"Look at this Liverpool side now. This is what Liverpool are supposed to be!"
"Four matches without a win made many fans forget what Liverpool really look like, but I think this match will remind them of last season's quintuple winners, and of Liverpool during that winning streak at the start of this season!"
Ashley Cole watched this Liverpool side as that feeling of a title contender returned. One of the strongest challengers for the Premier League title this season had finally found its form again.
On the touchline, Guardiola made his substitutions. He could not sit still any longer.
"Manchester City make a change. The young Brazilian forward Jesus comes on for Sterling, while Belgian midfielder De Bruyne replaces Bernardo Silva!"
De Bruyne and Jesus came on at the same time, and Jesus moved from center forward to winger. Manchester City's attacking patterns changed once again.
Klopp also made a substitution. Solanke came on for Firmino.
The match continued.
Manchester City's attacks grew stronger and stronger, but Liverpool did not retreat at all. They pushed up into City's pressure, and the battles for the ball became fierce.
"De Bruyne has been very active since coming on. He carries the ball through the middle, looking for a through pass, but Leo Lin stops him head on."
"It's still De Bruyne. He switches it wide to the left and finds Jesus. Since coming on, Jesus has been playing like a traditional winger."
"One on one against Arnold. Jesus tries to nutmeg him, but Arnold reads it perfectly and wins the ball!"
"Arnold drives forward with the ball. Liverpool have another chance to counter!"
The instant Arnold won the ball, he pushed forward at once. Jesus chased him from behind, wanting to foul him, but Arnold was too quick.
Leo Lin was sprinting through the middle alongside Arnold.
"Look left! Look left!"
Arnold heard Leo Lin's shout. As he lifted his head to look toward the left, he struck the ball, sending a pass across almost the entire half and dropping it in front of Robertson.
Robertson followed up without stopping the ball. With the sole of his foot, he nudged it forward just as it landed, pushing it to Mané ahead of him.
That clever little touch was exactly what made Kyle Walker, who had stepped up to challenge, miss completely.
Mané, who had been restricted by Walker all match, finally had space.
He burst into the left side of the penalty area with the ball. Facing the onrushing Ederson, he lifted his foot and shot.
He did not even look at the goal. He just wanted to smash it in with power.
Ederson rushed out and spread himself wide. Mané's shot brushed Ederson's ribs, changed direction slightly, then struck the outside of the post and bounced out over the byline. Mané immediately waved at the referee.
"Corner! That's a corner!"
The referee pointed to the left corner flag, while Klopp stamped his foot in frustration on the touchline.
It had almost gone in.
If that goal had gone in, Liverpool would have had far more room to adjust.
Some Manchester City fans held their heads in both hands. Others half covered their faces, every kind of reaction on display.
The Liverpool fans applauded their team. After four full matches, after nearly a month, Anfield had finally rediscovered its old strength.
Even though it was only a corner, Leo Lin did not relax at all. As he ran into the box to join the attack, he shouted instructions behind him.
"Arnold and Robertson, don't join the attack. Rodri, stay back and cover. Watch Jesus, he's very fast!"
Liverpool left three players back to defend, while Manchester City left only Jesus and Agüero up front waiting for a counterattack.
The corner came in from the left. Ederson chose to come out, trying to punch the ball away with one hand, but he made a mistake. His fist hit the lower part of the ball and failed to change its path.
Mané's corner fell toward the far post and struck the unsuspecting Stones. Laporte hurried over, trying to clear it long.
But in the chaos, he made another mistake. His clearance smashed into Stones again and rebounded toward goal.
Just as it looked as if an own goal was about to happen, Kyle Walker's speed showed itself again. Before the ball could cross the line, he cleared it long, saving his team with another goal-line clearance.
On the touchline, Guardiola took off his suit jacket and took a tactical sip of water. He looked calm on the surface, but in truth, he had been so frightened his legs had nearly gone weak.
Klopp kept clapping, encouraging his players.
After play resumed, Leo Lin stayed in midfield, constantly reminding his teammates of their positioning and lifting morale with his tough defensive performance.
"Ocho! Great clearance!"
"Wijnaldum! Push up!"
"Solanke, I need you to make your runs down the left more decisively. You can link up with Mané!"
"Shaqiri, that was a beautiful take-on just now! Do it again. I know you can!"
Leo Lin's voice always appeared at exactly the right moment. There was no blame, no scolding, only encouragement.
He kept encouraging his teammates, praising their performances or warning them about possible mistakes. In the second half, Liverpool finally got fully back on track. They were completely different from the previous matches. A team full of understanding and trust had returned.
In the 80th minute.
Guardiola made another substitution, bringing on Fernando for Fernandinho. But Manchester City had gone a long time without creating a shot, while Liverpool had fully used their home advantage and completely become the masters of this match.
"The match is almost over. I believe everyone has seen Liverpool's change in this match, and it is the most positive kind of change!"
"Fourth captain Lin has shown his powerful leadership. He is the true leader on the pitch!"
"He may be young, but that does not stop him from becoming the core leader of this team!"
Every Liverpool player ran around Leo Lin and followed his commands. Every clearance and every counterattack was carried out with full effort to make sure no mistakes were made.
Manchester City were once again reminded of the fear of being dominated by Liverpool last season.
In the 90th minute, the board went up on the touchline. There would be only three minutes of stoppage time.
"There isn't much time left. It's almost over!"
"Don't relax! Don't relax!"
Leo Lin continued reminding them.
Not a single Liverpool player relaxed. Everyone continued doing their job.
In the 93rd minute, Agüero's shot was blocked by Ocho's body, and Robertson successfully cleared the ball. Then the whistle rang out, signaling the return of victory to Anfield.
"The direct clash between title rivals is over!"
"Liverpool, the Liverpool we know, are back!"
"Although not all the injured players have returned, Liverpool have beaten Manchester City 1-0 in this match, taken three precious points, ended their four match winless run, and reclaimed top spot!"
"Leo Lin! His return was the key to Liverpool finding their form again!"
"Although Liverpool's first half performance was still poor, in the second half they opened up the game through their line-shifting layered tactics, along with excellent movement and teamwork!"
All the Liverpool players rushed toward Leo Lin, hugging him in celebration. They had won this crucial match.
The camera found Leo Lin, and the whole of Anfield echoed with chants for him alone.
"Leader!"
"Leader!"
"Leader!"
...