Chapter 299: What Conspiracy? Just Mutual Respect~
After a resounding 5–0 victory, all the online noise surrounding Chelsea and Leon vanished like smoke.
While fans surged to seize the high ground in public discourse, Leon offered a calm, direct response when asked by reporters.
"Fans naturally have their own opinions—who they like, who they don't—it's their freedom.
But for some of the more idiotic arguments, I have no interest in responding.
Plenty of people know I have a good relationship with Franck, with Thomas, Xabi, Arjen…
We've played against each other many times in the Champions League. I have friends at Bayern.
If people ignore that and speak purely from bias because they dislike me or my team—
that's their freedom too. I hold no ill will.
As for my answer? Just look at how I play.
I let my football do the talking."
With those words, Leon effectively stepped up to address the recent media storm directly.
He didn't spark more drama, and his openness won over many neutral fans.
Debates over who's better are a fixture of football culture.
Fans take sides—it's only natural.
But for a global star like Leon, who had just won the Ballon d'Or Silver Ball,
remaining composed amid widespread praise and continuing to focus only on the pitch?
That's rare.
And it wasn't empty talk.
He'd just notched a hat-trick of assists in one match.
That kind of on-field response beats any Twitter clapback.
With the Premier League heading into a brief winter break,
Chelsea closed the first portion of the season with a clean, dominant 5–0 win—
their 21st league victory.
Leon remained top of both the goals and assists charts.
While other Premier League clubs were set to enjoy a much-needed breather—
some only playing one FA Cup match in late January—
Chelsea had no such luxury.
They were about to face Liverpool in the EFL Cup semifinals, a two-legged tie in short succession.
And the first leg?
Scheduled just three days after Matchweek 22.
Even the managers were swearing at the calendar.
Mourinho cursed, but at least his squad was deep.
The core players were still fit.
Brendan Rodgers wasn't so lucky.
After surviving the holiday grind, Liverpool were battered by injuries from front to back.
Even Sky Sports had no idea what kind of XI Rodgers would field.
Could he even scrape together a team to stop Chelsea at Anfield?
Somehow, he managed it.
And on matchday, he surprised everyone—Chelsea included.
"What the hell… 3-4-2-1? Or is this 3-5-2? Damn, Rodgers really is a tactical madman."
Leon knew the lineup well in advance.
But he hadn't expected the formation to look like this.
Skrtel, Sakho, and Emre Can as a back three.
Henderson and recently-recovered Lucas holding the midfield.
Moreno at left wing-back, and Marković—usually a backup for Johnson—on the right.
Gerrard and Coutinho slotted behind Suárez.
Depending on how Gerrard dropped, the 3-4-2-1 could morph into a more traditional 3-5-2.
Say what you want about Rodgers, but he did manage to field a complete XI.
Sterling was injured, so Liverpool's lack of wing pace was a problem.
Rodgers had patched it up the best he could.
Would it work?
Even Liverpool fans weren't sure.
But on paper, the attack wasn't bad.
Pushing Gerrard forward meant he could focus on linking up with Suárez—
and when those two clicked, Liverpool could be dangerous.
Chelsea noticed.
From the opening whistle, they gave Liverpool the respect they deserved.
After all, that midfield could swell to five or even six players at any moment.
And since Mourinho hadn't called for an early press,
Leon and Kroos chose to play it safe, feeling Liverpool out first.
While probing back and forth, Leon noticed something:
Liverpool's wing-backs hesitated.
Moreno was better.
With Sakho covering behind him, his forward runs didn't compromise the left side too much.
But Marković?
He rarely ventured forward at all.
At first, Leon wasn't sure why—
until he saw who was playing right center-back behind him: Emre Can.
If Rodgers hadn't been so short on players, Leon was sure Can wouldn't be there.
Emre Can was… unpredictable.
When he was locked in, he was a tank—solid, aggressive, reliable.
But if he got bored or irritated, he'd start charging forward on reckless runs,
turning Liverpool's back three into a back two.
Leon knew him well.
And sensing the chaos potential, he subtly began shifting Chelsea's attack toward Liverpool's left side.
This confused the Sky Sports commentators.
"Odd… you'd think Chelsea would target the right—Marković and Emre Can don't exactly scream stability."
But Leon insisted on hitting Liverpool's stronger flank.
And as the pressure mounted, the results followed.
Leon combined with De Bruyne, and with Ibrahimović dropping deep to assist,
they had no trouble breaking down Liverpool's left flank.
In the 7th minute, thanks to De Bruyne's smart run creating space,
Azpilicueta received a precise through ball from Leon and broke to the byline,
delivering a dangerous cross from Liverpool's vulnerable left side.
Ibra's header, under pressure from Skrtel, went just wide.
The attack didn't result in a goal,
but it was a clear message: Chelsea could and would break Liverpool's shape.
And with Chelsea pushing hard down Liverpool's left,
it was only a matter of time before Emre Can—who had little to do on the right—started itching to join the fun.
With Marković in front of him playing nervously and avoiding forward runs,
Emre Can thought: Might as well do it myself.
Rodgers had warned him pre-match—repeatedly—to stay back and focus on defense.
Can had nodded along like the good soldier.
But now, with the game not going to script, why not adapt?
He saw opportunity. And so, he acted.
In the 16th minute, Lucas and Moreno finally managed to dispossess De Bruyne.
Before they could even settle the tempo,
Can took off like a rocket and yelled for the ball to make sure they saw him.
Marković had no choice but to follow, and Henderson, seeing Can sprinting ahead,
hurried the pass toward him.
Can, energized and excited, surged upfield with Marković beside him.
On the surface, Leon seemed accommodating,
even gesturing for Matic to fall back and cover.
But it was bait.
As soon as Can dragged Liverpool's entire right side past midfield,
Leon pounced.
Bertrand and Matic closed in on Marković the moment he received Can's pass.
Panicking, Marković tried to send the ball back.
But Can had already over-committed deep into Chelsea's defensive third.
Marković had no choice but to return the ball all the way back to Henderson.
That's when Leon struck.
Reading the pass instantly, Leon darted between Marković and Henderson like a hawk.
The two clashed violently as they reached the ball—
but Leon got there first, nudged it ahead, and powered through.
Henderson was knocked off balance immediately.
Leon barely flinched, shifted his body slightly, and hit full speed chasing the ball forward.
The sudden counterattack silenced Anfield.
And then…
Leon's signature long-ball stance appeared again.
He launched a stunning, low-arching diagonal pass over the top.
"Leon sends the through ball! Hazard's through! No offside! HAZARD'S ONE-ON-ONE!!!"
Commentators everywhere were screaming.
Hazard, perfectly timed, raced into the space Can had left wide open.
Skrtel was too far away to close him down.
Once inside his favorite shooting zone, Hazard calmly read Mignolet's position,
cut inside, adjusted his stride, and slotted it—a smooth finesse shot curling into the far corner.
Mignolet launched himself with every ounce of hope—
but the ball evaded his fingertips and buried itself in the top right corner.
Anfield went dead silent.
Except for the thousands of Chelsea fans who erupted in a roar.
Only a second or two of stunned silence passed
before the entire stadium rained down boos—
not for Hazard, but for the man they hated even more: Leon.
Hazard scored the vital away goal,
but Leon, again, was the villain.
Rodgers held his head in his hands on the touchline.
Emre Can stood nearby, looking utterly lost.
Mourinho, grinning from ear to ear, patted his own head and said to Steve Holland,
"I'll bet you anything—Leon saw this coming at least ten minutes ago."
Holland just shrugged and smiled.
Chelsea made a few quick tactical tweaks afterward.
Now in front, they dropped deeper and looked to hit Liverpool on the break.
In the latter stages of the first half, Chelsea came close to doubling their lead several times—
Ibra and Kroos both hit the post on counters,
and De Bruyne's long-range strike in added time flew just wide.
Liverpool fans were getting restless,
but they were lucky to go into the break only one goal down.
But before they could regroup and mount a second-half assault,
Chelsea struck again—this time from a set piece.
Leon rose above everyone and powered a header past Mignolet to double the lead.
Sliding on his knees along the touchline,
Leon celebrated passionately, unfazed by the deafening jeers surrounding him.
A goal and an assist.
Leon had led Chelsea to another massive away win at Anfield.
After the final whistle, Leon and Suárez shared another secretive, hand-covered chat on the pitch.
When asked about it by reporters afterward,
Leon smiled and replied:
"Conspiracy? What conspiracy?
That's not scheming…
It's mutual respect~"
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