Even before the match began, the pressure was already mounting.
Inside the bus, Vaughn couldn't help but be shaken.
The streets of North London were filled with fans wearing Arsenal No. 10 jerseys!
Their chants rang out in unison, and every single one of them was calling Kai's name!
The terrifying influence of Arsenal's captain was deeply felt by the Everton squad.
Kai seemed like the totem of this city—the very faith of North London!
To the people here, he was their pride, revered almost like a god.
Vaughn's body trembled.
This scene was all too familiar.
Just last season, when he was still at Crystal Palace, the people of South London treated Kai the same way.
They poured all their passion onto this super talent—
a man who had conquered both South and North London!
Wherever he went, the fans adored him.
They followed him with unwavering loyalty.
"No wonder it's him…" Vaughn sighed in awe.
The bus slowly drove into the Emirates Stadium.
As Everton's players stepped off, their mood had grown incredibly heavy.
At the pre-match press conference, Arsène Wenger's words brimmed with confidence:
"After winning the League Cup, the FA Cup is undoubtedly Arsenal's next target!"
"Just as our young King of Guns said, the Gunners' goal this season is to win every single trophy!"
The press exploded into a frenzy.
They were thrilled to discover that even the always-gentle professor had dropped the pretense!
He had let go and spoken freely!
In the past, Wenger had always carried himself with humility and modesty in press conferences.
But with Kai leading Arsenal's unstoppable charge—
a trophy already secured, and the team charging forward on all fronts—
Wenger's image in the media had shifted into one of fiery passion.
Under the night sky of North London, the Emirates boiled with endless energy!
In the players' tunnel before the match, old friends met again.
Vaughn had been waiting at the dressing room door.
As Kai emerged, he immediately spotted his old teammate.
With a smile, he walked forward.
"Brother, it's been half a season—how have you been?"
Vaughn let out a sigh and embraced him.
Seeing this scene, the Arsenal players who were just leaving the dressing room patted Vaughn politely on the shoulder as they passed.
They all knew—this was their captain's former teammate from the Championship days.
"I really envy you guys for having such a great captain," Vaughn admitted.
Robin van Persie winked:
"Why don't you talk to your club this summer and join us at Arsenal? But you're a striker, and competition for that spot here is… quite fierce!"
Laughter filled the tunnel.
Soon after, both teams walked out.
As they lined up on the pitch, the stands erupted in passionate roars from Arsenal supporters!
"This match, Arsenal are back to the 4-2-3-1 formation."
"Kai leads the midfield, with van Persie starting up front!"
"And on Everton's side, they've lined up in a 4-3-3."
"Up front, it's James Vaughn—Kai's former Crystal Palace teammate last season!"
"In midfield, the tall Marouane Fellaini takes the lead, while at the back…"
As the commentators introduced the formations, the referee's whistle blew!
The FA Cup quarterfinal had officially kicked off!
Arsenal had the opening possession.
Van Persie tapped the ball back into midfield.
As Kai received it, the Gunners immediately pushed their shape forward in unison.
Everton didn't have any true star players.
Their midfielders were rough in technique…
Under the watchful and anxious gaze of Moyes on the sidelines, it only took Arsenal five minutes to carve them open with a flowing move orchestrated by Kai!
Kai unleashed a long pass, sending it straight to the wing!
Theo Walcott exploded with his pace, surging past Everton's full-back.
Van Persie overlapped, switching positions with Walcott.
Meanwhile, Kai drew defenders toward him as he darted into the middle!
Receiving a cross from the side of the box, he dribbled in tight space, slipping past an Everton defender.
Then he threaded a deadly through ball!
Gervinho burst forward from the far side!
A sharp stab toward the near post!
Goal—clean and clinical!
1–0!
Arsenal struck first!
The stands erupted in thunderous cheers!
"Ohhh! Another brilliant attacking move from the front line!"
"With Kai on the pitch, Arsenal's offense is simply unstoppable!"
The commentator at the Emirates was ecstatic.
On the touchline, Moyes frowned deeply.
A goal conceded already?
And just ten minutes later—
Kai came again!
This time, it was pure individual brilliance.
Kai charged straight down the central axis, dribbling past the technically-limited Fellaini and the rest of Everton's midfielders one by one.
A solo run all the way to the edge of the penalty arc!
He set himself—
a thunderous long-range strike!
One of his trademark rockets!
Everton's defense was breached once again!
2–0!
The traveling Everton supporters fell completely silent.
They were forced to confront a brutal reality.
Even Manchester United, the league's second-placed team, struggled desperately against this Arsenal side.
So what chance did Everton, a club outside the Premier League's top six, really have?
In first-half stoppage time, Kai sliced Everton apart again.
A surgical through ball split their flank wide open.
Van Persie latched onto it and surged forward.
Inside the box, Everton's defenders risked a red card with a desperate sliding challenge, only just managing to poke the ball out for a corner.
But from that very corner, under Kai's pinpoint delivery,
he found a target inside the box—
the young Dutch center-back, Virgil van Dijk!
Van Dijk rose high and thumped home a header!
3–0!
Arsenal had completely killed the game!
In the second half, Wenger rotated his squad.
Giroud and Mertesacker came on.
Then, in the 71st minute, under a chorus of passionate Arsenal cheers,
Kai and Giroud produced a move straight out of the Lampard–Drogba connection.
Giroud nodded down Kai's precise long pass, laying it back to the edge of the penalty arc.
Kai danced around an Everton defender who had stepped out of the box,
drove forward into the area,
and unleashed a blistering shot into the far corner!
4–0!!
The quarterfinal had lost all suspense.
Late in the match, Everton finally mounted a rare threat.
Vaughn gave it everything, charging into Arsenal's penalty area.
Mertesacker's clumsy challenge brought him down.
Penalty!
Vaughn stepped up under pressure.
From twelve yards, he slotted the ball home.
A smattering of applause came from the away end.
Vaughn raised his fist lightly but did not celebrate much.
His eyes drifted toward Kai in the distance, memories of their days as Crystal Palace teammates flooding back.
Finally, the referee blew for full time!
In this FA Cup quarterfinal,
Arsenal, at home, swept Everton aside 4–1!
With unstoppable momentum, they powered into the FA Cup semifinals!
After the match, Vaughn sought out Kai.
The two exchanged shirts.
"Brother, you're incredible—you're a once-in-a-generation superstar!"
"Keep going. Win it all."
At the tunnel entrance, Vaughn embraced Kai, and they shared a few words.
The media captured the moment in photos.
Under the North London night sky, the Emirates resounded with the unrestrained roars of Arsenal fans!
And then—another piece of news that sent those fans into pure ecstasy:
In the Manchester Derby, United lost 1–2 to City at Old Trafford!
That defeat left the league table as follows after 30 rounds:
Arsenal: 30 wins out of 30, 90 points, top of the Premier League!
Manchester United: 21 wins, 5 draws, 4 losses, 68 points, second place.
The gap between them? 22 points!
And in the very next round, Arsenal would have the chance to clinch the title early.
With eight games still to play, if Arsenal won their next league match, their tally would rise to 93 points.
Even if United won all of their remaining eight matches, they could only reach 92 points.
Which meant—
if Arsenal took just one more victory,
they would be crowned Premier League champions with seven rounds to spare!!
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