’s arms.

Carlo caught him, both players laughing as the rest of the Wigan team arrived seconds later.

"Look at these young players!" the co-commentator exclaimed. "They have been outstanding today."

"It’s ridiculous to think that some of the best performers in this league right now are these kids. What a performance from the Tics."

"And now," the co-commentator continued, "the January window has opened. Clubs will be watching performances like this very closely."

The lead commentator laughed and then went on.

"That is certainly one way of putting it. Things can change very quickly in January."

The camera moved away back towards the celebration and found Leo.

He was standing beside Carlo and Ezra, smiling as the three of them exchanged a few words before joining the rest of their teammates.