31: Chapter 31, Number 52: Yu Bai makes his appearance!

The 62nd minute.

The momentum shifted suddenly!

Leicester City intercepted the ball in their own half, a simple counter-attack, yet deadly efficient.

"Drinkwater" Danny Drinkwater glanced forward from the backfield, and with a long pass as precise as a scalpel, he pierced through Tottenham's advanced defensive line!

"Jamie! Go!" the commentator exclaimed.

Jamie Vardy, the grassroots striker who had fought his way up from the lower Leagues, pushed his speed advantage to the limit. He surged forward like a bolt of blue lightning, controlled the ball before anyone else, and drove straight into the heart of the defense!

Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, the two Belgian center-backs, chased back desperately, but Vardy wasn't greedy. Just as he was about to enter the penalty area, he calmly passed the ball to the right!

There, Riyad Mahrez arrived in a flash!

The Algerian magician received the ball, cut inside smoothly, and easily shook off Ben Davies, who had come over to cover, by half a step. From a tight angle, he curled a shot with his left foot that went straight into the far corner of the goal!

Hugo Lloris dove desperately, but it was in vain... Mahrez's shot was too precise!

Lloris couldn't stop the ball from hitting the back of the net!

1-0! Leicester City leads at home!

"Gooooooal!!!"

"Riyad Mahrez! A beautiful goal! A classic fast counter-attack from Leicester City!"

The King Power Stadium was instantly submerged in a blue ocean of joy!

On the sidelines, Mauricio Pochettino's face turned ashen. He slammed the water bottle in his hand onto the ground, sending water splashing everywhere.

He had emphasized countless times to watch out for Leicester City's counter-attacking speed, to watch Vardy's runs, and to protect the half-spaces! The players knew it too! Yet they were still pierced through in the most typical, most "Leicester City" way! This feeling of being out of control made him incredibly furious.

What annoyed him even more was that after conceding the goal, Tottenham's offense remained stuck in a quagmire, showing no signs of improvement.

Mousa Dembélé and Erik Lamela were restricted by the yellow cards they received in the first half; they were timid in their pressing and hesitant in their attacks.

And that goal had stemmed precisely from a careless pass by Mousa Dembélé that was intercepted, and his inability to commit a tactical foul on Danny Drinkwater because he was carrying a yellow card.

Mauricio Pochettino's gaze involuntarily drifted toward the substitutes warming up on the sideline.

Dele Alli, full of energy, capable of disrupting the opponent's defense.

And... that "Demon of Dribbling"... the X-factor.

He recalled the internal scrimmage from mid-week.

The imaginative, unconventional combinations between Dele Alli and Yu Bai in the frontcourt, that kind of risk-taking creativity unique to young players.

Facing a well-organized, experienced counter-attacking team like Leicester City, perhaps they needed some "surprises" and "variables" to break the deadlock.

Of course, the risk was huge. The defensive contributions of Dele Alli and Yu Bai were certainly not as good as those of Mousa Dembélé and Erik Lamela. Using them was equivalent to gambling, betting that the gains on the offensive end could outweigh the vulnerabilities on the defensive end.

But, 0-1, there was no hope in sight with the conventional approach...

At this moment, Mousa Dembélé once again got stuck in a one-on-one battle on the right flank, and the ball was cleanly intercepted by Leicester City's left-back, Jeffrey Schlupp. Mauricio Pochettino completely lost his patience.

"Jesús!" Mauricio Pochettino growled at his chief assistant, Pérez, his speech as fast as a bullet. "Substitutions! Put on Dele Alli and Yu Bai! Take off Erik Lamela and Mousa Dembélé! Move Nacer Chadli to the right, and let Yu Bai play on the left! Now! Immediately!"

Pérez didn't hesitate: "Understood!"

He turned and jogged toward the warm-up area, shouting over there: "Dele! Yu! Come here! Get ready to go on!"

Dele Alli immediately turned and sprinted back to the bench.

When Yu Bai heard the shout, his body reacted before his brain did. He turned, but before taking a step, he subconsciously looked up at the stadium's big screen—Match time: 66 minutes 06 seconds.

It wasn't garbage time. It was a critical moment where the team was trailing and needed someone to step up and change the situation.

"Yu! What are you daydreaming for! Hurry!" Pérez's urging came again.

An unprecedented surge of electricity, mixed with immense pressure and extreme excitement, instantly coursed through Yu Bai's entire body.

He grinned, revealing a smile that could almost be described as "ferocious," with a fighting spirit burning in his eyes that felt almost tangible.

"Coming!"

He stretched his legs and sprinted toward the bench at top speed, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, as if it wanted to break free from its restraints.

...

On the field, a dead ball situation.

Eric Dier fouled Shinji Okazaki and received a yellow card.

The fourth official stood on the sideline, and the electronic substitution board in his hand lit up:

Leicester City:

Number 11 Marc Albrighton off,

Number 14 NGolo Kanté on.

The King Power Stadium erupted in applause to welcome their own tenacious ball-winner.

Immediately after, the substitution board flashed again:

Tottenham Hotspur:

Number 11 Erik Lamela off,

Number 20 Dele Alli on.

The Tottenham fans offered encouraging applause.

Then, for the third time, and the most eye-catching substitution at this moment:

Number 19 Mousa Dembélé off,

Number 52 Yu Bai on!

"Number 52?"

The commentator paused, quickly flipping through his notes, "Oh! This is... Tottenham Hotspur's young player, Yu Bai, from Hong Kong, China, only 17 years old! This is his first time in a Premier League matchday squad, and he is immediately making his Premier League debut! Mauricio Pochettino is playing a surprising youth card while the team is trailing!"

The camera quickly focused on the sideline.

That tall, thin teenager with slightly messy black hair, wearing the number 52 white jersey, was standing by the touchline. He hurriedly high-fived the departing Mousa Dembélé, then took a deep breath, and under the signal of the fourth official, stepped onto the turf of the King Power Stadium.

At this moment, countless gazes were focused on him.

There were the scrutinizing gazes of opponents, the expectant gazes of teammates, the solemn gazes of coaches, and the curious or skeptical gazes of fans.

There were also, in the stands, Shen Muwan and Yu Yun, who had instantly sat up straight and were gripping each other's hands tightly, their gazes filled with pride and worry.

Yu Bai stomped on the unfamiliar yet solid turf beneath his feet, looked up toward the opponent's half, and in his ears was the deafening noise of the away crowd.

Premier League, here I come.

The system's voice seemed to echo in the depths of his mind —

[ "Fight, young man!" Mission accomplished! ]

[ Reward has been distributed! ]

[ Please, handsome host, make your choice — ]