Starting With Real Madrid

Winning the League Cup didn't have much impact on Manchester City.

Because their current schedule was still extremely tight.

While they were playing in the League Cup final, other Premier League teams had already started their 26th-round fixtures. So, after lifting the trophy, City immediately had to play a makeup match.

They hosted Blackburn and secured a clean 3-0 victory.

The three points brought Manchester City another step closer to securing the Premier League title.

Three days later, in Round 27 of the Premier League, Manchester City hosted Bolton.

The home team rotated again, and thanks to Suarez scoring twice in the 12th and 46th minutes, followed by a penalty in the 51st minute after he was fouled in the box, the Uruguayan completed a hat trick.

In the 69th minute, Sturridge came off the bench to score another goal with ease.

Manchester City beat Bolton 4-0 at home.

There was an upset in this round as Chelsea lost 0-1 away to West Bromwich Albion.

Liverpool defeated Arsenal 1-0 at Anfield, with Kuyt scoring from the penalty spot.

Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 away.

As a result, the battle for the top four in the Premier League this season became more intense than ever.

Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Newcastle all still had a chance.

Further down the table, Fulham trailed Newcastle by six points and were unlikely to challenge for a top-four finish.

In terms of relegation, Queens Park Rangers, Blackburn Rovers, Wolves, Bolton Wanderers, and Wigan Athletic were all within two points of each other, but trailed 15th-placed Aston Villa by eight points.

Barring any surprises, the three relegated teams would come from these five.

It could be said that the Premier League picture had become quite clear.

The title was basically in Manchester City's hands, with Manchester United in second. Then came a fierce battle among five teams for the final two Champions League spots, while the bottom five fought to avoid the drop.

It was worth mentioning that even though Liverpool narrowly beat Arsenal 1-0 at home, Benítez's position at Anfield was under serious threat.

Liverpool's general manager, Damien Comolli, was interviewed by reporters after the game. He said that owner John Henry had decided to invest £150 million into the club's transfer budget to help return the Reds to the top level of European football.

Comolli stated that Liverpool had big ambitions and would undergo restructuring this summer to boost the team's competitiveness.

The Liverpool Echo reported that this was a signal that a managerial change was coming.

Liverpool were already targeting several players, including Barcelona's defensive midfielder Seydou Keita, Real Madrid's Nuri Sahin, Swansea's Joe Allen, Leeds United winger Adam Lallana, Belgian striker Benteke, and Manchester City's backup forward Daniel Sturridge.

All of them were on Liverpool's transfer list.

Comolli said that this summer, Liverpool would let all of Europe feel their ambition.

Everyone had essentially concluded that Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers would become Liverpool's next head coach.

On March 10, in Premier League Round 28, Manchester City traveled to face Swansea away.

At the start of the match, Manchester City took the initiative to attack. In the sixth minute, Van Persie produced a brilliant lob in the box, finishing with his left foot to open the scoring for the visitors.

1-0!

After that, the game entered a stalemate, especially near the end of the first half, when Manchester City mounted a fierce wave of attacks.

In just five minutes, City created six consecutive chances but failed to convert any.

Rodgers, the future Liverpool head coach, had set up a well-organized defense.

Although Swansea were only 14th in the table, they had conceded just 34 goals in 27 matches—only three more than second-placed Everton under Moyes—and had scored 30, three more than Everton.

The two sides eventually reached halftime still separated by a single goal.

Interestingly, Everton were just one point ahead of Swansea.

This was a key reason why Rodgers was highly regarded by Liverpool.

After switching sides in the second half, the deadlock continued until the 56th minute. Yaya Touré played a sharp through ball, Gareth Bale made a diagonal run into the left side of the box, brought it down with his chest, and struck a low left-footed shot to double City's lead.

Later, Van Persie went down in the box again after contact with Joe Allen, but the referee didn't award a penalty or even issue a card. This caused considerable frustration among Manchester City's players.

Swansea pulled one back from a corner in the final moments, but it was too late.

In the end, Manchester City won 2-1 away at Swansea.

At the post-match press conference, Gao Shen stated bluntly that City's focus would now shift to the cup competitions.

"Especially the Champions League. That will be our biggest challenge coming up!"

While Manchester City traveled to Swansea, Spalletti had already brought Zenit St. Petersburg south to Manchester ahead of time to prepare for the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 and acclimate to the local weather.

Although temperatures in St. Petersburg were starting to rise, they were still below freezing, while Manchester had already reached double digits.

Spalletti clearly didn't want Manchester City to gain an advantage from the weather.

On the evening of March 14, at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.

In the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16, Manchester City hosted Zenit St. Petersburg.

After the heated battle in St. Petersburg, City returned home with plenty of fire in their bellies. Back at the Etihad, morale was sky-high.

Gao Shen didn't hold anything back and started with his strongest lineup.

Less than two minutes into the game, Robben received a cross from Suarez on the right side of the box. He brought the ball down, beat his defender, and curled a left-footed shot toward the far corner.

Although the goalkeeper managed to save it, the Etihad crowd erupted with cheers and applause. The atmosphere was electric.

After that, Manchester City dominated possession and launched wave after wave of attacks, pinning Zenit deep in their own half.

But Spalletti's team was solid. More importantly, with the Russian Premier League suspended, Zenit had extra time to prepare for this match, and it showed.

The match remained balanced until the 26th minute. Robben, on the right flank, feinted to the byline, suddenly stopped, cut inside, and passed the ball to the right side of the penalty spot.

Suarez received it with his back to goal, stopped the ball, stepped back, and spun around to shoot.

The ball passed under the defender and flew straight into the bottom right corner of the net.

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!"

The cheers of Manchester City fans roared around the Etihad!

Gao Shen raised both arms high in celebration, looking over at Spalletti with a provocative grin.

This bald Italian had given him plenty of trouble in the first leg. Now it was Gao Shen's turn.

Spalletti caught Gao Shen's smug expression, curled his lip, and turned away in disdain.

The game resumed.

Manchester City kept pressing and created numerous chances.

Playing at home, backed by the fans, the team looked sharp and energetic. Zenit struggled to cope with the intensity.

In the first 30 minutes, Manchester City had already taken ten shots. Zenit were under immense pressure.

In first-half stoppage time, Javi Martínez surged forward from near the center circle, intercepted a loose pass, and immediately played it to David Silva before sprinting upfield.

David Silva understood the move and laid it off, allowing Martínez to charge forward with long strides.

This unexpected run caught Zenit's defenders off guard. Two midfielders tried to close him down, but Martínez didn't follow conventional logic. Before reaching the box, he unleashed a long-range shot.

The sudden strike caught the goalkeeper by surprise. He got a hand to it but couldn't hold it.

Suarez, lurking nearby, reacted first, chased the rebound in the box, and tapped it into the open net.

Brace!

The Uruguayan grinned, flashing his signature rabbit-like front teeth, while backpedaling and pointing across the pitch at Javi Martínez.

At that moment, the Spanish midfielder must have been fuming.

Put away those damn teeth!

I finally had a chance to show off my footwork, and you stole the moment!

Manchester City entered halftime with a two-goal advantage.

After the restart, City shifted to a more controlled approach and didn't press as hard as in the first half.

But in the 55th minute, they seized another opportunity.

Once again, it was Javi Martínez who won the ball near midfield. This time, after receiving the ball, David Silva chose to dribble forward himself. He then played a diagonal pass to the left edge of the penalty area for Gareth Bale.

The Welshman burst into the box, stopped the ball, swung his leg, and fired toward the far corner.

But perhaps aiming too precisely, the shot was deflected by the goalkeeper.

Suarez, originally near the penalty spot, suddenly appeared on the right side of the six-yard box, chasing the rebound and calmly slotting it into the open net with the inside of his foot.

Hat trick!

Suarez was ecstatic!

The entire Etihad was chanting his name.

On the sidelines, Gao Shen wore a helpless smile. Should he praise Suarez's instinctive movement, or his ridiculous luck?

Three goals, two rebounds, and a poacher's instinct. What more could you ask for?

After his hat trick, Gao Shen substituted him off for Giroud.

Then, in the 93rd minute, the final moment of stoppage time, Giroud headed down a diagonal cross from Felipe on the left to Gareth Bale.

This time, the Welshman made no mistake, smashing the ball into the bottom left corner from close range with his left foot.

4-0!

That goal sealed the victory for Manchester City.

In the end, Manchester City defeated Zenit St. Petersburg 4-0, with a hat trick from Suarez and a goal from Bale. They advanced with a 5-1 aggregate score.

After the match, Gao Shen stood smiling in front of a visibly frustrated Spalletti.

The kind of look I enjoy the most—when you can't stand me, but you can't do anything about it.

(To be continued.)

***

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