Hazard's contract with Chelsea would expire in 2020.
Chelsea had started contract extension negotiations with Hazard a long time ago.
However, Hazard had always been hesitant.
This was because, for most players, the call of Real Madrid was too attractive.
Playing at Real Madrid, he could enjoy the most global spotlight and play with a group of superstars.
Money and glory, a double harvest!
Therefore, Hazard, who had already played for Chelsea for 6 years, had never sat down properly with the club to negotiate.
But this match had made him see things clearly.
As of now, it was difficult for Chelsea to compete with Manchester City and Liverpool.
These two teams had been competing fiercely from the beginning of the season to the end, with little to separate them.
Both teams' league points were heading towards 100. In past Premier League seasons, that would have been enough to lock in the title early on.
But as it stood, the gap between Manchester City and Liverpool was still just a single point.
It has to be said, for a player who is eager to win a championship, this is a very frustrating thing.
"I don't want to make excuses for losing the match."
"But the fact is, we didn't have enough rest time to prepare for this game."
"To leave Anfield unscathed, you must do everything you can."
"TJ's performance? He was great, absolutely great! And he's also very lucky to be able to play for a team like Liverpool at the age of 18."
Hazard sent two signals after the match.
First, he did not want to take responsibility for this loss.
He had helped Chelsea score the team's only goal, and he had created several of Chelsea's most threatening attacks.
The loss had nothing to do with him.
Second, the reporters heard the implication in his words: he seemed to be dissatisfied with Chelsea's lineup.
Coupled with the recent rumors between Real Madrid and Hazard, and Florentino always saying that he wanted to find a top player to replace CR7, the reporters speculated that the Belgian prodigy's departure from Stamford Bridge was already a foregone conclusion.
Hearing this, Sarri felt a sense of foreboding.
Hazard's attitude, it seemed that he was no longer focused on the pitch.
Therefore, when asked about the conflict during the match and the two red cards, he just said perfunctorily, "It's part of the game."
"In this kind of intense competition, it's difficult for players to remain absolutely calm. Higuaín was just protecting his teammate. I think the referee's decision was too strict."
After saying this, he left directly, seemingly preparing to have a good talk with Hazard.
On the Liverpool side, Klopp had more or less the same thoughts.
He believed that the referee's decision was too strict.
Now, Arnold's suspension for the next league match was a certainty, but Klopp only hoped it would be a one-match ban.
No one wants to be short of a key player in the final sprint.
The FA acted quickly, announcing the punishment that same night.
Both Arnold and Higuaín were suspended for one match.
Although this match was full of gunpowder, in the end, it had not escalated to an all-out brawl.
The FA naturally hoped to downplay the matter so as not to affect the Premier League's brand.
However, this match still sparked widespread discussion among the fans.
Tendou didn't pay much attention.
After resting for two days, he flew with the team to Portugal's second-largest city, Porto.
In a day's time, they would challenge Porto away at the Estádio do Dragão.
For this knockout round, the Liverpool fans were unusually calm.
With a 4-goal advantage, Liverpool's advancement was a certainty.
Even more than their own team's match, the Liverpool fans were more concerned about the matches of their neighbors, Manchester City and Manchester United.
The matches of Manchester City and Liverpool would start at the same time.
The Liverpool fans hoped that the Manchester team could defeat Tottenham and advance, because that way, Manchester City would have to continue fighting on three fronts (league, Champions League, FA Cup).
But if they lost to Tottenham, their full focus would be on winning the league title.
...
A day later, April 18th, 3 AM domestic time.
Estádio do Dragão.
The second leg match between Porto and Liverpool officially kicked off.
Faced with a 4-goal deficit, the entire Porto team seemed to lack ambition for this match.
Including the head coach, Conceição, who had already accepted the fact that the team had been eliminated. It was better to put all their energy into the league.
Coupled with Liverpool's unstoppable momentum, there were no dramatic twists in this Champions League quarter-final match.
Klopp had no intention of extending the scoreline either. His tactic for this match was to sit deep and defend, reducing the players' running distance to conserve energy.
But even so, Liverpool still scored in the 17th minute, with Tendou assisting Salah!
The aggregate score instantly went from 5:1 to 6:1!
Liverpool had a dream start...
With their goal breached so quickly, the Porto players had no choice but to push their formation forward.
Although elimination was already certain, at the very least, they had to defend the dignity of their home ground.
And so, under the circumstances of being completely outmatched in terms of strength, the proactive Porto not only failed to equalize, but was caught on the counter-attack by Liverpool again in the 34th minute.
Tendou's breakthrough in the center drew the defenders, and he sent a powerful through pass into the space behind Porto.
Firmino suddenly burst out from the crowd and, on a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, scored with a powerful shot.
The aggregate score was 7:1!
After Bayern, Porto was also invited for a "7-Up" by Liverpool.
The match had only been going on for 34 minutes, and the suspense was completely gone.
After that, Liverpool did not go for the kill again. They frequently passed the ball around in their own half to delay time.
Porto, on the other hand, pushed their entire line forward and launched a frantic assault on the Liverpool goal.
But until the end of the first half, they were still unable to break through.
The two sides went into the locker rooms with a score of 2:0.
As soon as they entered the room, Henderson asked, "Gaffer, what's the situation on the Man City side?"
The Liverpool players were starting to care about their rival's situation.
"The score is 3:2 at halftime, Manchester City is in the lead."
"They scored 5 goals in the first half?"
Everyone was stunned. The two teams were actually having an attacking showdown in such a crucial match?
They took out their phones and went online.
They found that all the goals had been scored in the first 30 minutes.
The world's number two, Prince, had scored a brace in the first half, helping his team get a dream start in the fourth minute, and then scoring the second goal in the 21st minute.
Silva was not to be outdone, scoring a goal in the 11th minute.
On the Tottenham side, they had also responded with two goals.
Son Heung-min had also scored a brace in the first half, in the 7th and 10th minutes.
Speaking of Son Heung-min, he was never considered a top-tier forward. Even in the season he won the Premier League Golden Boot, he only scored 23 goals.
23 goals in 35 rounds. Such stats are not top-tier.
However, his strength should absolutely not be underestimated.
...
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