Liverpool vs. Wolves.
Brighton vs. Manchester City.
Both matches were kicking off at the same time, and the fans of each team would be paying close attention to the other's score. It wasn't just Liverpool fans hoping for Manchester City to lose so Liverpool could clinch the title; Manchester City fans were also hoping for Liverpool to slip up at home.
After all, following their exit from the Champions League, Manchester City only had two championships left to contend for this year. The most important of these was the league title, followed by the FA Cup. In modern football, when it comes to the prestige of competitions, excluding international tournaments, the Champions League is undoubtedly number one. After that come the top five major league titles, followed by domestic cups like the FA Cup, Copa del Rey, and DFB-Pokal.
For this round of matches, you could see many fans outside both stadiums openly "praying"—some cursing their rivals, others wishing for their own team's success.
"Welcome to the 38th round of the Premier League!"
"Liverpool versus Wolves at home!"
"I don't need to say much more about the importance of this match. Whether Liverpool can break their 30-year drought for an English top-flight league title will be decided in the next 90 minutes!"
"Happening simultaneously is the match involving Liverpool's rivals, Manchester City, who will be away to the Seagulls, Brighton!"
"The points difference between the two sides is just one point, with Liverpool holding a slight advantage at the top of the league!"
"For the people of Liverpool to guarantee the league title, they must secure all three points in this match!"
"If they unfortunately lose, then they can only hope that Manchester City also loses, because in terms of goal difference, Liverpool is still three goals behind City!"
"Alright!"
"The players of both teams are now in their respective halves!"
"Tweet!!!"
"The referee has blown the whistle to start the match!"
"Let's first look at the starting lineups:"
"First, the home team, Liverpool:"
"Goalkeeper: Alisson."
"Defenders: Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson."
"Midfield: Henderson, Fabinho, Keita."
"Forwards: Salah, TJ, Mané!"
"We can see that Salah, who was unfortunately injured before, is in the starting lineup for this match. This is definitely good news for Liverpool, because after this game, they still have another important match to play."
"In addition to Salah, Arnold, who was suspended for one match, has also returned. Klopp has fielded the strongest possible lineup."
"It is worth noting that TJ, who scored 4 goals in a single game at Camp Nou, once again appears in the center forward position."
Seeing the team's starting lineup, Anfield erupted in enthusiastic cheers once again. It seemed they preferred seeing Tendou as a center forward rather than in midfield.
"On the Wolves' side, they've gone with a 3-5-2 formation."
"Goalkeeper: Patrício."
"Three defenders: Boly, Coady, Bennett."
"Midfield: Otto, Moutinho, R. Neves, Dendoncker, Doherty."
"Forwards: Jota, Jiménez!"
Wolves' intention for this match was clear. They wanted to seize control of the midfield, which is why they had five players there.
Amidst the cheers of sixty thousand Liverpool fans, Liverpool won the kick-off. From the very first minute, "You'll Never Walk Alone" was sung by the passionate fans. The 30-year battle for the championship had finally begun.
"It's been 30 years, let's see if Liverpool can win today!"
"30 years, I've gone from a student to a middle-aged uncle!"
"Please, Liverpool, just win this!"
In the livestream chat, Liverpool fans typed out emotional comments.
The Liverpool players, however, were not in a hurry. After the kick-off, they played very steadily, not attacking blindly just because the championship was within reach. Similarly, Wolves were not anxious either. They weren't the ones playing for the title, so the pressure was not on them.
As a result, in the opening minutes, the two teams didn't look like they were playing a crucial battle that would decide the entire season's championship. It was more like a friendly match where the result didn't matter.
"Don't be hasty!"
"Let's do what we need to do. They're the ones who should be anxious!"
"Fall back, Neves, don't rush!"
Time ticked by, minute by minute, as Wolves used their numerical advantage in midfield to pass the ball around, waiting for Liverpool to make a mistake and give them an opportunity.
Of course, the battle-hardened Liverpool would not fall into that trap. They had overcome difficult challenges like Bayern and Barcelona; with the match just beginning, they could afford to be patient.
However, after watching for ten minutes and seeing that Wolves were giving them no openings, Klopp waved his hand, signaling his players to press forward and actively create chances.
In an instant, Liverpool sprang into action.
"Watch their two flanks!"
Seeing that Liverpool was about to make a move, the Wolves manager shouted instructions from the sideline, reminding his players to pay attention to Salah and Mané, two of the Premier League's top wingers.
Fabinho dribbled while observing his teammates' positions. However, with their numerical advantage, Wolves quickly dispossessed him.
But before Wolves could launch a counter-attack, just after crossing the halfway line, a retreating Tendou made a simple and brutal challenge, colliding with two players and knocking them to the ground.
Then, after winning the ball, he immediately turned and charged towards the Wolves' half.
A collision with no technique whatsoever! He directly sent the 38-year-old Portuguese veteran, Moutinho, staggering backward and then to the ground.
"BOOM!"
Anfield instantly erupted. Although it was just a tackle to win the ball back, the Liverpool fans were ecstatic. They were on edge today, susceptible to any stimulus, especially a display of absolutely violent, muscular contact like Tendou's.
"Hey, hey, he fouled!" Moutinho immediately complained, but the referee firmly pointed towards the front.
Advantage played!
Almost simultaneously, while Moutinho was complaining, Tendou had already used his speed to close in on Rúben Neves.
Rúben Neves, a current Portuguese international, had made his national team debut back in 2015. However, he was best known for the various records he broke during his time at Porto, such as being the youngest captain in Champions League history and the youngest Portuguese player to play in the competition. Now at 28, Neves was at the peak of his career.
Neves did not dare to underestimate this 18-year-old Liverpool prodigy. He had watched the Champions League semi-final and knew what this kid had done at Camp Nou.
Four goals at Camp Nou! A feat that even his national team captain had never accomplished!
But even with all his caution, facing Tendou, he was still beaten in almost a single step. Neves deliberately lowered his center of gravity, offering Tendou an apparent opening. This trick was particularly effective against young players, as inexperienced youngsters were often easily baited.
However, Tendou seemed to see right through his intentions. With a quick touch and change of direction, he "swooshed" past his side and broke through.