169: The despair of the "frog"

In the away team's changing room, Old John held up his phone so all the players could see the picture.

"Gentlemen, in the first half, we were the pot of water, and they were the frog."

His voice was exceptionally clear in the small changing room.

"They jumped around happily, but they didn't realize that the water temperature was rising, and their stamina was being exhausted by us."

Henderson looked up, sweat still beading on his forehead.

"The second half is when the water boils!"

As soon as Old John finished speaking, the atmosphere in the entire changing room instantly changed.

Vardy was the first to stand up, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"I knew they were clearly running out of steam in the latter half!"

Sigurdsson wiped the sweat from his face, nodding thoughtfully.

"Arteta's passes in the last ten minutes were clearly not as incisive as they were at the start."

Walker stretched his shoulders, a confident smile returning to his face.

"Same with Hibbert; for the first thirty minutes, I couldn't shake him off at all, but later, his recovery speed was noticeably slower."

The players chattered, discussing the details they had observed.

The feeling of fatigue was dissipating from their bodies, replaced by a thirst for victory.

Old John looked at the young men's reactions with satisfaction.

Lin Feng's "boiling frog" theory was not just tactical guidance, but also psychological motivation.

"Remember, our physical preparation is more thorough than anyone else's."

He drew an upward arrow on the tactics board.

"They thought high-intensity pressing could wear us down, but in reality, they were exhausting themselves."

Shawcross tightened his shoelaces.

"So, should we speed up the tempo in the second half?"

Old John shook his head.

"No, we must continue to be patient."

"Let them get anxious first, let them fall into disarray first."

"When their defense shows gaps, then we deliver the fatal blow."

The fifteen-minute halftime break quickly ended.

The players re-emerged from the changing room, each step more forceful than at the end of the first half.

The lights of Goodison Park were still dazzling, and the jeers of forty thousand Everton fans were still deafening.

But this external pressure could no longer affect their mindset.

The second half began, with Everton kicking off first.

But within just a few minutes, the situation on the field underwent a subtle change.

After Neville gained possession in midfield, he tried to replicate the high-intensity pressing tactic from the first half.

However, the soreness in his leg muscles made his movements sluggish.

Henderson keenly seized this opportunity and decisively pressed.

The English veteran was caught off guard and could only hastily pass the ball to Carsley nearby.

But the pass clearly lacked power and was intercepted by Tinkler midway.

Hartlepool United got their first threatening attacking opportunity of the second half.

Tinkler did not rush to pass forward but instead laid the ball off horizontally to Sigurdsson.

The Iceland midfielder, after gaining possession, looked around, observing the positioning of Everton's backline.

The distance between Lescott and Yobo was noticeably wider than in the first half.

This was a typical sign of declining stamina; defenders couldn't maintain tight positioning.

Sigurdsson was secretly pleased but showed no emotion on his face.

He passed the ball to Walker on the right wing.

The young full-back, upon receiving the ball, noticed that Hibbert's recovery speed was indeed much slower than in the first half.

He boldly chose to cut inside, preparing to look for a cross opportunity.

Hibbert desperately chased back, but his legs felt as heavy as lead.

He could only watch helplessly as his opponent easily shook him off.

After Walker broke into the penalty area, he chose to make a horizontal pass when faced with Howard's charge.

The ball accurately found Vardy, who was poaching in front of the goal.

But just as the English striker was about to shoot, Lescott made a flying tackle, bringing him down.

Referee Clattenburg unhesitatingly pointed to the penalty spot.

Goodison Park instantly erupted in a chorus of boos.

Moyes frantically waved his arms on the sidelines, protesting the decision.

But slow-motion replays clearly showed that it was indeed an undisputed penalty.

Vardy got up from the ground, brushing off the grass clippings.

There was no expression on his face, only a burning desire to score.

Sigurdsson walked to the penalty spot and gently placed the ball down.

The noise of the entire stadium instantly vanished, as if a mute button had been pressed.

Howard stood on the goal line, hands on his hips, staring intently at the Iceland midfielder.

The American goalkeeper had rich experience in penalty saves.

Sigurdsson took a few steps back and took a deep breath.

His heartbeat was steady; this calmness in crucial moments was the hallmark of a top player.

Run-up, shot!

The ball flew like a cannonball towards the bottom right corner of the goal.

Howard guessed the direction correctly and dived to save.

But Sigurdsson's shot was too precise and too powerful.

The American goalkeeper's fingertips barely touched the ball, but he couldn't change its trajectory.

The net trembled violently, one-nil!

Hartlepool United took the lead at Goodison Park!

The two thousand away fans in the visiting stand instantly erupted.

They waved their scarves and cheered wildly.

This goal's significance far exceeded the score itself.

It proved that Hartlepool United could not only contend with Premier League teams but also defeat them.

Everton's players stood on the field, their expressions complex.

They had just realized that they might have underestimated this League One team.

Even more frightening, their stamina had indeed shown a significant decline.

Forty-five minutes of high-intensity pressing had consumed too much energy.

Moyes was furious on the sidelines.

He knew the team was currently in its most dangerous moment.

Leading Hartlepool United could control the game's tempo more calmly.

And a tired Everton had to risk attacking, which would expose more space in the defense.

The Scotland coach immediately made a substitution.

He replaced the exhausted Pienaar with the Australian star Tim Cahill.

Cahill's heading ability was outstanding, representing Everton's last hope of equalizing.

But when Lin Feng saw this substitution from the box, he immediately sent a message to Old John.

A few minutes later, Hartlepool United also made an adjustment.

The tall Smalling replaced the physically depleted Maloney.

The formation changed to a 4-4-2, specifically targeting Everton's potential heading tactics.

This ability to adapt to changes impressed the scouts present.

A League One team's tactical discipline was surprisingly high.

The match continued.

After conceding, Everton went all in.

They pushed more players forward, trying to use Cahill's aerial advantage to equalize.

But this tactical adjustment played right into Hartlepool United's hands.

They had more space for counterattacks.

In the 75th minute, Hartlepool United earned a free-kick opportunity in the attacking third.