Crystal Palace's renewed lead not only failed to break Cambridge United's players but instead ignited their desire to win!
Three minutes later, Mahrez received a pass from O'Connor and rapidly advanced down the right flank!
After nearing the byline, Mahrez took advantage of Ward being a step slow and quickly sent the ball in front of the goal!
Lawrence seized the landing spot in the penalty area and headed the ball clear.
Sun Jihai, waiting outside the box, was perfectly positioned and once again passed the ball to Mahrez inside the penalty area!
Mahrez, who had just turned around after receiving the ball with his back to the goal, was immediately tackled to the ground by Hill!
McCarthy, who was nearby, seized the opportunity to kick the ball away!
At a critical moment, Kante in the midfield completely misjudged the ball, allowing Darnes behind him to pick up the loose ball!
Fortunately, Lovren made a timely recovery, regaining possession with a tackle at the edge of the penalty area!
After gaining possession, Lovren immediately passed to Sun Jihai in front, and Sun Jihai powerfully lofted the ball towards the front of the field!
Lewandowski successfully controlled the ball between McCarthy and Lawrence, took two steps towards the penalty area, and then sent the ball to the center!
Vardy received the ball at the top of the arc and unleashed a powerful shot!
The ball flew past Speroni's face and into the net!!!
2:2!!!
In just 24 minutes since the start of the match, the two teams had already scored 4 goals combined! This delighted the neutral fans! The two teams with the most goals in the League truly did not disappoint!
With their eyes red from battle, the players of both teams were highly excitable, and their actions became increasingly aggressive. Bramall began to frequently issue cards to control the emotions of both sides.
In the 35th minute, Moses once again made his way to the left byline near Cambridge United's penalty area. Kante and Lovren collaborated on defense and successfully dispossessed him!
Kante immediately kicked the ball to Mahrez in midfield! Cambridge United quickly launched a counter-attack!
Mahrez rapidly advanced with the ball into Crystal Palace's attacking third, but before his teammates could support him, a piercing pain suddenly shot through his left leg! Hill, who had charged in from the side, directly kicked Mahrez down!
The linesman, who was close by, immediately waved his flag!
Seeing Bramall running towards him, Hill, who already had a yellow card, panicked!
He kept waving his hand at the referee, indicating that he did not do it on purpose.
Huang Hao was not concerned about whether Hill would be sent off at this moment; Mahrez was still lying on the ground in agony!
Cambridge United's team doctor, Hoff, had a solemn expression. After an initial examination, the scene Huang Hao least wanted to see still happened.
Mahrez could not continue the match!
Huang Hao couldn't help but curse! He quickly told Pasquel to warm up and replace Mahrez.
However, Hill's desperate pleas did not win Bramall's sympathy; two yellow cards resulted in a red, and Hill was sent off!
Warnock also immediately substituted attacking midfielder Carl for Faris to ensure the integrity of the midfield.
As a result, Crystal Palace, now with one less player, directly changed their 4-4-1-1 formation to a 4-4-1.
Huang Hao's mood did not improve because Crystal Palace was playing with one less player. The injuries to both left wingers, Smith and Mahrez, meant that for the next match, there would be no proper personnel for the left wing.
As Tadić's free-kick went wide of Crystal Palace's goal, the intense first half came to an end, and both teams returned to the locker room with a 2-2 score.
During halftime, Huang Hao's main concern was Mahrez. After a preliminary examination, it was basically confirmed that he had a moderate contusion on his left leg, and Hoff estimated a recovery period of about a week.
Huang Hao's last bit of hope was shattered.
After the break, even though Crystal Palace was down a man, Darnes fully utilized his individual ability in the attacking third, posing a threat to Cambridge United's defense.
In the 50th minute of the second half, Moses dribbled the ball down the right flank to the byline and successfully crossed it!
John leaped in front of Lovren and volleyed the ball!
Pantilimon was perfectly positioned, and with a push of his hands, the ball flew out of bounds!
Rubbing his numb palms, Pantilimon exclaimed how close it was, saying that if he hadn't been standing directly in the path of the shot, it would have been a grim outcome!
A few minutes later, O'Connor also threatened Speroni's goal with a direct free-kick, but unfortunately, the shooting angle was a bit too central, and the ball was firmly caught by Speroni.
As both sides' physical fitness declined, the pace of the match slowed down slightly in the latter half.
In the 67th minute, after a scramble in midfield, O'Connor seized the opportunity. While Lawrence was still adjusting after controlling the ball, he directly stole it from behind him and immediately lofted it towards Crystal Palace's attacking third!
Lewandowski and Vardy, like two ghosts at the door, attacked simultaneously from both flanks, launching an assault on Crystal Palace's goal!
Vardy was a bit too eager for glory. Surrounded by the goalkeeper and defenders, he did not pass the ball to the better-positioned Lewandowski but instead forced a shot!
As expected, the ball went directly over the goal!
Huang Hao was so angry he slapped his thigh! This was Cambridge United's best chance in the second half!
In the 72nd minute, Cambridge United won a free-kick on the right side of the attacking third.
Tadić ran to O'Connor, and after a whispered conversation, O'Connor gave up the ball!
O'Connor had failed to score in two previous direct opportunities on goal, so he decided to let Tadić try this time.
Tadić exhaled lightly and directly lofted the ball to the far post!
Lewandowski won the aerial duel and powerfully headed the ball towards the goal!
The ball hit the junction of the crossbar and the right post!
And bounced into the net!!! A perfect top corner shot!!!
2:3!!! Cambridge United took the lead again!!!
This time it was Huang Hao who slid on his knees, also raising both hands to celebrate the goal!
Warnock glanced at Huang Hao, and seeing the familiar action, he felt quite displeased!
The competitive emotions between the two directly affected their teams, and the two sides on the field were truly locked in a fierce battle!
In the 75th minute, Crystal Palace also won a free-kick at the same location where Cambridge United scored in the first half!
Townsend, who was in excellent form, also lofted the ball in front of the goal!
John leaped up and headed the ball!
The ball flew over Pantilimon's fingertips!
Bang! John's shot was cruelly blocked by the crossbar!
Townsend quickly retrieved the ball and crossed it again!
The ball hit O'Connor's body, and Pasquel seized the opportunity to kick the ball to midfield!
McCarthy, who had stayed back, quickly advanced and kicked the ball to Lawrence. Lawrence passed directly to Derry without stopping, Derry spread the play, and the ball circulated to the right flank at an extremely fast pace!
At this moment, Eitel had quickly surged forward from midfield and successfully gained possession!
He went to the byline and crossed!
The ball curved in front of the goal and landed at the far post!
Lovren missed the pass because he couldn't stop in time!
Mohammed Faris gratefully accepted the gift, easily slotting it into the near corner!!!
3:3!!! Crystal Palace equalized again!!! Neither Crystal Palace nor Cambridge United ever held the lead for more than 3 minutes!
This time, Warnock only clenched his fist tightly and did not celebrate wildly, so as not to give Huang Hao any more celebration inspiration.
Indeed, after Cambridge United restarted the game, in just a few seconds, Tadić launched an attack on Crystal Palace's goal from the left side!
Unfortunately, Vardy's header in front of the goal went slightly over the crossbar!
In the 81st minute, Pasquel received a pass from Ayu and unleashed a sudden long-range shot from the edge of the penalty area!
Speroni quickly dove to the ground and held the ball under him!
Crystal Palace, with one less player, gradually fell behind, and their goal was repeatedly under threat.
In the 93rd minute, Crystal Palace had their last attack.
Eitel threw in the ball, and it reached John's feet.
Taking advantage of Cambridge United's players not pressing him, John took a low shot directly from outside the penalty area!
Although Pantilimon was well-prepared and dove directly to the right side of the goal, he did not touch the ball!
John's shot directly hit the right post and was immediately kicked out of bounds by Sun Jihai in front of the goal! Bramall immediately blew the final whistle!
The two teams, playing with full firepower, ultimately drew 3-3!
Warnock and Huang Hao on the sidelines both felt a sense of relief. After the match, they tacitly turned and walked towards each other.
"It seems we'll have to wait until next season to determine a winner."
This time, Huang Hao spoke first.
"Haha, no problem, see you in the Premier League!"
Warnock's words were like a promise, an encouragement, and a challenge! Their clasped hands seemed to tighten even more.
The next day, during his lunch break, Huang Hao went to St. Mark's Hospital and invited Lin Kexin to have lunch together.
"Mr. Coach, are you planning to tell me that you'll be living in the tactical analysis room at the base for the next few days?"
Lin Kexin asked playfully, tilting her head.
Clearly, Lin Kexin was already used to Huang Hao disappearing whenever there was a big match.
Huang Hao didn't rush to answer but first picked up a chicken leg and placed it in front of Lin Kexin.
"How is Mahrez?"
Huang Hao thought of his vulnerable right flank and quickly inquired about Mahrez's condition from Lin Kexin.
"Hehe!"
Seeing Lin Kexin's eyes curve into a smile, Huang Hao was overjoyed! It seemed there was hope! "Come on, eat more! Stop keeping me in suspense, tell me, tell me!"
With that, Huang Hao picked up another chicken leg for Lin Kexin.
"Mr. Coach, are you trying to make me fat?!"
Looking at the two large chicken legs on her plate, Lin Kexin was exasperated.
"Don't worry, Mahrez is recovering very well~"
"If nothing unexpected happens, playing for most of a half shouldn't be a problem. But I'm not a professional in this, you need to have your team evaluate it."
Huang Hao looked at Lin Kexin with doting affection, sighing at how good fate was to send him such a wonderful girl!
Lin Kexin's appearance not only ended his single life in Cambridge but, more importantly, her acupuncture skills had repeatedly achieved miraculous results for Cambridge United!
"Absolutely! If we win this match, you'll be the biggest contributor!"
With the left winger issue resolved, Huang Hao was in a great mood.
"Then how are you going to thank me?"
Lin Kexin was ready to take advantage of the situation.
"Let me think, I'll marry you!"
Huang Hao's words were startling; the chicken leg Lin Kexin was about to put into her mouth dropped back onto her plate.
"You! You! Dream on! Is this a reward? Are you trying to skip the proposal altogether?!"
Lin Kexin feigned anger, but in reality, her heart was blooming with joy.
"Okay, okay, I was wrong, I'll agree to whatever you want."
Huang Hao made a serious promise.
"That's great! I wish my Mr. Coach a triumphant victory!"
With that, Lin Kexin stood up from her seat, leaned over, and gave Huang Hao a fragrant kiss. A delicate scent wafted over, and Huang Hao felt refreshed, suddenly feeling like winning the entire universe was no problem!
For the next two days, Huang Hao indeed locked himself in the tactical analysis room again.
When a scruffy Huang Hao reappeared before everyone, he looked as if he had aged several years!