3-0!
That was the halftime score of the simultaneously played match between Manchester City and Brighton. But at that moment, there wasn't the slightest smile on Guardiola's face.
Unless Wolves could score two goals against Liverpool in the second half, the title race was effectively over. The probability of Wolves coming back from two goals down away to Liverpool was even lower than Liverpool's 4-goal comeback at Camp Nou. After all, the difference in quality between the two teams was clear, whereas Liverpool and Barcelona were on the same level.
And as for Liverpool, after winning such a tough battle, the team's momentum was now astonishingly high. Combined with their inherent superiority over Wolves and the backing of their home crowd... it was an impossible situation.
Manchester City was likely to become the runner-up with the highest point total in Premier League history.
Over at Liverpool's match, the sound of the Anfield anthem seemed to have never stopped since the first second of the game. With a 2-0 lead, Liverpool walked into the players' tunnel. The 30-year top-flight title drought was about to be broken. Liverpool was only forty-five minutes of football away from their first-ever Premier League championship.
Yet even so, at this moment, the Liverpool players were in the same state as they were before the match began: like a pack of wolves that had been starved for a long time. They were all too desperate to win this title.
In such a moment, Tendou, with his obsessive desire for victory, was actually one of the calmer ones. This was, after all, only his first professional season. Youth was his capital. He had plenty of time in the future to chase glory.
"Forty-five minutes left!"
"Gentlemen, only forty-five minutes left!"
"Hold on, maintain your desire for victory, for the championship!"
"Don't give our opponents any chances!"
"Those Manchester people must be waiting for us to make a mistake!"
"So what are we going to do?"
"We're going to kill their hope, make them despair completely!"
In the locker room, Klopp didn't talk about tactics at all. He continuously fueled the players' emotions, ensuring their fighting spirit remained at its peak. And the Liverpool players, naturally, were all fired up.
Fifteen minutes later, the two teams switched sides and resumed the battle.
It was Wolves' kick-off. The moment the ball was played, Liverpool's forwards immediately pressed high. Wolves hadn't even managed to organize an attack before they lost possession.
Henderson passed the ball to Tendou. Jota and Jiménez immediately teamed up and charged towards him. A double-team.
Tendou chose not to take them on head-on, instead turning with the ball and playing a diagonal pass to neutralize their aggressive press. Arnold, who received the pass, saw Tendou break free from the double-team and immediately passed the ball back.
A simple one-two. Arnold never expected it would directly turn into an assist.
The moment he received the ball back, Tendou keenly sensed that Wolves were dead set on stopping Liverpool from winning the title. After the start of the second half, Wolves' formation was pushed up far too high. This was a clear sign of their intent to attack and score.
And the Wolves goalkeeper, Patrício, had inexplicably wandered to the edge of his penalty area. Perhaps he wanted to come out and enjoy the scenery? Unfortunately for him, he didn't expect his teammates to lose the ball so easily to a Liverpool counter-press.
A green line connected the ball at his feet and the Wolves' goal.
Probability of scoring: 41%!
That was very high!
Without any hesitation, Tendou swung his right leg, heavily striking the ball.
"Grizzly Counterstrike!"
"BOOM!"
A deafening crack echoed. The football at Tendou's feet instantly soared into the sky.
Hearing the explosive sound, Patrício couldn't help but shudder. A cold sweat broke out as he frantically scrambled back towards his goal.
However, the speed and dipping arc of Tendou's long-range lob had been calculated with big data, compiled from countless football matches and all the games Patrício had ever played in.
"Swish!"
The ball took off from near the halfway line, and in the blink of an eye, it was over the Wolves' penalty area and began to plummet rapidly.
"A one-two combination!"
"Trent passes the ball back to TJ!"
"What's he going to do..."
"He's shooting directly, a super-long ran—!!!"
"..."
The Liverpool commentator almost tripped over his words mid-sentence. His initially relaxed expression suddenly turned to one of stunned disbelief.
Then he roared:
"IT'S A GOAL!"
"Holy Mother Mary, that ball went in!"
"A heaven-defying lob worthy of David Beckham!"
"Less than three minutes into the second half, Liverpool have extended their lead again!"
"The third goal!"
"The score is 3-0!"
"It's over! After 30 years, the people of Liverpool will once again touch the English top-flight league championship trophy!"
The commentator screamed hysterically. The fans at Anfield exploded in an instant. Normally, they would be thrilled with a two-goal lead being extended, but they would never be as insane as they were now.
This was a halfway-line lob, a goal that makes a player famous!
And Tendou, under the camera's gaze, celebrated his incredible goal just as David Beckham had all those years ago, raising both fists in triumph.
"TJ!"
"TJ!"
"TJ!"
"..."
His name echoed around Anfield again and again. Not just in the stands, but the tens of thousands of Liverpool fans in the square outside the stadium were so excited they began hugging complete strangers around them.
Two 'worldie' goals in one match. What better way to welcome the championship?
Meanwhile, in the Manchester City vs. Brighton match, Guardiola was still holding onto a tiny sliver of hope. After all, with a two-goal deficit, there was still a small chance for Wolves to come back.
However, just as he was instructing his players on how to approach the second half, his assistant informed him again.
"Boss, Liverpool scored again."
"Who?"
"Still TJ. A super long-range lob from midfield, less than four minutes into the second half."
That was it. No need to worry anymore. Guardiola rubbed his bald head in frustration.
3-0!
What the hell was there to chase now!
The camera seemed to have gotten the news from the Liverpool match as well, as it cheekily zoomed in on the City manager.
"Fck!"
"I wouldn't be surprised if they gave you the Ballon d'Or!"
"TJ, you're a fcking god!"
The Liverpool players had been preparing for another attack; at least Salah and Mané had already started their runs. But halfway through, the damn ball was already in the opponent's net.
This...
I'm f*cking speechless!
They quickly turned back and ran over to mob Tendou.
Tendou's Golden Boy award for this season was already a certainty. As for the Ballon d'Or, that was a complete joke. If they were to give it to someone, it would probably be...
Wait.
Is there actually a tiny, tiny chance?!
The comeback against Barcelona at Camp Nou, where Tendou scored 4 goals, brought his Champions League goal tally to 11, only 2 behind Messi's 13. If Liverpool were to win the league and Champions League double this season, given Tendou's current stats, it wasn't entirely out of the question.
"That can't be, right?" Arnold's head was buzzing.
The main reason was that this year, there weren't many standout candidates for the Ballon d'Or. Messi and Ronaldo had both been knocked out of the Champions League. The world's number one player, Noel, had been served a bottle of 7 Up by their own Liverpool team.
Thinking about it that way, it seemed like there really was a possibility?