Chapter 742 - 136: Comeback! Four-Goal Haul! No. 9 God! Epic Derby! Fight, or Crawl? Biggest Scoreline in History

"This kind of coordination is incredibly crisp and clean, with no sloppiness whatsoever. It’s a classic Gunners passing and cutting play!"

"The current situation is extremely difficult for Chelsea!"

...

When Walcott scored his second goal, Boas’s face turned pale. Everyone’s faces were filled with disbelief. The situation in the second half had suddenly undergone such a massive change. It defied all logic!

"Something must have gone wrong!" the thirty-four-year-old Boas thought anxiously as he paced back and forth along the sidelines. Especially when he saw the Chelsea players looking somewhat demoralized, he shouted loudly at them on the pitch. He signaled for them to control possession, steady their footing, and avoid falling into chaos!

On another note, Boas decisively made a substitution. Malouda came on for Sturridge. But after giving it some thought, he still felt it wasn’t enough. Thus, he made his second substitution. In the sixty-fifth minute, Lukaku replaced Ramirez.

Malouda was sent on to activate the left flank and suppress Arsenal’s right wing once more. As for Lukaku, his task was to pressure Arsenal’s defensive line. The Belgian beast possessed physical attributes comparable to Drogba’s.

Shortly after coming on, Malouda used his dribbling skills on the left wing to earn Chelsea a free kick on the left side of the front court. The entire Stamford Bridge Stadium erupted into enthusiastic applause!

Everyone from Chelsea surged into the penalty area. Terry, Ivanovic, Lukaku, Torres, and the others all crowded inside the box. Arsenal treated the situation as if facing a formidable enemy.

Wang Shuo sprinted back from the front, returning to the edge of his own team’s penalty area, clapping vigorously.

"Keep your focus! Steady, steady!" he yelled. "Defend this ball!"

The Gunners players all braced themselves, their spirits lifted.

Lampard swiftly delivered an indirect free kick, aiming for the far post to find Lukaku. However, at the critical moment, Szczeny abandoned his goal and charged out, punching the ball away with one hand. The ball flew out to the left side of the penalty area.

Arteta chased after it quickly, shielding the ball before Juan Mata could reach it, but he was forced near the left corner flag. Fortunately, Arteta’s footwork was exceptional. Shifting and dodging, he executed a backheel pass to Gibbs.

Gibbs carried it forward and, under Chelsea’s relentless pressure, quickly passed it to Alexandre Song. Alexandre Song then passed it forward, sending it directly in front of Wang Shuo.

Wang Shuo faced the attacking direction, caught up to the ball, and knocked it forward with one touch. He immediately accelerated, crossing the midfield line in an instant.

Chelsea’s defenders were scrambling—some dropping back, others stepping up to intercept. Bosingwa attempted to intercept Wang Shuo near the midfield line. Just as Wang Shuo crossed the line, he came to a sudden halt and used his left foot to switch the play to the right side of the front court.

Almost simultaneously, Walcott made a rapid forward run down the right flank. Catching up to Wang Shuo’s pass, he kicked the ball far ahead and sprinted after it.

By this time, a three-on-four situation had rapidly formed in the front court. Lampard blocked Walcott in the right half-space. Ashley Cole and Bosingwa took on the roles of center-backs. Ivanovic marked Wang Shuo, who was pushing forward down the middle.

When Wang Shuo advanced into the thirty-meter zone, Hazard had already reached the edge of the penalty area. Seeing Walcott blocked by Lampard, Hazard quickly made a diagonal run towards the right flank. Meanwhile, Wang Shuo accelerated and dashed forward without hesitation.

After a feint, Walcott delivered a through pass into the right side of the penalty box.

Hazard chased down the ball and received it. Facing Ashley Cole, he performed a sudden stop, shielded the ball with his back to the attacking direction, and then knocked it behind himself with a backheel, swiftly turning to shake off Ashley Cole.

As the Belgian dribbled into the right side of the six-yard box, confronting the charging Cech, he opted for a cutback pass to the area between the penalty spot and the six-yard box.

Wang Shuo arrived at the perfect moment. Beating the frantically pursuing Terry to the ball, he calmly slotted a shot that sent the ball into the left side of the net.

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!

"Five to two!

"Arsenal scores another!

"In the seventy-second minute, Wang Shuo completes his brace!

"This scoreline marks Chelsea’s biggest home defeat in the Premier League era.

"In round ten of the 95/96 Premier League season, Manchester United defeated Chelsea four to one at home. The Red Demon was still in the Cantona era back then. Scholes scored twice, and Giggs also had a goal to his name.

"But now, Arsenal has shattered that record with a five-to-two scoreline!

"The situation in the second half has completely turned around.

"We can see that Boas made consecutive substitutions, yet he still failed to reverse the situation.

"Even though the Gunners started to fall behind Chelsea in possession during the second half, they’ve thoroughly crushed the Blue Army in terms of offensive efficiency.

"Especially in their ability to seize opportunities, their efficiency is truly remarkably high.

"This has a lot to do with the fact that Arsenal relies heavily on counterattacks leading to shooting inside the penalty area.

"But regardless, this is absolutely a lethal test for the Blue Army now.

"There are still about twenty minutes left until the end of the match."

...

Boas’s dissatisfaction with Mikel was clearly written all over his face, and he translated it into action. In the seventy-second minute, after the Gunners scored their fifth goal, barely three minutes passed before a dead-ball situation allowed Boas to substitute Meireles in for Mikel. This was an incredibly obvious message to everyone that he was unhappy with Mikel.

After Meireles came on, Chelsea seemed to shift towards a 4-4-2 formation. Up front were Lukaku partnering with Torres. The midfielder line consisted of Malouda, Lampard, Meireles, and Juan Mata.

The defensive line remained essentially unchanged.