The English Premier League kicked off again, and a new round of the league had begun. At this moment, the players had all arrived on the pitch.
As the visiting team, Arsenal remained as confident as ever. Victory for them was unrelated to whether they played at home or away.
Arsenal's fans had long since occupied this area, and wherever they played, the fans would follow. Their passion could always outshine the opposition by several streets.
At this moment, the fans were cheering excitedly, still recalling the events of the previous league match, how Arsenal had made Chelsea leave with their tails between their legs.
Cao Baming scoring seven goals in a single match, breaking the Premier League record for most individual goals in a single game, felt as if it had happened only yesterday.
Now, Cao Baming stood on this pitch again, his gaze flickering with determination, as if conveying a message to all the fans: today would also feature a spectacular performance.
Looking at Arsenal's opponents today, AFC Bournemouth, despite playing at home, trembled in their hearts.
This was Arsenal, who had beaten Chelsea 8-1 on their home turf in the last match, and Chelsea boasted the strongest defense in the Premier League.
Arsenal now exuded a terrifying aura, as if they were not facing an ordinary team, but a beast of the red sea, destined for demise.
Every member of the AFC Bournemouth club, including the athletes, management, and coaching staff, had already come to terms with a fact.
The fact was that, objectively speaking, their team's strength stood no chance against Arsenal in a head-on clash. Even with clever tactics, they would only prolong their suffering.
Today, their goal was to last longer, at least not to be as embarrassed as Chelsea in the previous match.
The home fans also understood the vast disparity in strength between the two teams. While no one wanted to lose, they had all come prepared mentally before arriving.
No matter what happened, it would not be unexpected.
After the final preparations, the teams began to walk onto the pitch.
Wu Xue came to watch the match today specifically. She was wearing the same outfit she had worn when she first met Cao Baming in the photo studio, and she came alone.
Henry's name was still absent from Arsenal's starting lineup.
Due to his late return, Henry had only participated in two and a half days of training in the past week, and even he was not confident.
Arteta had agreed to Henry's request and placed him on the bench. However, this did not mean Henry would not play today. The plan was always to give him an opportunity in the second half if the situation was as expected.
The team's configuration today was almost identical to the match against Chelsea. Cao Baming and Messi led the charge.
After the match began, Cao Baming quickly moved from the defender's position to defensive midfield. Upon receiving the ball, he subtly transitioned to the front, moving to the midfield within minutes. Bournemouth was forced back near their penalty area and couldn't break out.
Although no goals were scored, being forced to defend deep in their own penalty area right from the start made them look very disheveled, like a child being cornered and apologizing.
In reality, this was completely different from the tactics the head coach had laid out. At least they believed they should fight for it in the first ten minutes.
However, they soon realized they had overthought it. Arsenal's terrifying collective pressure allowed them no room for any additional thoughts.
Their defense was pushed into the penalty area; this was a clear indication they were being pushed to the brink.
In the eighth minute of the match, Cao Baming received a chipped pass from Messi inside the penalty area. He controlled the ball with one touch, preparing to execute a "fried onion" skill to get past the defender in front of him.
This was inside the penalty area, and Cao Baming was an unstoppable force.
A defender who had timely covered saw this and, without hesitation, stretched out his leg to tackle from the side, aiming for a surprise interception.
However, in the next second, Cao Baming pulled the ball back with his other foot. The defender's leg then slammed hard into Cao Baming's supporting leg.
This was a clear tripping foul, and given that it occurred inside the penalty area, the referee could not have missed it.
The defender was then tripped to the ground, rolling several times inside the penalty area.
Cao Baming, however, remained steady on his feet. He then feinted past the last defender and scored!
Arsenal's players were still protesting the clear tripping foul to the referee, while Cao Baming had already converted it into a goal!
The referee then finally made a decision, issuing a yellow card to the offending player.
A penalty was spared.
Cao Baming did not wish to waste time. It was a great opportunity, so why complicate things when he could score?
This referee had only been officiating Premier League matches for a little over a year. While not highly experienced, he had coincidentally started at the same time Cao Baming arrived in the Premier League.
He was also very familiar with this man who had arrived in the Premier League at the same time as him. Cao Baming would not dive in the penalty area, and with his physical strength, ordinary fouls could not stop him unless they were lethal.
Therefore, he did not blow the whistle immediately, disrupting a promising attacking situation.
With this goal, the score was changed to 1-0, with Arsenal leading Bournemouth. Arsenal fans erupted in celebration.
However, this was just the beginning.
In Cao Baming's eyes, these opponents were no match for them.
Even though he had completely abandoned his role as a defender and roamed freely in the attacking third, the opposition could not create any threats. In fact, they didn't even have the opportunity to create threats.
They were already exhausted from being solely focused on defense.
In the fifteenth minute, Gabi Martinelli cut inside from the left and scored with a long-range shot, further extending the lead. The suspense of the match had long since vanished, but now there was a new question: could they break the record set in the previous match?
The weather on the pitch was moderate, the temperature pleasant, and the sun in the sky was gentle. It was a mild and sunny afternoon, a good day for breaking records.