The tunnel was already tight with tension when the Arsenal players took their positions.
Le Kai arrived last. He moved along the line, offering brief words to each teammate as he passed. He stopped first beside N'Golo Kanté.
"N'Golo, stay disciplined. This one is on you defensively."
Kanté gave a short nod, eyes fixed ahead.
Le Kai shifted to Shkodran Mustafi.
"Keep your head clear. No unnecessary fouls. We don't need another booking."
Mustafi gave an awkward half-smile, adjusting his stance.
Next was Jack Wilshere.
"If there is space, go forward. Don't hesitate. I'll cover the gaps."
Wilshere tapped his chest once.
"Got it."
Le Kai then turned to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and gave a light smile.
"Two matches in. Time for the first goal."
Aubameyang let out a short laugh, slightly embarrassed but nodding.
Finally, Le Kai reached Luis Suárez.
A brief high five followed.
"I'll get it to you."
Suárez responded without hesitation.
"I'll finish it."
There was no doubt in his voice.
That confidence alone changed the air around him. With Kai pushing higher up the pitch, Suárez looked more like himself again. Le Kai then stepped to the very front of the line. He lowered his gaze for a moment.
Training sessions flashed through his mind–the repetitions and adjustments. The small improvements had slowly built his attacking range.
Acceleration changes. Direction shifts. Faster release under pressure.
None of it mattered here unless it worked in real time.
He exhaled once, steady and controlled, then followed the staff out.
From the stands above the tunnel, voices began to rise.
"Come on Arsenal!"
"Time to wake up!"
"No more draws!"
"Get the win today!"
The noise carried through the tunnel walls. The players walked out together. The match atmosphere swallowed them immediately.
After the coin toss and final checks, the teams settled in their halves.
Arsenal lined up in a 4-2-3-1:
Goalkeeper: Petr Čech.
Defenders: Chambers, Mustafi, Koscielny, Gibbs.
Def. Midfielders: Wilshere, Kante,
Att. Midfielders: Aubameyang, Kai, Sanchez
Forward: Suarez.
Newcastle (4-2-3-1):
Goalkeeper: Krul.
Defenders: Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Haïdara.
Def. Midfielders: Anita, Colback
Att. Midfielders: Sissoko, Wijnaldum, Thauvin
Forward: Mitrovic.
The referee's whistle went off.
Newcastle kicked off.
Le Kai and the Arsenal midfield line stepped forward together, already set for the press.
The front line jumped higher, Suárez and Sánchez closing passing lanes, forcing Newcastle backward within seconds. Kai held his position just behind the first wave of pressure, reading the angles instead of chasing blindly.
Anita received the ball under immediate pressure from both sides. Alexis Sánchez and Suárez pressed him in tandem, cutting off easy exits.
Anita hesitated.
His pass came out weak, slightly underhit, drifting into midfield space rather than a clean target.
Kai reacted instantly, not waiting for the ball to arrive. He moved the moment the pass left Anita's foot. He arrived first, just ahead of Colback.
One touch to settle and a second touch forward.
Clean interception.
"Intercepted," the commentator, George Adams, shouted. "That is a brilliant read from Kai!"
There was a shift in the stadium tone immediately.
Le Kai pushed forward with the ball. Arsenal's shape expanded in front of him.
Suárez sprinted into the channel. Wilshere drifted into space between the lines.
The Newcastle defence dropped quickly, trying to reset their block.
"Hold the line!"
"Suárez is free!"
"Don't dive in!"
Tim Krul adjusted his position in goal, eyes fixed entirely on Le Kai.
The passing option was obvious.
Suárez.
The safer and expected play.
Le Kai slowed half a step. That was enough to cause the defenders to hesitate.
Krul shifted weight, preparing for the through ball.
Then Kai struck.
A long-range shot, clean contact, driven with power and dip.
The ball flew toward the far corner.
Krul reacted instantly.
Full stretch dive.
One hand reached it.
He made contact.
The ball shifted slightly, changed trajectory, and crashed against the post with a sharp metallic sound before spinning out.
"Saved!" Paul Merson's voice cut in immediately. "What a strike from Kai, and what a save from Krul!"
Arsenal had a corner. Kai jogged toward the box, pointing to his teammates. He was signaling to teammates to get in.
Jack Wilshere stepped up to deliver.
The cross swung in.
Le Kai made his run late, cutting into the space between markers. Three defenders tracked him instantly. He became the reference point for the entire defensive line.
The ball, however, was not the greatest. Krul came out aggressively and punched it clear. The clearance dropped near the edge of the box.
Newcastle tried to break immediately. They only took two quick touches forward before the pressure returned.
Arsenal were already there.
Kanté closed the first lane.
Wilshere pressed from behind.
No space opened.
The pass went sideways, only for a leg to appear in the passing lane.
Le Kai again.
"Another interception!" George Adams shouted. "Kai is everywhere!"
This time, there was no hesitation from Newcastle. Two midfielders collapsed on him at once. Vurnon Anita and Jack Colback closed the space quickly, trying to trap him before he could turn.
Kai shifted the ball forward with a controlled touch. He then angled his body away from contact and pushed into space. He would not engage in a physical duel, especially not against two players arriving with full momentum.
As he carried the ball forward under pressure, he deliberately backtracked up a few steps. The two midfielders who had been closing him down hesitated. When they saw him retreat instead of forcing the duel, they stopped chasing. The pressing trap lost its trigger.
Space opened.
Le Kai turned calmly.
His head came up immediately.
Alexis Sánchez was already drifting into space on the right. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was higher on the opposite side, unmarked for the moment.
Le Kai chose the simpler option.
A short pass to Sánchez. Sánchez received it cleanly and tried to drive forward.
One touch.
Second touch.
Newcastle collapsed quickly.
The space vanished.
Sánchez had no choice but to recycle possession.
Back to Le Kai.
No rush.
No panic.
He lifted his head and switched play immediately.
A long, fast, but precise diagonal pass.
Aubameyang controlled it on the left side without breaking stride. He attacked the fullback directly. For a brief moment, Arsenal looked balanced in a way they had not been since the start of the season.
Le Kai watched Aubameyang's movement closely.
His timing.
His reactions.
There was something clear about him. He did not want structure, but wanted freedom.
If he drifted central, he needed space to explore it.
If he stayed wide, he needed isolation against a defender.
Any attempt to constantly coordinate his runs would only slow him down. It was what had been happening earlier in the season.
Too many instructions.
Wilshere, in particular, had often drifted too close, trying to combine every movement into patterns. It came from intention, not fault, but it reduced Aubameyang's natural rhythm.
Le Kai approached it differently..
If Aubameyang moved into space, the ball followed.
If he stayed wide, the pass arrived early.
If he dropped, Le Kai adjusted behind him.
It suited the player more than any rigid system.
Aubameyang noticed it quickly, too/
Each pass arrived in a way that felt natural to receive.
Not forced into his feet.
Not delayed.
He did not know how Le Kai always picked the right moment, but he only knew that he rarely had to slow down to adjust.
That alone changed how he played.
He started running more freely.
Cutting inside when he wanted.
Holding the width when he needed.
Trusting the next pass would arrive without hesitation.
Arsenal's attack began to stretch Newcastle's structure for the first time in the match.
Kai stayed slightly behind the action. Only stepping in when necessary to secure second balls or provide protection behind the press.
In possession, he acted as the connector, and out of possession, he closed gaps quickly and quietly.
For the first time in weeks, Arsenal's attacking shape stopped feeling a bit forced.
. . .
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