The day after the match, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph splashed Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Barcelona across its front page. The bold headline was accompanied by a striking photograph: Yang Yang in full celebration after scoring, arms outstretched, captured from the front as he wheeled away following the goal he scored.
"There is a long-standing consensus in European football: La Liga teams rely on technique, while the English Premier League relies on physicality."
"For years, Barcelona have represented an almost insurmountable hurdle for Premier League sides. From Chelsea to Arsenal and now Liverpool, English clubs have repeatedly come off second best against them, even losing major trophies in the process."
"When it comes to technical skill and collective interplay, no Premier League team has been able to match Barcelona—not even Arsenal."
"For a long time, Liverpool appeared to lag even farther behind the other big three in England. They seemed especially distant from Barcelona. Although they famously won the 2005 Champions League—the so-called Istanbul Miracle—that triumph always felt more like a sudden, collective explosion than sustained superiority. After all, Milan had led 3–0 at half-time, which aligned far more closely with most people's expectations."
"Of course, football is never decided purely by comparing raw strength or individual stars, but the gap between Liverpool and Barcelona was obvious to everyone. The betting odds before the tie made that abundantly clear."
"Yet after two legs, Liverpool eliminated Barcelona with a 3–1 win away and a 2–0 victory at home—an aggregate score of 5–1."
"At first glance, the scoreline looks more like Barcelona dismantled Liverpool than the other way around. But anyone who studies the actual course of the matches will see the truth: Barcelona were thoroughly beaten, even though they controlled most of the possession."
After the game, former Liverpool star Gary McAllister commented that the Reds could easily have scored more than five goals across the two legs at Anfield alone. Their finishing had simply been a touch unfortunate. With two weeks between the legs, Frank Rijkaard had failed to find any effective counter to Rafael Benítez's deliberately targeted tactics.
"And in the VIP lounge after the final whistle, when we spoke with Kenny Dalglish, Alan Hansen, and Gary McAllister, every one of them pointed—without hesitation—to the single most decisive figure in the tie: Yang Yang."
"At the post-match press conference, Frank Rijkaard mentioned Yang Yang's name for the second time in as many legs. Rafael Benítez, for his part, again openly acknowledged that the young Chinese forward had been the game's decisive factor—exactly as he had done after the first leg at the Camp Nou."
"Across both matches, Liverpool scored five goals in total. Yang Yang contributed four of them and provided the assist for the fifth. That is, quite simply, a flawless record."
The Daily Telegraph went on to analyse the tactical battle across the two legs.
Liverpool's approach had remained essentially unchanged. Barcelona, however, had made a significant shift: from their familiar 4-3-3 to a 3-4-3. Frank Rijkaard had clearly intended to bolster the attacking threat in the front line.
The consequence was immediate and costly: the back line's defensive frailties were laid completely bare.
"Rafael Benítez's tactical plan was crystal clear. Liverpool could not hope to outplay Barcelona in terms of technique or intricate combination football, so he deliberately turned the tie into a physical contest. Through aggressive pressing and relentless closing down, Liverpool sought to exploit their superior athleticism and stamina. This was precisely the area where Barcelona were most exposed—many of their players are relatively slight of build and ill-suited to sustained physical battles."
"Looking at both legs, Barcelona's front-line attackers largely operated in isolation. There was little effective cohesion between them, let alone genuine combination play. Even protecting the ball for more than a few seconds or holding it under pressure proved extremely difficult."
"Yet amid Liverpool's physical onslaught, one player stood out as the glaring exception: Yang Yang."
"Benítez placed complete trust in this twenty-year-old wide forward. He instructed Yang Yang to exploit spaces on the flank and drift inside at will, and the youngster repaid that faith in spectacular fashion—whether it was the hat-trick in the first leg or the goal-plus-assist display in the second, he consistently delivered his highest level."
"Particularly in the return leg at Anfield, Rijkaard had assigned Lilian Thuram to mark Yang Yang tightly. But Yang Yang immediately disrupted that plan by unleashing a powerful long-range strike in the opening minutes, forcing Barcelona's defenders onto the back foot and instilling early uncertainty."
"After that, he repeatedly used quick, diagonal runs and explosive bursts of acceleration to stretch the visiting back line. At thirty-five, Thuram simply could not match the pace and dynamism of the twenty-year-old. The switch to 3-4-3 only gave Yang Yang even more room to operate, while Liverpool's overall tactical tilt funnelled danger toward him."
"As a result, he became comfortably the most threatening player on the pitch."
"The bigger the occasion, the better Yang Yang performs in knockout football."
"In the group stage he managed four goals and four assists—solid numbers. But when the tie against Barcelona arrived, he produced four goals and one assist across two legs. That kind of output commands respect."
"After this defining performance against one of the world's elite sides, it is hard to imagine anyone seriously disputing Yang Yang's place among the very best players on the planet. At just twenty years old, the Chinese forward has emerged as the standout performer of the Premier League season."
"At the very least, how many players in world football can claim to have beaten Barcelona virtually single-handed?"
British news agency Reuters published an article highlighting how Liverpool's unbreakable spirit, combined with Rafael Benítez's meticulous tactics and Yang Yang's razor-sharp finishing, produced the Reds' comprehensive victory across the two legs.
"Although we are still only in the quarter-finals and it may be premature to speak in such terms, there is no question that Benítez's team is firmly on course for Athens. Liverpool have never looked stronger than they do right now!"
"For the same reason, even though Yang Yang is only twenty years old, we have never witnessed a player of that age perform at quite this level. It is impossible not to draw comparisons with the early days of Ronaldo and Marco van Basten."
"Perhaps many years from now, we will look back and remember these two matches as the moment everything changed."
The Times of London, in its own analysis, emphasised the profound significance of the tie for Liverpool.
"Beating Barcelona has delivered far more than a place in the quarter-finals and two victories on paper. The real gains lie in the renewed atmosphere of confidence and unity that now permeates the squad. Above all, this Liverpool side has finally identified its most potent attacking weapon."
"Yang Yang."
"Whether in his previous Eredivisie days, throughout this Premier League season, or now in the Champions League, Yang Yang has consistently backed up his reputation with hard evidence of his quality and importance. In remarkably short order, he has become Liverpool's most dependable and trusted goal threat."
"For Benítez and the Liverpool players alike, the single most critical task moving forward is to protect and sustain Yang Yang's current form while finding ways to unlock even greater levels of his attacking potential."
"There is every reason to believe that the better Yang Yang performs, the stronger Liverpool will become."
...
While the British media lavished praise on Liverpool and Yang Yang, the two leading Catalan newspapers—both long regarded as mouthpieces for Barcelona—expressed deep regret over the result.
Mundo Deportivo openly conceded that Liverpool's qualification was entirely deserved.
"This is a near-perfect team!"
"Since Yang Yang joined the squad this season, Rafael Benítez's side has become markedly more potent in attack. Across both legs of the tie, whether in terms of starting line-ups or tactical adjustments, Benítez won comprehensively."
"Yang Yang himself was close to flawless over the two matches. With four goals and one assist, he left no room for doubt about his ability."
"Particularly in the first half at Anfield, Liverpool carved out numerous clear scoring chances. Yang Yang personally produced two highly dangerous long-range efforts: one drifted just wide, the other crashed against the crossbar. Had either gone in, Barcelona's defeat would have been even more emphatic."
Mundo Deportivo singled out the opening long shot of the second leg as especially decisive.
"The quality of that strike was exceptional, but its true importance lay in the psychological impact. It handed Liverpool an immediate morale boost, struck first blood in terms of momentum, and visibly rattled Barcelona—particularly the defenders at the back."
The paper went on to note that Yang Yang's physical development had accelerated noticeably since arriving in the Premier League. His willingness to shoot from distance had increased, the quality of those attempts remained high, his ability to hold off challenges had grown stronger, and his technical finesse and explosive acceleration were as sharp as ever.
"There is no question that more than half a season of Premier League intensity has elevated his overall game considerably. He now looks far more complete and well-rounded than he did during his time in the Netherlands, which has allowed him to assume the central role in Liverpool's attack with seamless authority."
"In time, Yang Yang may well develop into the most complete and fearsome forward on the planet."
Sport, the other major Catalan daily, was equally effusive in its assessment of Liverpool and—above all—Yang Yang.
"As long as he can sustain this level of form for the remainder of the season, Liverpool will enter the latter stages of the Champions League as clear favourites to lift the trophy. And if Yang Yang continues performing at this extraordinary standard, he now has a genuine chance of claiming the FIFA World Player of the Year award."
When it came to Barcelona's display, however, Sport pulled no punches.
Whether Rijkaard's tactics, or the underwhelming contributions of Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o, Deco and others, the performance fell well short of expectations. Above all, the paper hammered home one recurring theme: a loss of hunger.
"It is painfully clear that, after reaching such heights last season, many of the players have lost their appetite for victory and silverware. They have grown complacent, less driven, and that has given rise to internal tensions."
"Some will say Barcelona were beaten by Liverpool and Yang Yang. The reality is harsher: Barcelona were beaten by themselves. Too much negative publicity and unresolved internal conflict have severely undermined the team's competitiveness."
"An early exit of this magnitude? It comes as no surprise."
Beyond the British and Spanish press, virtually every major outlet across the globe turned its attention to this high-profile tie.
Once again, Yang Yang's name reverberated around the world thanks to these two matches, igniting passionate reactions from fans everywhere.
If there had been any lingering uncertainty before, there was none now: Yang Yang was indisputably one of the finest players in European football—and quite possibly on track to become the very best in the coming years.
When the news reached China, millions of supporters erupted in celebration over Yang Yang's heroics.
This was more than personal glory for Yang Yang alone. It was a source of immense pride for every Chinese person.
...
Things like confidence are truly elusive.
They are difficult to establish, yet once secured, they transform everything.
After eliminating Barcelona with an aggregate score of 5–1, Liverpool returned to Premier League action in the thirtieth round and were held to a 0–0 draw by Aston Villa.
Rafael Benítez, having tasted success with rotation in the Champions League ties, persisted with the policy. He made sweeping changes to the starting line-up: Yang Yang, Peter Crouch, and Xabi Alonso were all named among the substitutes. The decision severely curtailed the team's attacking fluency.
The midfield pairing consisted of Javier Mascherano and Mohamed Sissoko. Benítez appeared to be testing the two players while simultaneously working on squad cohesion and depth. With the Champions League progressing deeper into the knockout stages, future opponents would only grow stronger and more demanding.
The consequence was evident in the first half: Liverpool's attack descended into disarray. Passes lacked precision, movement was disjointed, and clear chances were almost nonexistent. The Anfield crowd grew restless as the tempo remained sluggish and the final ball repeatedly went astray.
After the interval, the pattern continued until Benítez intervened. Xabi Alonso entered the fray in the sixtieth minute, injecting composure and vision into the midfield. Twelve minutes later, Crouch replaced a tiring forward, adding height and a target in the box. Finally, in the eighty-third minute, Steven Gerrard came off the bench to lend urgency and leadership in the closing stages.
Despite the reinforcements, Liverpool could not find a way through. Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa defended with resolute discipline at Villa Park, their back line compact and disciplined throughout. In the second half especially, they became almost impenetrable—blocks, interceptions, and last-ditch tackles thwarted every Liverpool foray. The home side absorbed pressure without panic and cleared danger time and again.
Both Benítez and the Liverpool supporters accepted the result with reasonable satisfaction. A point away from home against a well-organised side was far from disastrous. The clean sheet preserved defensive solidity, and the rotation had allowed key players to rest ahead of the critical weeks to come.
Still, after this round, Liverpool trailed Manchester United by two points at the top of the table.
Everyone understood that eight league matches remained, yet the upcoming Champions League knockout round loomed larger still. Every step had to be measured carefully; there was no margin for error.
Competing on two fronts is notoriously punishing for English clubs, particularly with no winter break to provide respite. Liverpool's squad depth was not yet sufficient to rotate freely without consequences, forcing Benítez into deliberate trade-offs between preserving energy for Europe and maintaining domestic momentum.
Elsewhere that weekend, Manchester United recorded a comfortable 4–1 home victory over Bolton Wanderers, with Park Ji-sung and Wayne Rooney both on the scoresheet. Chelsea also won at home against Sheffield United, while Arsenal suffered a 0–1 defeat away to Everton.
The current state of Arsenal evoked genuine sympathy. There was little trace of the side that had reached the Champions League final the previous season. They had long since dropped out of the Premier League title race, and in Europe they had been eliminated in the round of sixteen by PSV Eindhoven on a 2–1 aggregate score.
Their form was undeniably poor, yet for Liverpool this was no bad thing.
Because in the thirty-first round of the Premier League, Liverpool would host Arsenal at Anfield.
This remained the only Premier League side that the Reds had yet to defeat this season.
…
Although the draw away at Aston Villa had been frustrating, the atmosphere back at Melwood remained positive and focused.
Winston Bogarde had returned to Beijing after spending only a week in Liverpool. He could not leave his gym business unattended for any longer.
Since beginning training sessions with Bogarde, both Fábio Aurélio and Javier Mascherano had started arriving at Melwood unusually early each morning. They joined Yang Yang in the gym, though their programmes differed from his.
After an hour of strength and conditioning work in the gym, most of the other Liverpool players had arrived. The group then moved outside for a light lap around the training pitches—essentially a warm-up designed to activate muscles and shake off any lingering stiffness.
Every morning without fail, captain Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher were among the first to reach the training ground. They viewed their early presence as setting an example for the rest of the squad.
Those who arrived ahead of the main group often joined Yang Yang and the others still finishing in the gym for a round of rondo drills on the small pitch adjacent to the facility.
These days, Yang Yang no longer spent most of his time trapped in the middle of the circle as he had during his early days of his career. Now he rotated in and out like everyone else, and the other players found it noticeably harder to isolate him in the centre. His touch, awareness, and quick feet made him difficult to dispossess even in tight spaces.
The intensity of these early sessions remained moderate. The mood among the players stayed relaxed, with plenty of light-hearted conversation mixed in between touches.
For instance, they talked about Mascherano's performance against Aston Villa the previous day. The Argentine had played solidly in midfield, covering ground well and showing composure on the ball. He had even attempted a long-range shot that flew narrowly wide—his closest effort yet to opening his goal account for Liverpool.
Had that strike gone in, it would have been the first senior goal of his professional career.
Since arriving at Anfield, Mascherano's overall level had steadily improved. The progress had become especially noticeable over the past two weeks of working with Winston Bogarde. On the pitch, he carried himself with growing assurance and authority.
Yang Yang could sense the quiet urgency driving the midfielder. It was already the end of March. With just over two months remaining in the league season, Mascherano needed consistent, high-level performances if he hoped to convince Liverpool to turn his loan into a permanent £10–20 million transfer.
Yang Yang had found a quiet moment to ask Gerrard and Carragher about Paco Ayestarán's situation. Both senior players confirmed that the assistant coach was still weighing his options. Benítez was keen to retain him, but the final decision remained unclear.
There was little anyone could do in such circumstances.
Water flows downhill; people seek better opportunities.
Ayestarán had followed Benítez to Liverpool and undoubtedly saw potential for further professional growth under him. One could look at Carlos Queiroz: after serving as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant, he had left for Real Madrid for a season as head coach, struggled, and then returned to Manchester United to resume his role alongside Ferguson.
Yang Yang's primary concern, however, centred on Benítez himself. Without Ayestarán acting as a bridge and buffer in the dressing room, would the manager still be able to maintain full control and harmony within the squad? Could the positive relationships Benítez had built with the players endure?
People change over time.
Yang Yang recalled how Barcelona's players had likely welcomed the departure of the disciplinarian Henk ten Cate. They had probably convinced themselves they could maintain the necessary self-discipline without him.
Yet what had happened next?
Frank Rijkaard had not retained Ten Cate as his assistant. The players had almost certainly supported that decision enthusiastically at the time. But now, did they still back him with the same conviction? When Samuel Eto'o had publicly criticised Rijkaard in the media, how many teammates had stepped forward to defend the manager or condemn the Cameroonian striker?
Managing a football team was not so different from running a company.
No one was perfect—not Ferguson, not Rijkaard, and not Benítez.
At present, everything at Liverpool felt genuinely strong. If the squad had greater depth on the bench, they could realistically sustain a serious challenge on two fronts.
Yang Yang's concerns were not isolated. Gerrard and Carragher shared similar worries about the long-term stability of the coaching structure. After Yang Yang had raised the matter privately with them, both men had promptly passed the feedback to the coaching staff and senior management.
But if Ayestarán truly wanted to leave, no one could force him to stay.
...
"By the way, against Arsenal this weekend, Javier and Fábio will start, and Álvaro will too."
As he spoke, Gerrard turned to Mascherano and Aurélio. "You've both been performing well. Opportunities like this don't come along every day, and you've taken them. There's a good chance you'll both feature together again in the Champions League next week."
The captain's words had barely landed before Mascherano and Aurélio broke into broad smiles.
Arbeloa was not present at that moment, but he would no doubt have felt the same surge of anticipation if he had been.
All three players—Mascherano, Aurélio, and Arbeloa—had joined Liverpool either the previous summer or during the winter window. None of them had yet fully cemented their place in the side.
Mascherano's case required little explanation: he had featured only sparingly so far. Arbeloa had started both legs against Barcelona in the Champions League and had acquitted himself impressively, yet his deployment at left-back had been a specific tactical measure to contain Lionel Messi rather than a long-term positional choice. Over the course of a full season, his main competition remained Steve Finnan at right-back.
Aurélio, meanwhile, had been locked in steady competition with John Arne Riise for the left-back role. The fact that Benítez had preferred Arbeloa in both matches against Barcelona had inevitably increased the pressure on Aurélio, even though he was the natural left-sided defender.
Such pressure was far from a negative.
A measured dose of competition kept players sharp and helped sustain peak form.
Liverpool's quarter-final opponents in the Champions League draw were AS Roma from Serie A. The first leg at Anfield the following Wednesday would therefore carry enormous weight. The team needed to seize a strong result at home to ensure a more comfortable trip to the Stadio Olimpico in the return fixture.
Benítez would naturally favour players whose current form gave him the greatest confidence.
As for Yang Yang, the manager had pulled him aside during training to deliver specific instructions. Against Arsenal at the weekend, Yang Yang would start but play for approximately one hour before being substituted. The substitution would allow him to rest and recover fully ahead of the midweek Champions League tie.
Yang Yang understood his role clearly. His overriding priority now was to preserve his current level of performance and do everything possible to carry the team deeper into both competitions—whether the Champions League or the Premier League.
The only real distinction lay in urgency: the Champions League knockout phase loomed closer.
If at all possible, Yang Yang wanted success in both. But if forced to choose between the two trophies, he would pick the Champions League without hesitation.
It had been four years since he dreamed of lifting that trophy again—and not merely as a squad player, but as the undisputed focal point of the team's attack.
This season, Liverpool exuded more confidence than at any point during his time at the club. He refused to let the opportunity slip away.
...
Relatively speaking, Arsenal's situation was far from ideal.
Committed to fighting on multiple fronts throughout the season, the Gunners had ultimately fallen short in every competition. By March, they were already destined to end the campaign empty-handed. More troubling still, the squad was plagued by a mounting injury list.
Thierry Henry was sidelined, Robin van Persie was out, and now even Gilberto Silva had joined the treatment room.
For Arsène Wenger, recent weeks had brought little in the way of positive news. The one piece of relatively good fortune was that Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor had served his suspension and was available once more.
Arsenal's current predicament bore a striking resemblance to the one Liverpool had faced when the two sides met earlier in the season: a combination of injuries and low morale that sapped the team's energy and belief.
But fortunes always change. As the saying goes, no one stays on top forever. Now it was Liverpool rising, and Arsenal the ones struggling.
Having lost to Arsenal away earlier in the campaign, Liverpool had no intention of allowing the visitors an easy escape from Anfield this time—even with the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Roma looming midweek.
Yang Yang still remembered clearly what Ronald Koeman and the Ajax coaching staff had once told him: Arsenal's greatest weakness lay in their physical conditioning, a direct consequence of their insistence on maintaining a high-tempo passing and possession-based system.
Playing possession football is both extremely demanding and, in another sense, deceptively straightforward.
Yet that style exacts a heavy toll in terms of movement. Constant running is required to create angles, support play, press the opposition, and recover the ball. And running demands fitness.
In the Premier League's intensely physical environment, where opponents launch relentless direct attacks and high-intensity challenges, Arsenal's players were forced to cover even greater distances and expend more energy just to cope with the pressure. As a result, the Gunners had collapsed with remarkable consistency every season around the winter period and in the congested spring fixtures. This pattern was no coincidence.
Yang Yang was convinced that Wenger himself must recognise the problem. Yet this season the manager had persisted with the same all-or-nothing approach—chasing success simultaneously in the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, and the League Cup.
Did he truly believe Arsenal could win them all?