Chapter 364 362: No Team Can Take Three Points from Stamford Bridge!

Li Ang's high praise for Liverpool after the match quickly drew the attention of a large number of Premier League fans.

Although Li Ang often said polite, diplomatic things in interviews, it was rare for him to so openly praise a direct league rival and a new manager.

Liverpool fans, of course, were delighted.

Li Ang's words carried weight — and he had a sharp eye for coaching talent.

If even he believed Klopp would succeed at Liverpool, it gave extra credibility to the club's decision.

However, many neutral Premier League fans remained skeptical.

Managing Borussia Dortmund successfully was one thing; doing the same in the Premier League was entirely different.

The grueling schedule and sheer intensity of England's top flight were nothing like the Bundesliga.

In the end, only results would matter.

Ironically, Li Ang's praise made things harder for Klopp.

Before, expectations were low — no one seriously believed Klopp could immediately rescue Liverpool.

He had enjoyed a relatively forgiving media environment because of that.

But after Li Ang's endorsement, all eyes were suddenly on Klopp and Liverpool.

Of course, Li Ang hadn't done this intentionally.

He was a little mischievous by nature, but he wasn't that malicious.

He genuinely admired Klopp's tactical philosophy and the style he was trying to implement at Liverpool.

After expressing his opinion, Li Ang moved on and focused entirely on preparing for Chelsea's next Champions League match.

After the Liverpool game, Chelsea had only three and a half days to recover before facing CSKA Moscow at home on November 4th.

Without the harsh Moscow weather to aid them, CSKA's actual strength was that of a typical second-tier European club.

Coming to Stamford Bridge, they couldn't exert much psychological pressure on Chelsea's players.

Chelsea, meanwhile, held a very commanding position in their "Group of Death."

After beating Chelsea in the first round, Real Madrid had drawn against CSKA in Moscow and only beaten Wolfsburg at home in the third round.

They sat second in the group with four points.

Wolfsburg, third in the group, had only beaten CSKA so far.

The points gap among the three teams wasn't large — even CSKA, with just one draw, still had a theoretical chance to qualify if they finished strong.

For CSKA, taking points off Chelsea would keep their hopes alive.

Even though pulling off a result at Stamford Bridge was a tall order, they were determined to fight for a miracle.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid and Wolfsburg — facing each other — had very different perspectives.

Real Madrid hoped CSKA could somehow upset Chelsea.

That way, if they beat Wolfsburg, they could narrow the points gap and keep their hopes for first place alive.

Wolfsburg, by contrast, would prefer Chelsea to demolish CSKA — ensuring at least Europa League qualification if nothing else.

If the Champions League was the "feast," the Europa League was still a decent "meal" for mid-tier clubs.

Thus, the psychological difference between Wolfsburg and Real Madrid likely determined their match outcome.

CSKA's Russian players weren't bothering with such calculations.

They just wanted to play a glorious, all-out battle against Chelsea.

If they won, it would be a miracle to celebrate back in Moscow.

If they lost, at least they would have no regrets.

After all, when they were drawn into this group of death, they already knew this day might come.

Thus, carrying a mix of desperation and defiance, CSKA played bravely at Stamford Bridge on November 4th.

They attacked positively, and even managed to suppress Chelsea for parts of the first half.

Chelsea respected CSKA's spirit — and responded ruthlessly.

After exhausting CSKA's starters with intense running in the first half, Chelsea unleashed their true power after halftime.

In just 20 minutes, Chelsea scored three times, tearing CSKA apart.

Counting the counterattack goal in the 37th minute of the first half, Chelsea had smashed four goals past CSKA in just over an hour.

The match became a bloodbath.

Yet even trailing heavily, CSKA's players fought valiantly until the final whistle.

The final score — a brutal but unsurprising 5–1 — sealed Chelsea's fourth straight win in the group stage.

They had practically guaranteed first place.

Even though Real Madrid beat Wolfsburg again, they only had seven points and no margin for error.

Wolfsburg, stuck at three points, now needed a miracle to qualify.

Chelsea securing qualification so early wasn't surprising to fans.

What stunned many was how cleanly and ruthlessly they had dominated — even leaving Real Madrid trailing far behind.

On the internet, some mischievous fans began wondering whether UEFA would once again "set up" Chelsea in the knockout stage.

Maybe they'd rig the draw to make sure Chelsea met the strongest group runner-up?

It wouldn't be unprecedented — UEFA had pulled similar tricks on Arsenal before.

But Chelsea's players didn't bother thinking about conspiracy theories anymore.

Since their goal this season was already set—to defend the Champions League title with full force—there was no reason for Chelsea to fear any opponent in Europe.

No matter who they might draw next, they would just face them head-on!

Second-guessing and hesitation were not their style.

After all, Chelsea were now universally recognized as the strongest team in Europe.

If anyone should be afraid, it was the other teams dreading to face them.

Li Ang wasn't even thinking about potential Champions League knockout draws.

The schedule for English teams involved in Europe had become brutally intense.

Right after this round of Champions League group matches, Premier League teams barely had time to rest before plunging into the twelfth round of the league.

Most of them wouldn't even get two full days off, giving managers with thinner squads huge headaches.

Chelsea's situation was slightly better, but Mourinho still couldn't stop cursing the FA in private for the tight scheduling.

After the nonstop grind of the previous league and Champions League matches, many of Chelsea's key players needed rotation and rest.

Even if they didn't feel exhausted yet, medical checks showed their muscles were already close to a critical point of overstrain.

Thus, on November 7th, when Chelsea hosted Stoke City at Stamford Bridge, they weren't at full strength.

Suárez, De Bruyne, Kroos, and Thiago Silva were all rested on medical advice.

Trippier was also ruled out after twisting his ankle in training.

Li Ang had no choice but to once again shoulder the heavy responsibility on both ends of the pitch, leading a team with many substitutes against Stoke.

Looking at the league table, Stoke's form—three wins, four draws, and four losses after eleven games—was unimpressive, sitting on just thirteen points.

But this was a team with a Liverpool-like quirk:

They might stumble against weaker teams, but against big clubs, they transformed into unkillable monsters!

Today, Stoke went berserk facing Chelsea.

Shaqiri was in top form, repeatedly beating Bertrand in one-on-ones early on.

And with Matić and Mascherano (Little Masch) both performing below par, Stoke tore open Chelsea's left defensive side.

Li Ang noticed this quickly and swapped places with Little Masch to reinforce the left.

But no sooner had he suppressed Shaqiri than Arnautović became lively on the other side.

To make matters worse, when Li Ang shifted to cover the flanks, Van Ginkel failed to track Bojan's runs.

Thus, by the 20th minute, Bojan successfully received a layoff from striker Walters and stormed into Chelsea's right-side half-space!

Maguire had no choice but to step up and challenge.

But Bojan cleverly laid it off, and Arnautović found himself with a shooting opportunity at the edge of the box!

The Austrian forward unleashed a confident curler toward Chelsea's far post.

It was fast, beautifully curved, and sharply angled!

Oblak dove with everything he had, but Arnautović's shot was so perfect it smashed into the net—unstoppable!

Chelsea found themselves trailing very early at Stamford Bridge—a rare occurrence.

Mourinho frowned deeply on the sidelines.

Several of the backup players were clearly off-form today.

One or two underperforming players were manageable over a long season, but having several simultaneously was a major problem!

To make matters worse, only Kroos among the rested starters had made the matchday squad.

Mourinho had very few substitution options today.

Watching the unfolding situation, Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge grew worried.

This was the biggest difference between using seasoned veterans and relying on young players.

Young players struggled more with maintaining consistent form.

At this critical moment, all eyes in the stadium and at home instinctively turned to Li Ang.

And Li Ang was already huddled with Llorente and Hazard, urgently strategizing.

After the restart, Li Ang held possession but didn't rush forward.

Instead, he stabilized Chelsea's midfield control first before gradually pushing the team forward.

His tactical choice was simple:

Instead of always seeking the wingers, he launched long balls to Llorente, who had already established a position up front.

Using his towering frame, Llorente became a solid offensive fulcrum for Chelsea.

His ability to receive and distribute quickly bypassed Stoke's midfield block, allowing Chelsea to launch direct, efficient attacks.

Veteran Chelsea fans found this style very familiar.

During "Mourinho's First Era," they had used Drogba's physical presence in much the same way.

Today, Li Ang revived that direct long-ball strategy.

Hazard and Salah continually attacked Stoke's flanks, suppressing Stoke's quick counterattacks.

But just as Stoke began adjusting to this approach, Li Ang suddenly switched gears.

In the 38th minute, he handed over organization to Van Ginkel and made a decisive forward run!

Van Ginkel's long passing was decent, and seeing Li Ang's movement, Llorente perfectly nodded the ball on without hesitation.

The ball soared over Stoke's two defensive midfielders.

Li Ang, sprinting at full speed, controlled it brilliantly, immediately alarming Stoke's defenders.

Shawcross signaled for his center-back partner Wolscheid to step up.

But facing the slower German defender, Li Ang didn't hesitate.

One stepover and a powerful burst — he left Wolscheid in the dust!

Wolscheid tried to tackle but was half a step too slow.

Now facing Stoke's goalkeeper Butland alone, Li Ang unleashed a thunderous strike before Shawcross could cover.

The ball roared toward the goal, smashing off the underside of the crossbar before slamming into the net!

Butland didn't even have time to react.

Li Ang pounded his chest hard, roaring toward the stands packed with Chelsea fans!

It was as if he was making a promise:

"Trust us — no team can take three points away from Stamford Bridge!"

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