81: The Applause of the Emirates

Emirates Stadium!

The chants from the Arsenal stands shocked the media present and stunned the players on the field!

The London press at the scene was in an uproar!

What did they just hear?

The prideful Gunners supporters, in their own fortress of glory—the Emirates—had just applauded an opposing player?

They were even chanting in perfect unison from the stands—

Demanding the club to sign that super genius!

This was undoubtedly one of the most explosive headlines of the season!

On the sidelines, Holloway stood silent.

A storm of emotion stirred in his heart.

He knew that with Kai's talent and ability, conquering those big-money Premier League executives was already inevitable…

But what truly proved this era-defining genius was not just admiration from club owners—

It was winning over the hearts of the fans.

And that moment had finally come.

As the season drew to a close, Holloway also knew—

That young captain in the No.10 shirt of Crystal Palace, the Eagle King of South London, the most legendary player in the club's history—

Would soon spread his wings...

And fly toward a far broader stage.

Not far away, Arsène Wenger slowly scanned the stands.

His hands in his suit pockets trembled involuntarily.

Even he hadn't anticipated such a scene!

Down 0–3 at halftime to a Championship side, the proud Arsenal fans hadn't flooded the Emirates with boos and outrage...

Instead?

Applause?

Wenger stood there in disbelief.

In his long career as the "Professor" at Arsenal...

He had never seen the notoriously demanding Gunners faithful show such unexpected grace.

Since the fall of the Highbury kings into history...

The Gunners had sunk lower and lower—

Falling short on every front, harvesting nothing.

This club, with over 120 years of history, had been lost on its quest for glory for far too long.

The "flagbearer" the fans had longed for... had never come.

The Gunners were desperate for a guiding light, something—someone—to lead them forward again.

In this moment, Wenger's aged eyes suddenly gleamed with intense clarity.

On the field!

Hearing the applause from the stands...

Even Kai was momentarily stunned.

His teammates beside him all showed bright, excited expressions.

They were genuinely proud.

Their young captain, leading a Championship team, had stormed one Premier League stronghold after another.

And now—

He had even earned roaring applause from the Emirates crowd.

At this very moment—

Kai looked around at the Gunners' fortress packed with sixty thousand fans.

Applause and cheers wrapped around him like a wave.

He looked toward the sideline—

And locked eyes with Wenger.

The coach returned his gaze, his expression solemn and intense.

In that brief moment, when their eyes met—

The media exploded!

In their view, this was a historic stare-down—

A moment that seemed to freeze time!

The cameras captured it instantly.

No one knew what either of them was thinking.

But one thing was certain:

In that silent exchange of glances...

Both Kai and Wenger saw in each other the unyielding hunger—for championship glory.

Soon after—

With the crowd's continuous chants still echoing in the stands—

The referee blew the whistle to end the first half!

The players from both teams walked into the tunnel.

Inside the halftime dressing room—

Fabregas sat in silence.

Wenger stood at the tactical board—

Carefully explaining the second half strategy to his players.

Despite the huge deficit...

The proud Gunners would never willingly accept defeat.

They had to defend the honor of the Emirates Stadium!

Meanwhile, in the Crystal Palace locker room—

The players were buzzing with excitement.

A 3–0 halftime lead felt like a dream!

But thankfully—

When the team is behind, Kai becomes the banner of calm and composure.

And when the team is leading by a wide margin, he's the one to remind everyone not to get carried away.

The lesson of Istanbul still echoed in their minds!

Even at 3–0, you don't pop the champagne early.

"That's Arsenal on the other side! Young, energetic, and explosive in attack—we must never let our guard down!"

Kai gathered all his teammates around him.

"Win this match, and we'll be in the FA Cup final."

"Maybe none of us imagined we'd ever make it this far. But miracles and history—they belong to the brave!"

"In the second half, play steadily and carefully—we must march into that final!"

A roar of determination erupted in the Crystal Palace locker room!

With fired-up hearts, the players charged out of the tunnel.

As they returned to the field, every single Crystal Palace player had one look in their eyes—

an unshakable hunger for victory.

This second half—they would not allow a single mistake.

Crystal Palace would hold their heads high as they marched past Arsenal—

into the final.

The Emirates roared again!

Arsenal supporters, for now, set aside their admiration and love for the super genius.

Right now, what mattered most was protecting their home turf's honor!

As the so-called "Kings of the FA Cup,"

Arsenal fans were determined to stand their ground.

The second half began—

And Arsenal immediately launched a fierce offensive!

With their Premier League and Champions League title hopes already gone...

The Gunners poured all their firepower into the second half!

The stands erupted with a thunderous din!

In the first 25 minutes of the second half,

Arsenal unleashed wave after wave of smooth, relentless attacks.

Each pass-and-move sequence put enormous pressure on Crystal Palace's defense.

And the tactics Wenger had drilled into his players...

Finally paid off.

71st minute!

Arsenal pulled off an exquisite combination down the left wing!

Walcott tore open Palace's defensive flank,

Feeding the ball to the overlapping Nasri.

Nasri made a blistering run to the byline—

Then delivered a sharp cut-back cross at a tight angle!

Cheers erupted in the stands!

Inside the Crystal Palace penalty area—

At the near post, Bendtner let the ball roll past with a clever dummy—

And at the far post, Van Persie burst in!

Left-footed rocket!

The ball smashed into the Crystal Palace net!

Arsenal pulled one back in the 70th minute!

Van Persie didn't stop to celebrate.

He immediately ran into the goal and fished the ball out of the net, urging his teammates back to midfield.

1–3 on the scoreboard.

There was no time to waste celebrating for the Gunners!

On the sidelines, Wenger clapped calmly.

He raised his arm, signaling Arsenal to maintain the momentum.

The Arsenal supporters in the stands—

Their hopes reignited!

But Holloway looked a little concerned.

Even with a two-goal lead, once Arsenal's youthful storm began to swirl...

Could Crystal Palace's defense withstand the onslaught?

But in the minutes that followed—

Crystal Palace fans could finally breathe again.

With Kai commanding the midfield,

he ensured the score didn't change any further.

In the final stretch of the match, both sides traded attacks.

Arsenal continued to press with danger...

But every time Crystal Palace countered—

Kai's dazzling and precise passes carved paths through the Gunners' formation,

And nearly broke through Szczęsny's goal again!

By the end, Arsenal's exhausted players could only keep glancing up at the stadium screen overhead...

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