He was not far from where he stood, and he saw the situation clearly: no foul.
The players on the field appeared to be in great pain. The surrounding crowd rushed to check on him and discovered it was a muscle strain sustained during an off-ball play.
As athletes themselves, and with the experience of seasoned fans on the sidelines, they knew that injuries or strains sustained when the ball was not in play were generally more severe than those from direct confrontation, and not just by a small margin.
Typically, strains of this nature required at least half a month of recovery before a player could participate in the next match.
After making a general assessment, the referee on the field quickly called for the team doctors from the sidelines. Several young men in white uniforms sprinted onto the field, carrying a makeshift stretcher.
The West Ham United manager on the sidelines once again held his breath. That player was the team's main forward!
How could he have gotten injured again for no apparent reason? He truly couldn't understand!
The first half wasn't even over, and this was another forced substitution, with the main forward being taken off. The score was already unfavorable, making it a triple blow.
With Scamacca's exit, West Ham United reluctantly made a substitution, bringing on another young, energetic forward.
The commentators also sighed with resignation, lamenting that it seemed the scales of victory were tipping in favor of Arsenal that day!
Time ticked away on the field, with several minutes consumed by this substitution and injury assessment.
Soon, the players returned to their positions for the restart. The referee immediately awarded possession to Arsenal and passed the ball back to Saka, who had just received it and was preparing to distribute it.
However, the situation on the field and the opponents' positioning were now completely different from before. Saka had no choice but to clear the ball long into the opponent's half.
At this moment, the front line was bolstered by the presence of two key players, Martinelli and Henry. It was worth a long shot, and it might just yield a miraculous result.
Cao Baiming seized the opportunity and began to move forward at high speed.
In the contest for the first aerial ball, Henry surprisingly failed to win it. A defender deflected it, but the clearance wasn't very far, and the ball landed directly at Cao Baiming's feet.
His face showed no sign of surprise, as if he had already anticipated the ball falling to him. Without pause, he played the ball back to the original position. This time, however, the defender had been drawn out of the defensive area, leaving Henry wide open.
With a swift turn, a volley shot sent the ball directly into the bottom left corner of the net!
The West Ham United goalkeeper was completely stunned, showing no reaction whatsoever. He remained frozen in place even after the ball had found the back of the net, unsure of what had happened.
It all happened so fast!
The commentators were silent for two seconds before realizing the ball was in. Arsenal had extended their lead once again, erupting in a shout!
The fans on the sidelines responded with enthusiastic applause and cheers.
"That goal was simply divine! Superb, a dragon's tail sweep!"
"What new tactic is this? Is this a vertical wall pass? I've never seen anything like it, I'm deeply impressed!"
"Did it really take only 5 seconds from that defender's clearance to this goal?"
"The power of the Cao-Henry connection is beyond human comprehension! Neither of them needed to control the ball, as if they could predict what would happen 5 seconds later!"
At this moment, the players on the field finally reacted. The Arsenal players celebrated wildly, while the West Ham United players could only sigh. Those who should be shooting were shooting, and those who should be kneeling on the ground picking grass were picking grass.
A dozen seconds later, the players were back at their starting positions.
The West Ham United players truly felt the taste of hell this time, a cycle of pure agony!
Cao Baiming had already achieved an assist hat-trick with three assists!
Even the commentators were perplexed. Cao Baiming, known for his long-range shots, was now playing as a central midfielder, orchestrating the play and racking up three assists in consecutive goals.
This was rarely seen last season; you could hardly see Cao Baiming provide an assist in an entire match.
Could this be a tactical shift?
"Cao Baiming is too versatile! He has pinpoint accuracy and precision in his long shots, and in terms of assists and ball control, he's on par with any top midfielder."
"Don't forget, he's also a defender, hahaha!"
...
Alright, Ming's lips curved into a slight smile. She had long anticipated these external speculations and doubts.
As for the reason behind it, it was simply the two top-tier talent cards and the attribute point gift package received at the start of the new season. How could these people possibly understand?
In fact, Arteta was already contemplating and planning to make further adjustments to Cao Baiming's position, perhaps the defender role wasn't the most suitable for him.
The first half quickly approached the 40-minute mark, the final few minutes. The situation on the field hadn't changed much from before.
For West Ham United, this first half felt as long as a lifetime.
For Arsenal, or rather for Cao Baiming, the first half had passed too quickly; they hadn't played to their fullest before it was nearing its end.
Their stamina was still abundant, so much so that they could probably run a marathon without breaking a sweat.
Player mentality had a significant impact on physical energy.
This match was only halfway through, and Ming had already used two Flying Bird skills, which was quite extravagant. She only had one use left. Who could guarantee there wouldn't be an unforeseen situation requiring its use?
She had to conserve it for now, at least until the second half!
In the final moments, the West Ham United players began to give up.
Beep!
The referee on the field blew his whistle, signaling the end of the first half.
The score was temporarily fixed at 3:0.
Arteta's face was filled with satisfaction. In his eyes, this was already a resounding opening victory. Achieving such a brilliant result in the first match of the new Premier League season was indeed a cause for celebration!
The players exchanged high-fives with the head coach as they left the field, everyone in high spirits.
The fans watching the match were also incredibly excited.
The fans from Tang country were almost all Arsenal supporters, with very few who genuinely supported West Ham United. Therefore, the Tang country fans watching the live broadcast had already begun to celebrate, unanimously believing that the outcome of this match was no longer in doubt.