The Greatest of all Time

Chapter 754 Brain Over Brawn

Now fully facing the pitch, Zachary lifted his head. His breathing was steady. His vision was clear. And more than anything, he could feel the trust radiating from his teammates. Without a single word spoken, they had all started running.

Divock Origi peeled away to the left flank with a burst of acceleration. Mohamed Salah darted down the right channel. Roberto Firmino dropped between the lines to find space. Jordan Henderson powered through midfield. Even Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold were charging forward from their fullback positions, sensing blood in the water.

They were all betting on one thing, and that was that Zachary would deliver.

Zachary, on his part, didn't let the moment rush him. As he edged forward with the ball under control, he scanned everything ahead of him in a heartbeat. City had overcommitted, leaving open lanes behind their high line. The defensive midfield was retreating in desperation, and the back four were scrambling to regain shape.

Zachary spotted his window.

Divock Origi was wide open on the left, just beginning to enter the attacking third. No one had tracked him. Kyle Walker was still recovering from the earlier sequence, and John Stones was drifting too far inside, focused on Firmino.

Zachary adjusted his stride and raised his left foot, slicing through the ball with a calculated swing. The ball curled outward beautifully, catching the perfect arc as it bent over the midfield line and drifted toward the flank. The weight, the spin, and the angle were all flawless.

The pass dropped in stride just ahead of Origi, who barely had to adjust. One touch to settle, then he was off. The big forward galloped down the wing, the City defense spinning into emergency mode.

Walker rushed out to meet him. Stones slid across to help. But Origi remained composed. As he neared the box, he slowed just enough to throw Walker off rhythm, then squared the ball sharply into the middle.

There, waiting at the top of the penalty area, was Firmino.

The Brazilian controlled the pass with a silky first touch, then quickly shifted the ball to his right to shake off Otamendi's pressure. With a sharp pivot, he freed up space and fired a low, driven shot toward the bottom corner of the goal.

Fortunately for City, Claudio Bravo reacted quickly.

Diving low to his left, the City keeper stretched out fully and managed to get his gloves behind the ball. He didn't catch it cleanly, but he did enough. The ball deflected off his palms and skidded just wide of the post.

The referee signaled a corner.

It was the 13th minute, and City had just narrowly avoided another clinical Liverpool counterattack. The warning signs were flashing, and Liverpool were in no mood to ease up. The red shirts surged forward for the resulting corner, sensing that another blow could send a shockwave through City's backline.

Trent Alexander-Arnold walked briskly to the flag, barely pausing. He adjusted the ball, took a couple steps back, then whipped in a curling cross with his right foot. The delivery was dangerous, spinning inward toward the penalty spot with a wicked bend.

Inside the box, bodies clashed. Shirts were tugged. Arms wrestled for space. The tension was thick as every player tracked the flight of the ball.

Then came the moment.

Virgil van Dijk rose above everyone else. His leap was timed to perfection. He planted his forehead firmly on the ball and sent it rocketing toward goal with power and purpose. The header was on target, arrowing low toward the far corner.

But Claudio Bravo was sharp again. The City keeper reacted fast, diving low to his right this time. He stretched out, extended both gloves, and managed to get solid contact to palm the ball away. It bounced off the turf and was cleared by Stones before Origi could pounce.

The crowd applauded both the effort and the save, and from the commentary box above, voices came alive.

"Another huge save from Claudio Bravo," one said with urgency in his tone. "Liverpool are piling it on now. The pressure has been relentless, and City are barely hanging on."

"Absolutely," replied the second voice. "You can see how dangerous Liverpool are when they break. But the standout for me today has been Zachary Bemba. He's not just recently come back from injury… he looks transformed. You can see it in his decisions, his timing, the way he moves."

"Yeah, and he hasn't needed to dance through defenders to leave a mark," the first added. "He's dictating play with one or two touches. That Marseille turn earlier, the vision to launch that counter, the pass to Origi… it was just surgical."

"It's a different version of him now," the second agreed. "More efficient. Less risk, but no less impact. It's like he's chosen to play smarter, maybe to protect himself after the injury. But make no mistake, he's still cutting teams open. He's just doing it with brain over brawn now."

"And that's the real difference so far in this match. City have had their flashes, but Liverpool look sharper. More vertical. More connected. And when you've got someone like Zachary pulling strings with this kind of clarity, it becomes a constant threat."

The second voice nodded, adding, "You wonder how long City can keep soaking this up. If Liverpool keep moving like this and keep finding gaps, another goal could be on the horizon."

Back on the pitch, the teams reset as play continued. But the message was unmistakable.

Liverpool were locked in.

As soon as City made another clearance, the ball was recycled quickly. Joe Gomez reacted first, stepping forward to meet the loose ball. With composure, he brought it down on his chest, then swept a pass forward into space on the right flank.

Mohamed Salah collected it without breaking stride. With Walker backpedaling, Salah drove forward, drawing attention from both the fullback and Rodri, forcing City's defensive shape to bend again.

Liverpool had no intention of backing off. Every time they recovered possession, they pushed forward with aggression and clarity. The pressure didn't let up. The front three were constantly shifting, swapping channels, making diagonal runs. Henderson and Fabinho provided a sturdy platform in midfield, and Robertson and Alexander-Arnold stayed involved, overlapping and threading passes with speed and purpose.

The second goal felt close. But it never came.

Time and again, Liverpool sliced through the pitch with electric movement. At the center of it all, Zachary continued to operate like a metronome with bite. He did not rush, but he did not dawdle either. His touches were purposeful. One pass might eliminate Rodri. The next might bypass both Silva and Gundogan. He saw the spaces that City didn't cover and delivered the ball there with pinpoint accuracy.

And when City tried to wrestle back control, they found themselves suffocated. Guardiola's side attempted to settle into their signature rhythm, shifting play from side to side, drawing Liverpool out of shape. But Klopp's men were relentless. Their press was coordinated and sharp. The moment a City player received the ball, two red shirts would close him down. Options vanished. Time disappeared.

Trent Alexander-Arnold occasionally joined the central lanes, stepping into midfield and linking up with Zachary. The two played off each other beautifully, carving out passing combinations that cracked City's lines open. But still, the final touch, the finish, continued to elude them.

City, for all their quality, were forced to absorb wave after wave. Their defenders threw bodies in front of shots. Bravo remained sharp. And while De Bruyne and Sterling tried to spark counterattacks, Liverpool were simply too alert, too organized.

By the time the referee brought the first half to a close, City looked relieved. The whistle blew, cutting through the noise, and the players slowly made their way off the pitch.

The score remained 1–0, but the tone was clear.

Liverpool had dominated.

Zachary had dictated.

And City were fortunate to survive a thrashing during the first half.