And at this moment, all eyes turned to a figure on the field.
Inside Arsenal's penalty area, Martial lay motionless on the ground, his face contorted in pain.
Arsenal's goalkeeper, Turner, approached to check on him, while Manchester United teammate Lingard also came over, extending a hand.
"Brother, that's enough, you'll get a yellow card if you keep this up..."
Just moments ago, he had been standing right beside Martial, witnessing the full-body collision firsthand.
Such physical duels happened dozens of times per game; there shouldn't have been any issue.
However, Martial remained unmoved, lying on the ground, unable to even speak.
When he turned his face slightly, his teammates saw the pained expression on his face.
At this point, the referee also ran over, blowing his whistle to stop the match as he ran.
The referee, dressed in black, was an experienced official who had officiated over seventy Premier League matches. He made his judgment based on his experience.
But this time, he might have been wrong.
Everyone quickly gathered around, and the spectators in the stands could no longer see what was happening, looking bewildered.
"What's going on? Is he really injured?"
"I don't know. If he is, it's in the penalty area. Will they give a penalty?"
...
Soon, the referee waved, and the medical staff entered the field.
And they were carrying a stretcher!
After a brief, rough on-site diagnosis, the medical staff delivered a conclusion that surprised everyone present.
"From the looks of it, it seems like a fractured rib has punctured a muscle, and it's not just one."
"What?"
No wonder he was in so much pain!
The agony of a rib bone puncturing a muscle was something few could endure!
The referee sincerely apologized.
However, it wasn't entirely his fault.
After a cautious VAR review, it was confirmed that Martial had collided with Cao Baiming's back on his own.
There were no other contributing factors!
The video clearly showed the bizarre scene: during the collision, Cao Baiming's body remained as steady as a mountain, while Martial was sent flying backward.
Considering the 20-kilogram difference in their weights, and that Cao Baiming was the lighter one, this was astonishing!
The assistant referees watching the replay on the sideline were so startled that their hair stood on end, breaking out in a cold sweat.
It was like witnessing a supernatural event on screen.
Did this make any sense?
Martial, enduring the pain, clutched his chest with one hand as four medics in white carried him off the pitch.
His heart was filled with confusion and anger.
What exactly had happened? Why did it feel like he had collided with a rock?
Cao Baiming only then realized how powerful the 50 points in physical attributes were...
...
After some commotion, the match resumed.
Since VAR confirmed there was no foul, Arsenal's goal was not affected!
There were only five minutes left in the match.
However, so much time had been wasted that a considerable amount of added time was expected!
The last chance!
Arterta on the sideline looked even more agitated; the goal seemed to have ignited him!
He roared encouragement to his players, urging them to score another goal in the final moments to take the lead!
But it wouldn't be that easy!
Manchester United substituted a midfielder for Martial, preparing to defend their draw with a solid defense.
It seemed Solskjaer was also playing it safe.
The two coaches stood only a few meters apart on the sideline. The more timid you are, the more aggressive I'll be!
The expressions on their faces now were the complete opposite of the first half.
Now it was Solskjaer's turn to look troubled.
The ball was passed back and forth in midfield, with both sides constantly exchanging possession.
In the final moments, neither side willing to concede, both intensified their pressing, even if it meant exhausting their stamina to fight until the very end!
Cao Baiming couldn't find a shooting opportunity amidst the chaos, only attempting a dribble at the end of regular time.
But he was ultimately dispossessed by a sliding tackle from the defensive midfielder.
The assistant referee on the sideline displayed the added time for the match.
8 minutes!
A full eight minutes of added time was a significant amount.
Cao Baiming looked at the situation on the field and had a bold idea.
He found Vieira and they began to discuss in hushed tones.
As the current midfield core, he could only rely on this pivot to create shooting opportunities!
Soon, during the final added time, the two sides began their battle!
Right at the start, Manchester United launched an attack, but it ended in failure, and Cao Baiming almost seized an opportunity to counter-attack.
Fortunately, Bruno quickly regained possession.
And at that moment, a sliding tackle from an unknown source cleanly won the ball!
Bruno's sluggish ball handling finally paid the price!
It was Cao Baiming who made the tackle, not touching his feet at all, but cleanly winning the ball for his teammate!
The midfielder received the ball and quickly started passing forward, probing for weaknesses!
This time, they successfully advanced into the opponent's half!
When it was Vieira's turn to pass, to everyone's surprise, he chose to dribble forward himself!
Was the midfielder going to cut inside and shoot?
How could Luke Shaw and Maguire allow such an attack to succeed? They converged to block Vieira's path forward!
At this moment, Vieira executed a nimble backheel pass, without looking back, sending the ball to the teammate following up behind him!
It was Cao Baiming!
"Cao Baiming is charging forward again! Nostalgia!"
"True, a defender with goals! No, a defender with a gun!"
The fans couldn't sit still with excitement.
Manchester United's two central defenders were caught completely off guard. They quickly released Vieira and rushed towards Cao Baiming!
Facing Luke Shaw's obstruction, the strong Maguire unceremoniously brought him down, choosing to defend Cao Baiming himself!
At this moment, Cao Baiming's eyes flashed, and he quickly scanned the goal, confirming the goalkeeper's position.
A clear line suddenly appeared before him, accompanied by a number: 93.
This meant a 93% chance of scoring!
Damn it, what was there to wait for?
Before Maguire could reach him, Cao Baiming shot directly!
The burly Maguire's position at this moment perfectly blocked De Gea's line of sight!
Coupled with the incredibly fast speed of the shot, De Gea had no reaction in front of the goal, watching the ball enter the net.
The score was overturned!
Cao Baiming jumped up excitedly!
This system was truly amazing!
His teammates rushed in crazily, instantly mobbing Cao Baiming!
A last-minute winner!!
Looking at the timer counting down, there were still 45 seconds left!
Arterta was so excited he almost knocked over the linesman!
This felt so damn good!
He truly lived up to his reputation as a "defender with a gun"!