Mourinho Can't Keep His Cool!

The goal caught Chelsea off guard, and Mourinho finally lost his composure on the sidelines. With a look of shock on his face, he confirmed that his team had indeed conceded a goal and angrily threw his water bottle to the ground.

"Damn calmness! I'm done pretending!"

With a contorted expression, he ran to the sideline and roared at his players, urging them to continue with the attacking tactics and to play even more aggressively than before.

The reason Mourinho was so insistent on playing attacking football in this match was that he wanted to use the opportunity of hosting Manchester City to prove to the world that he was capable of more than just defense. In Chelsea, Inter Milan, and even Real Madrid, his teams were most known for their defense. This had created a stereotype that Mourinho could only defend and didn't know how to attack.

Although Mourinho often acted indifferent to outside opinions, deep down, he wanted to prove himself. As a top manager in the world, the attack-minded Guardiola was far more recognized in football than Mourinho, which made him secretly competitive and dissatisfied.

Therefore, this season, he started trying to transform Chelsea's attacking system from the first game, even mimicking Barcelona and the Spanish national team's false nine tactics. However, his efforts seemed to be in vain as Chelsea's attempt at the false nine failed. He intended to use the game against an injury-depleted Manchester City to prove his point, but it appeared that this attempt had also failed.

Despite Chelsea's efforts, they couldn't capitalize on their chances, while Manchester City's counterattack had erased Chelsea's lead. This huge disappointment was hard for Mourinho to accept. Was the criticism right? Could he really not play attacking football?

Unwilling to accept this result, he irrationally demanded his team to attack. After berating his players, Mourinho made substitutions. He replaced Lampard with Mata and Schürrle with Willian. These substitutions were all aimed at strengthening the attack. Clearly, Mourinho had not given up on attacking; in fact, Chelsea's offense would become even fiercer.

Mourinho knew very well that if Chelsea were held to a draw or even lost, the media would use harsh words to criticize him, belittling him and his team. Having a poor relationship with the media, he couldn't expect any leniency. He could only rely on his own efforts and abilities to break the stereotype against him.

...

In the box, Abramovich, who had been very pleased with Mourinho's performance earlier, was now furious enough to consider firing him. The goal had wiped out the goodwill he had just developed for Mourinho. Mourinho indeed didn't know how to attack; look at how poorly Chelsea played under him. Despite having so many excellent players up front, none of them could perform like Manchester City's Lin.

Abramovich was very angry. He had spent a lot of money, bought many players, and changed numerous coaches over the years. But why hadn't Chelsea's attack improved? Had he still not found the right person?

He glanced at the frantically raging Mourinho on the sideline and then at the light blue number 10 jersey of the Manchester City player.

...

Mourinho's substitutions did have an effect. Mata, unlike Lampard, excelled in organizing and passing, had great vision, and a strong sense of the overall game. While Lampard was more of a strong attacker with excellent long shots, Mata could contribute to the offense without having to go forward himself, just by controlling and passing the ball.

As a result, with Mata on the field, Manchester City's defense became more challenging, and Chelsea's attack gradually improved. 

In the 77th minute, Chelsea launched a quick counterattack after intercepting the ball. Mata moved forward with the ball and saw a gap in Manchester City's defense, quickly passing to Torres. Torres, acting as a pivot, passed back to the unmarked Mata. Mata then distributed the ball to Hazard. Hazard began his dribbling show, bypassing Yaya Touré and then Demichelis, but his final shot was saved by Joe Hart.

Mourinho, like the Chelsea fans, was frustrated, holding his head in his hands when the shot didn't go in. But he applauded his team's effort right after. Compared to their previous attacks, this one was much more threatening. With this kind of play, a goal seemed like a matter of time. However, they needed to be wary of Manchester City's counterattacks. The two attacks at the beginning and the 65th minute left a deep impression on Mourinho; he believed City had more tricks up their sleeve.

As expected, after Chelsea's substitution, in the 75th minute, Manchester City launched another full-scale counterattack. This time, Chelsea's players were prepared due to the previous two lessons. Mikel, who had just come on, was assigned to mark Lin closely, following him wherever he went, whether or not he had the ball. The previous counterattacks didn't end with Lin scoring, but they started with him. If they didn't keep him in check, who knew what City had in store?

Seeing Mikel marking him, Lin moved to the center, seeking cover from his teammates. Yaya Touré, who had the ball, passed it to Lin, who then quickly passed it to Jovetić before moving forward to find a chance. Mikel struggled to keep up with Lin's constant running and pulling. He thought, "How does he still have so much energy after playing most of the match?"

Jovetić, upon receiving the ball, was intercepted by Terry. With no room to shoot and his passing lanes blocked, he passed it to the left side. But Chelsea was well-prepared for Nasri this time, and the pass was nearly intercepted by Ivanović. Fortunately, Lin, sensing the danger, appeared next to Nasri and received the ball before being tackled. Cahill then abandoned Negredo to close in on Lin. 

Lin observed Čech's position, faked a move to evade Ivanović, and shot from about 26 meters out. The shot was sudden, and Čech's view was blocked by his teammates, causing him to react late. But as a top goalkeeper, Čech had incredibly quick reflexes. In the instant he saw Lin's shot, he made the right move, stepping hard to his right and jumping high to tip the ball. The ball hit the crossbar with a loud thud and bounced out. 

Chelsea fans held their breath, then exhaled collectively in relief. The shot had been dangerously close; a split-second slower, and they would have been trailing.

Čech felt a cold sweat on his back, looking at Lin with a mixture of relief and respect. Lin's shot was tricky and sharp, truly difficult to save. Lin, somewhat regretful, shook his head. He thought the shot was a sure goal but was thwarted by Čech's incredible save. He gave Čech a thumbs-up, acknowledging his skill. Čech, initially surprised by the gesture, nodded back in recognition.

After this counterattack, Chelsea refrained from pressing forward for several minutes. Even Mourinho, though scared, didn't push his players to attack recklessly. 

Meanwhile, Mourinho hesitated, considering whether to settle for a draw. A draw would still end City's eight-game winning streak. But he also felt that if he stopped attacking now, it would tarnish his reputation. So, he gritted his teeth and signaled his team to continue pressing.

In truth, his worry was unnecessary. After the 75th minute of the second half, City's players began showing signs of fatigue. In the 76th minute, Nasri cramped up, followed by a defender a few minutes later. Chelsea players, initially wary of City's counterattacks, quickly realized their opponents were out of energy.

"For Manchester City, the toll of three consecutive away games has finally shown," said commentator Medraawd, seeing City's players struggling physically. "Without the injuries, they might have had a chance. Pellegrini could have made substitutions to manage their stamina. But now, with so many injuries, they can't make those adjustments."

Iruk Yoj nodded. "With such a depleted lineup, City has done well. With only about twenty minutes left, if they can hold on, they might leave Stamford Bridge with a draw."

"Ha, Chelsea and Mourinho won't let them off that easily. City's players are out of energy; this is Chelsea's chance!" Before Iruk Yoj finished speaking, Chelsea had already resumed their attack.

Chelsea players showed no mercy, capitalizing on City's fatigue to intensify their attacks. Recognizing his players' physical struggles, Pellegrini quickly made substitutions. Players who had been warming the bench now had their chance.

In the 79th minute, Nasri was replaced by Milner, whose strong defense and running ability could bolster City's defense and maintain some counterattacking threat.

In the 81st minute, Negredo was replaced by midfielder Rodwell to strengthen the midfield. Two minutes later, Nastasić was replaced by young defender Boyata. With all three substitutions used, City's options for stalling the game were exhausted.

The last ten minutes turned into a half-field drill, with Chelsea besieging City's goal. Mourinho used his last substitution, bringing on Eto'o for a defender. Eto'o, Mourinho's lucky charm from their Inter Milan days, was expected to bring good fortune.

However, Eto'o, now past his prime, was ineffective, missing a golden opportunity in the 88th minute. With the game in the 90th minute, it seemed destined for a draw. But in the last moments, Torres stepped up!

In the 90th minute, Boyata's error allowed Torres to pounce, sliding in to score into an empty net. 2-1!

Torres, ecstatic, tore off his shirt and roared into the camera, celebrating a moment he had long awaited. Mourinho, abandoning all pretense, rushed into the stands, embracing fans in celebration.

Stamford Bridge erupted as Chelsea fans wept with joy, embracing each other. Torres' name echoed through the stadium, the hero of the match.

Lin quietly walked to his goal, patting the despondent Boyata on the shoulder, saying, "Save the self-blame for later. The match isn't over yet, is it?"

He then retrieved the ball from the net and brought it to the center circle, placing it on the kickoff spot. Hands on hips, he waited for the Chelsea players, still celebrating in the corner, to return to the game.