The path to becoming a football legend began with being ousted from Carrington by Manchester United.

Amidst applause from many fans for Lin, the first half ended with the score tied at 1-1.

Back in the locker room, neither head coach made any personnel changes.

Pellegrini was originally prepared to criticize Nasri, but Lin Yi and Aguero did it for him, so he didn't say anything more and focused on encouraging the players.

In the home team's dressing room, Professor Wenger emphasized only one thing: while the players continued to hold their ground, they should increase their involvement in the midfield, including players like Van Persie and Walcott, who had to drop back to help in midfield.

Arsenal's passivity in the first half stemmed mainly from Manchester City's complete control of the midfield.

There is no doubt how important the waist is to a man. When 22 testosterone-fueled men are battling it out on the court, the one who can't straighten their back usually struggles to achieve anything.

The fans also used the halftime break to adjust their emotions. They had to realize that the person who just scored was not their King of Highbury, but the rising star of their opponent, Manchester City.

Fifteen minutes was enough time for everyone to move on from the painful memories. When Lin returned to the court, he was greeted by a chorus of boos.

At the Emirates Stadium, Lin Yi received treatment comparable to that of Nasri, which was truly remarkable.

Since Pellegrini took over, Manchester City has consistently implemented a strikerless tactic. Whether it's Lin Yi or Aguero, the players who are up front are mostly active in midfield, and Manchester City originally had a midfield configuration of 5 players.

This caused quite a stir, with both sides gathering large numbers of players in the midfield area, instantly compressing the space to the size of a basement guesthouse, making it difficult to even turn around.

In such a confined space, even with a large number of technically skilled players on both sides, it is still difficult to avoid an increase in mistakes when trying to coordinate.

The two sides were locked in a tangled battle, their play becoming clumsy and neither able to execute smooth combinations. The game's entertainment value plummeted, turning it into a dull and uninteresting affair.

Arsenal's beautiful football failed to materialize, and Manchester City's pack tactics also struggled to keep up.

If a player keeps the ball at his feet for more than three seconds, he will be surrounded by several opposing players, with countless legs intertwined, making it impossible for even a god to control the ball properly.

Nasri was thankful that the game didn't start like this, otherwise his leg might have been broken by someone dirty trick.

The two head coaches are at a loss with this situation. Now it's a battle of resilience among the players to see who can hold out the longest.

Feeling bored, Alan Smith couldn't help but complain: "Nobody expected the Arsenal vs. Manchester City match to turn out like this. If you ignored their jerseys, someone unfamiliar with the game might think it was Wigan Athletic vs. Queens Park Rangers."

Martin Tyler rarely agreed with his partner: "Indeed, it was quite unexpected that two technically gifted teams would start a physical battle in midfield."

Alan Smith began to ramble on about his opinions.

"Look at poor David Silva and Arteta. Although they have long adapted to the pace of the Premier League, in this situation, Spanish players are undoubtedly no match for African players."

"Alexander Song and Yaya Toure have become the most active people at present."

"Van Persie chickened out; a series of injuries in previous seasons made him somewhat resistant to this kind of physical combat."

"Wenger should probably substitute Walcott. There's no room for speed players to operate now. He'll probably be knocked over before he even gets going. Lin is having a hard time, let alone the even thinner Walcott."

"Pellegrini acted faster; Manchester City substituted Milner for Nasri."

"Goodness, listen to that hissing, it's about to burst people's eardrums, that's Nasri's special treatment."

"Huh? Nasri has already left the field, why haven't the boos stopped, they're getting louder?"

Martin Tyler pointed out, "Look, it's Lin Yi dribbling and trying to break through."

"That's too much of a stretch!" Alan Smith, having forgotten his past mistakes, started questioning Lin Yi again. "In this situation, the only ones who can make a solo run through are probably the shorter but more agile Maradona and Messi. Tall players like Lin, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Thierry Henry, although their breakthroughs are also very sharp, are not as effective against dense crowds."

"Look, the path ahead is full of people, and Lin has no choice but to bring the ball to the wing."

"Aren't you going to give up? Lin is too stubborn!"

"Oh dear, the last chance to pass was missed. Now Lin is completely surrounded on the sideline, with no room to maneuver at all."

"Manchester City players, get your act together! Lin is about to lose possession; watch out for Arsenal's counter-attack."

"Lin kicked the ball forward with force, seemingly trying to create a throw-in."

"Beautiful! Alexander Song nimbly dodged it, and in the process, he also pushed Lin out of bounds."

"Lin is out of options now!"

"What the hell! What is this all about!" Alan Smith exclaimed, stopping his monologue.

Lin Yi's fan, Martin Tyler, took over the conversation: "Lin forcefully overtook Alexander Song from outside the sideline!"

"Lin was pushed out by the opponent. His running outside the sideline is part of the normal movement of the game and should not be called for leaving the field without permission."

"As expected, the referee signaled that Lin had not committed a violation, and the game continued."

"Rosicky shoveled down, but Lin dodged it."

"Sagia's coming to cover, can he stop Lin?"

"Great! It went right through the crotch!"

"Lin nutmegged Arsenal's right-back Sagna."

"Lin is near the baseline, the space is very tight, how will he deal with Vermaelen who is rushing at him?"

"A feint! Lin fakes a shot and then cuts back, using his right foot to get past Vermaelen and then hooking the ball back from the byline with his left foot."

"Vermaelen didn't expect Lin Yi to be able to make such a fancy dribbling move so close to the baseline. He completely lost his balance."

"Lin is about to hit the door!"

"A powerful shot from a tight angle!"

"Top corner of the goal!"

"Szczesny dodged! He actually dodged! Lin's shot was powerful and heavy, and Szczesny instinctively turned his head! He handed the goal to the opponent!"

"Goal!"

"Lin-goooooooooooooooooooal!"

It was another outstanding solo performance. This was originally a script that Nasri designed for himself, but he was not capable of carrying the solo act, which Lin Yi performed perfectly. Lin Yi was the real male lead.

An impeccable individual performance: when both sides turned the pitch into a fierce battleground, Lin Yi single-handedly carved a bloody path and pierced Arsenal's heart with a single blow.

Wenger was helpless. He had considered various reasons why he might lose in the halftime battle, but he did not expect Lin Yi to break the deadlock in such an unreasonable and violent way.

As the saying goes, brute force can overcome any technique. Even if Arsenal turned their midfield into a meat grinder, they still couldn't break through Lin Yi's tough nut.

Moreover, in Lin Yi's eyes, Arsenal was nothing more than a showy but ineffective team, and not worth worrying about.

Lin Yi's goal helped Manchester City take the lead and also allowed him to equal Robin van Persie's goal tally in the top scorer rankings.

With nearly half an hour left in the match, it wasn't over yet.