"Crush those Spurs trash!"
"Kick those losers off the pitch!"
"There's only one team in North London—Arsenal!"
The deafening roar erupted from the stands of the Emirates Stadium!
Arsenal fans, dressed in their signature red and white kits, waved team flags and exploded into thunderous shouts!
The intense, solemn, yet wildly passionate atmosphere spread from the stands, turning the entire stadium into a terrifying fortress!
The referee glanced at the time—
Then blew the whistle decisively!
The 2011–12 League Cup Quarterfinal had officially begun!
The crowd instantly erupted in a new wave of roaring cheers!
From the center circle, Van Persie kicked off—
Then quickly turned and sprinted full-speed into Tottenham's half!
Gervinho passed the ball to Kai.
In the away stands, Tottenham fans suddenly frowned.
It wasn't that Spurs had pushed past the halfway line—
None of them had.
But their entire formation was unusually high.
They were launching a high press against Arsenal!
"Has Pochettino gone mad? Does he think he's Klopp or Simeone?"
"A high press with a back three? There'll be holes everywhere! He's asking for trouble!"
The Spurs fans in the away end looked worried.
Even on the touchline, Pochettino's face was tense.
This was the first time since taking over Spurs that he deployed a three-center-back system.
It was also his first attempt at implementing a high press this season.
He knew full well—
They weren't Dortmund. They weren't Atlético.
High pressing wasn't a tactic you could just throw together.
It required repetition, training, and chemistry—
All of which Spurs lacked.
But from Pochettino's point of view—
Using a deep defensive line against Kai's Arsenal was slow suicide.
"High pressing is a risky, even extreme tactic,"
"but against an Arsenal led by Kai, there's no other way."
"Dortmund proved it—Klopp's team is the best at high pressing in Europe, and even they got shredded by Kai's Arsenal."
The London media buzzed with heated discussion.
In the opening phase, Spurs were trying to mimic Klopp's system, pressing high to cut off Arsenal's passing lanes and disrupt their build-up.
Tottenham's midfielders were already targeting Kai.
Even the backline was noticeably pushed up.
On Arsenal's side—
After two quick vertical passes, the ball was played back toward Kai.
Modrić quickly charged in.
But Kai's reaction was blindingly fast!
He didn't even need to dribble or shield the ball—
Just using his raw speed and strength, he brushed Modrić aside with ease near the top of the center circle.
Then, without hesitation—
He lifted a perfectly weighted lob over the defense!
The ball landed precisely at the feet of Van Persie, right at the edge of the box!
On the touchline, Pochettino's heart clenched.
Van Persie controlled it with his thigh, cut diagonally into the box—
And unleashed one of his signature volleys!
Gasps erupted from the away end!
But—
He didn't connect cleanly.
The ball flew over the bar and into the stands!
Van Persie clutched his head in frustration—what a wasted chance!
Still, the Arsenal fans applauded, encouraging their striker.
Tottenham supporters let out a sigh of relief.
But almost immediately—
A terrifying realization set in.
Their worst fears were spot on.
This high press was leaving too many gaps in their defense.
They absolutely couldn't afford to let Kai have time on the ball!
On the pitch—
Possession shifted constantly near the sidelines.
Both sides fought fiercely for every ball.
Gareth Bale, dropping slightly deeper from the wing,
gritted his teeth and slid in with a hard tackle—
intercepting a horizontal pass intended for Rosický!
Bale immediately sprang up and looked to burst forward with the ball.
Spurs' formation instinctively pushed forward.
Modrić moved to support from midfield.
In the away stands, Spurs fans clenched their fists.
Pochettino's eyes lit up—
Was the tactic finally working?
The essence of a high press was to gain more control of possession through relentless pressing.
It could collapse the opponent's shape—
And allow for instant counterattacks.
But just as hope flickered on the Spurs bench—
It was instantly crushed.
From down the sideline, in a blur of motion,
a red figure streaked diagonally across the pitch like a missile.
The Arsenal fans roared—
It was Kai!
The Spurs bench was stunned.
That speed—
It was insane.
But soon, they remembered the Premier League season opener—the North London Derby.
In that match half a year ago, Kai had used his sheer speed to utterly dominate Bale.
That game had haunted their minds for a long time.
Now—Kai dove in with a sliding tackle.
His instep hooked the ball—
A superb sideways slide and steal!
Bale was tripped slightly by the ball and fell to the ground.
He instinctively raised his hand to appeal to the referee!
But the ref, with a stern expression, extended both arms—signaling: No foul.
The Arsenal stands erupted with jeers at Bale!
At the exact moment Kai intercepted the ball—
Arsenal's entire formation reacted instantly!
The whole squad surged forward in a dramatic high press!
Van Persie and Walcott immediately darted into the left channel of Tottenham's half.
Gervinho moved to support Kai from the front flank.
From Kai's godlike field vision—
He saw the entire Spurs defense riddled with holes!
This was one of the biggest weaknesses of a high press strategy.
Only iron-willed players with extreme stamina, constantly sprinting up and down and giving their all in both offense and defense, could support this kind of high pressing style.
Otherwise, it was nothing short of digging your own grave.
Under the excited gazes of Arsenal fans—
Kai once again lobbed the ball high into the air!
The ball flew over the defenders' heads—
Easily tearing apart Tottenham's backline!
Laser-guided!
This time, he found Gervinho on the wing!
Gervinho burst forward at full speed.
He cut inside with the ball—and curled a shot!
Hugo Lloris dived to save it—
But the angle was too sharp.
He had curled it right into the corner!
"GOAAALLLL!!!"
The home commentators at the Emirates Stadium went wild!
"It's in!!"
"So easy! One long pass straight into a goal!"
"That's the brilliance of Kai's passing!"
1:0!
"What a killer ball!"
"Keep playing like that!"
"Don't stop—tear their goal apart!"
Arsenal fans in the stands cheered with their fists in the air!
Gervinho leapt up in celebration after scoring.
He sprinted straight toward Kai.
All the Arsenal players rushed over and embraced each other in celebration.
"Don't give them a single breath of relief!" Kai clapped, urging his teammates on.
"Captain, ball to feet, man to goal! I swear I'm going to crush these damn Spurs today!" Van Persie was full of fighting spirit!
Every Arsenal player looked fired up!
This was the North London Derby!
For Arsenal, it didn't matter if you lost any other game—
But in this derby, you gave everything!
On the sidelines, Pochettino fell silent.
They got scored on again?
And it had only been a few minutes!
The good news? It wasn't like the season opener when they got blitzed just 7 seconds after kickoff.
The bad news?
Now that Arsenal had taken the lead—
The momentum would only become more ferocious!
In the stands, Spurs fans rubbed their faces in anguish—
Their expressions twisted in struggle.
To many of them—
Kai was a nightmare.
Whether it was last season, leading Crystal Palace to knock Spurs out of the FA Cup…
Or this season's Premier League opener—
Leading Arsenal in a brutal slaughter of Tottenham!
Just watching that black-haired figure sprinting across the field—
Was enough to make every Spurs fan's heart tremble.
~~----------------------
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