94: Chapter 94 The young master plays football with his brain!

After the score was leveled by that earth-shattering world-class goal from Yu Bai, the air at the Etihad Stadium seemed to have been injected with a high-concentration dose of adrenaline.

The 1-1 draw did not cause both sides to retreat; instead, it completely ignited an even more intense midfield dogfight.

Manchester City's desire to attack became even stronger after conceding.

De Bruyne and Yaya Touré frequently used long passes and through balls, attempting to pierce through Leicester City's tightened defensive line.

Aguero and Raheem Sterling constantly swapped positions and interchanged on both wings, using off-the-ball runs to tear open space.

As for Leicester City, after withstanding Manchester City's initial onslaught and regaining momentum thanks to Yu Bai's miraculous goal, their defensive resilience and discipline reached a new height.

Kante remained the ubiquitous sweeping machine, and today, people noticed that in Leicester City's frontcourt, there was another figure who spared no effort, frequently tracking back to his own half and even the penalty area—Yu Bai.

His defensive attributes had not seen a quantum leap—that would require extensive specialized training and talent. But his defensive attitude, positioning, and "little tricks" had shown visible improvement in this high-intensity match.

In particular, he had learned how to commit "sensible fouls."

The 36th minute.

De Bruyne shook off Danny Drinkwater in midfield and was preparing to pass the ball forward.

Yu Bai chased back rapidly from the side-rear. At the moment De Bruyne was about to pass, he didn't blindly slide in for a tackle. Instead, he used his body to squeeze in reasonably while extending his leg—not to kick the player, but to perfectly hook his lower leg around the ankle of De Bruyne's supporting leg.

It wasn't heavy, but it was enough to make De Bruyne stumble, lose his balance, and miskick the ball.

"Beep!" The whistle blew; it was a foul by Yu Bai.

De Bruyne sat on the ground, frowning as he looked at Yu Bai. Yu Bai immediately reached out a hand, his face wearing an expression that said "sorry, but I'm justified."

De Bruyne glanced at him, said nothing, and pulled himself up using Yu Bai's hand.

Referee Anthony Taylor ran over, giving Yu Bai only a verbal warning without pulling out a card.

This foul didn't warrant a yellow card, but it was enough to disrupt a threatening attacking build-up.

"Xiao Bai's foul... he's learned to be bad! But it's very smart!"

"De Bruyne: Kid, you tripped me?! Yu Bai: Just a normal tactical foul~"

"This defensive positioning and timing, what a huge improvement!"

The 41st minute.

Raheem Sterling took the ball on the right flank, attempting to use his signature "swaying" Dribbling to break past Christian Fuchs.

Yu Bai came over to assist from near the corner of the penalty area. He didn't recklessly rush in, but instead cut off Raheem Sterling's path to cut inside, retreating while defending.

Raheem Sterling changed directions repeatedly, then suddenly accelerated, wanting to force his way through!

Yu Bai saw the moment when he pushed the ball a bit too far, took a half-step ahead, and used his body to firmly block the position, squeezing Raheem Sterling out of bounds!

The two bodies collided hard, and Raheem Sterling fell beside the advertising hoarding.

Raheem Sterling sat on the ground, complaining to the referee that Yu Bai had pushed him.

Yu Bai spread his hands with an innocent face, indicating that it was a normal shoulder-to-shoulder challenge.

Referee Anthony Taylor again deemed it a reasonable physical contest, signaled no foul, and indicated for play to continue.

Yu Bai walked over and extended a hand to Raheem Sterling.

Raheem Sterling looked at him, climbed up on his own, and muttered something.

The 44th minute.

Manchester City's corner kick attack was cleared. Fernandinho controlled the second ball outside the penalty area, preparing for a long-range shot.

Yu Bai slid in precisely from the side, poking the ball away cleanly with one foot first, but his momentum carried him into Fernandinho, knocking him down.

"Beep!" The whistle blew.

This time, Yu Bai proactively walked toward the fallen Fernandinho, reached out to pull him up, and even patted him on the back.

Referee Anthony Taylor still only signaled a foul. The position was good, giving Manchester City a set-piece in the attacking half, but still no card was shown.

Three key defensive returns.

Three "tactical fouls" that were perfectly timed and disrupted the attack.

Three gestures of proactively showing goodwill to avoid conflict.

Yu Bai's defense was no longer the gambling-style interceptions or clumsy man-marking from the start of the match.

He had begun to understand how to use the rules, using the minimum cost (fouling without getting a card) to achieve his defensive goals.

His actions didn't look dirty; they even seemed somewhat "tough" and "smart," making people think— "Yes, that's how football should be played; foul when you need to, but keep it measured."

This "enlightenment" in defense, combined with his already terrifying offensive ability, made his threat to opponents more multi-dimensional and omnipresent.

You not only had to defend against his breakthroughs and Shooting, but also watch out for his "little tricks" that disrupted the rhythm, appearing from out of nowhere.

"Defensive reading has improved rapidly! He knows when to foul!"

"This style of play is getting more and more like a 'seasoned veteran,' good thing!"

"Manchester City attacking players: How is this guy everywhere? And he's so good at fouling!"

"The Young Master plays with his brain!"