Chapter 17: The Wall
A week passed. Everton away. Goodison Park. A proper old-school ground, tight to the pitch, hostile. Leo trained hard, but something felt different. Gray's face was tense. The squad was thin. Lundekvam had a knock. Richards was carrying a hamstring. The defence was held together with tape and hope.
[Training Performance: 9.3, 9.5, 9.4, 9.6.]
[User Rating: 98 (OVR).]
The night before the match, Leo used his two skill tokens.
[Skills Upgraded:]
> Strength (Level 2 -> Level 3): Improved physicality, harder to knock off the ball.
> Stamina Management (Level 2 -> Level 3): Fatigue accumulation reduced by 18%.
[User Rating: 98 -> 98 (OVR).]
Still 98. The climb was steeper now. Every point mattered more.
---
Saturday, 22nd December 2001. Goodison Park.
The away changing room was cramped, the walls blue, the floor concrete. No frills. Everton didn't do comfort. Leo sat at his peg, pulling on his boots. The system populated the Everton lineup.
Everton (4-4-2):
Steve Simonsen (GK) - 76
Steve Watson (RB) - 75
David Weir (CB) - 82
Alan Stubbs (CB) - 80
David Unsworth (LB) - 78
Niclas Alexandersson (RM) - 79
Thomas Gravesen (CM) - 84
Mark Pembridge (CM) - 77
Jesper Blomqvist (LM) - 76
Kevin Campbell (ST) - 83
Tomasz Radzinski (ST) - 82
No superstars. No 90-plus ratings. Gravesen was their best player, an 84. On paper, Southampton should win. But football wasn't played on paper.
Southampton's lineup appeared.
Southampton (4-4-2):
Paul Jones (GK) - 71
Jason Dodd (RB) - 73
Claus Lundekvam (CB) - 74
Dean Richards (CB) - 76
Wayne Bridge (LB) - 76
Leo Carter (RM) - 98
Anders Svensson (CM) - 75
Matthew Oakley (CM) - 74
Chris Marsden (LM) - 72
James Beattie (ST) - 77
Kevin Davies (ST) - 74
Leo looked at the numbers. His 98 stood out like a floodlight in a dark room. But behind him, the defence was a 71, 73, 74, 76. The midfield was 75, 74, 72. He could score two, three goals. It might not matter.
Gray stood at the front. "Everton are physical. They'll press you, kick you, make it ugly. This is a different kind of test. Carter, they'll try to mark you out of the game. Stay patient. The chances will come."
Leo nodded.
[Stuart Gray: Tactical Instruction Received. Expect heavy marking. Stay disciplined.]
The teams walked out. The tunnel was narrow, the walls blue, the light grey and cold. Leo stepped onto the pitch and the noise hit him. Goodison was a bear pit. The Gwladys Street End was a wall of blue, singing, snarling.
"We're Everton, we're Everton, we'll kick you off the park!"
The announcer's voice boomed, old-school and gruff.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Goodison Park for this Barclaycard Premiership fixture between Everton and Southampton!"
The whistle blew.
---
Everton started like a team fighting for their lives.
Gravesen snapped into tackles, his bald head gleaming under the floodlights. Pembridge and Blomqvist pressed high. Campbell and Radzinski ran the channels, making Lundekvam and Richards turn. It was ugly. It was physical. It was exactly what Southampton couldn't handle.
Leo touched the ball early. A pass from Oakley. Before he could turn, Gravesen was on him. A shoulder to the chest. No foul. The ball ran loose.
"Welcome to Goodison, pretty boy!" a voice from the stands shouted.
Leo got up, dusted himself off. The system pulsed.
[Physicality Warning: Everton Pressing Intensity - High. Recommended: Quick passing, avoid holding the ball.]
In the eighth minute, Everton had their first chance. A long throw from Unsworth. Campbell flicked it on. Radzinski was off, leaving Richards for dead. Jones came out, spread himself, and blocked the shot.
The Gwladys Street roared.
"Great save! Everton are coming!"
Leo tracked back, helping Dodd deal with Blomqvist. The system fed him information.
[Jesper Blomqvist: Crossing Threat - Moderate. Show him inside.]
He did. Blomqvist tried to go outside, Leo blocked the path, and the ball ran out for a goal kick.
[Defensive Action: Block. Match Rating: 6.3.]
---
Southampton couldn't get out. Every clearance came back. Every pass was contested. Beattie and Davies were isolated, feeding on scraps. Leo dropped deeper, trying to get on the ball, but Everton had done their homework. Wherever he went, a blue shirt followed.
In the nineteenth minute, Everton scored.
A corner from Alexandersson on the right. The ball curled toward the near post. Stubbs rose above Lundekvam, a mismatch in desire if not height, and thundered a header past Jones. The net bulged.
Goodison erupted.
"Stubbs! Stubbs! He's one of our own!"
The announcer's voice was alive. "Goal for Everton. Scored by number four, Alan Stubbs."
Leo stood on the halfway line, hands on his hips. He'd barely touched the ball. And they were behind.
[Match Momentum: Everton 72% - Southampton 28%.]
[Team Morale: Dropping. -5% Performance Penalty Applied.]
Everton 1, Southampton 0.
---
The rest of the first half was a grind. Southampton tried to respond. Leo finally got a touch in space in the twenty-seventh minute.
Oakley won the ball, played it wide. Leo turned and ran at Unsworth.
[Acceleration (Level 4) Activated. +20% Speed.]
He left the left-back for dead. Cross into the box. Beattie rose, but Weir got there first, heading clear.
The away end applauded weakly.
"Better, Carter! Keep going!"
But the attack fizzled out. Everton cleared, and Southampton had to start again.
In the thirty-fourth minute, Leo had another chance. A long ball from Bridge. Davies flicked it on. Leo was off, running into the channel.
[Driving Run (Level 4) Activated.]
He carried the ball into the box, cut inside Stubbs, and fired a low shot toward the near post. Simonsen got down well and held on.
The away end groaned.
"Good save. Unlucky, Carter."
[Shot on Target: Saved. Match Rating: 6.3 -> 6.8.]
Everton were comfortable. They sat back, absorbed pressure, and hit on the break. In the forty-first minute, Radzinski broke free again, only to be denied by Jones.
Half-time came.
Everton 1, Southampton 0.
---
The away changing room was silent. Gray stood at the front, his face blank.
"They're outworking us. Outfighting us. Outthinking us." He paused. "Carter is being marked out of the game. We need to find him more. Move the ball faster. Create space. Otherwise, we lose this."
He looked at Leo. "Keep moving. Drag them out of position. The chances will come."
Leo nodded. His legs felt okay, the upgraded Stamina Management keeping him fresher than most. But his head was spinning. He was a 98. The best player on the pitch by twenty points. And he was being nullified by a team of 70s and 80s.
Football wasn't a one-man show.
---
The second half began. Southampton pushed forward. Leo drifted inside, outside, trying to find space. Unsworth followed him everywhere. Gravesen doubled up. Every time Leo got the ball, two blue shirts swarmed him.
In the fifty-second minute, Leo broke free.
A one-two with Svensson. He burst past Unsworth, drove into the box, and cut it back to Beattie. The striker swung his foot, but Stubbs threw himself in front of the shot. Blocked.
The away end screamed.
"Handball! Ref! That's a penalty!"
The referee waved play on. No penalty.
Leo put his hands on his head. The system updated.
[Penalty Appeal: Denied. Charm Available: 5,720 Points. Use Charm on Referee? Success Chance: +35%. Cost: 80 Points.]
He hesitated. Then confirmed.
The points deducted. But the decision stood. The referee had made his call. Even charm had limits.
[Charm Points: 5,640 Remaining.]
---
In the sixty-third minute, Southampton equalised.
A free-kick from Svensson on the left. The ball curled toward the back post. Leo rose, Power Header activated, but Weir got there first. The ball deflected across the box. Beattie reacted quickest, stabbing it home from three yards.
The net bulged.
The away end erupted.
"Beattie! Beattie! He scores when he wants!"
[Assist Registered. Match Rating: 6.8 -> 7.5.]
Everton 1, Southampton 1.
---
The game opened up. Both teams pushed for a winner. Everton threw bodies forward. Southampton countered. Leo finally had space.
In the seventy-first minute, he almost scored.
A long clearance from Richards. Davies flicked it on. Leo was off, running into the channel.
[Acceleration (Level 4) Activated.]
[Curled Finish (Level 5) Activated.]
He cut inside Stubbs and curled a shot toward the far corner. Simonsen flew across his goal and tipped it onto the post. The ball bounced clear.
The away end groaned.
"How? How did he save that?"
Leo stood there, hands on his head. Inches. Again.
[Shot on Target: Saved. Match Rating: 7.5 -> 8.0.]
---
The final fifteen minutes were chaos. Everton won a corner. The ball bounced around the box. Campbell swung a foot, but Jones saved. Southampton broke. Leo ran at Unsworth, crossed to Davies, header saved.
In the eighty-seventh minute, Everton won another corner. The Gwladys Street roared. Alexandersson swung it in. The ball curled toward the near post. Weir rose above everyone and thundered a header toward the top corner.
Jones flew across his goal and tipped it over.
The home crowd groaned.
"What a save! How are we not winning?"
The away fans sang louder.
"We've got Jones! We've got Jones! He's better than Simonsen! We've got Jones!"
---
The final whistle blew.
Everton 1, Southampton 1.
The Southampton players trudged off, heads down. They'd fought back, but they'd dropped points. Against a team they should have beaten. On paper.
Leo walked off, his shirt soaked, his legs heavy. He'd created chances. He'd been denied by a world-class save. But he hadn't won. And without winning, he couldn't grow.
The system pinged.
[Match Complete. Everton 1 - 1 Southampton.]
[Barclaycard Premiership: 1 Point.]
[Match Rating: 8.2 (Southampton Man of the Match).]
[Charm Points Earned: 100. Total: 5,740.]
No talent absorption. They'd drawn. Leo stared at the notification, a hollow feeling in his chest. He was a 98. The best player on the pitch. But football wasn't played on paper.
Gray found him in the tunnel. "You fought. That's all I can ask. But we need more from everyone. Not just you."
He walked away. Leo stood there, the cold air biting his face. He was 98. And it still wasn't enough.