The silence at Anfield lasted exactly ten seconds.

Michael Sterling stood on the touchline and listened to the stunned quiet of fifty thousand people. He watched Isaiah King dancing in the corner. He watched Diego Nunez screaming at the sky.

For ten seconds Barnsley Football Club were the kings of England.

But then the beast woke up.

It started with a low rumble from the Kop end. Then it grew louder.

Jurgen Klopp was not smiling anymore. The Liverpool manager stood on the edge of his technical area. He was waving his arms. He was screaming at his players.

"WAKE UP!" Klopp roared. "THEY ARE CHILDREN! EAT THEM!"

Michael felt the temperature in the stadium drop.

"Arthur," Michael whispered without turning around. "Hold onto your hat."

Arthur Milton gripped his lucky red beanie. "Here comes the storm Boss."

Minute 15.

Liverpool kicked off. They did not pass backward. They did not play safe.

They attacked.

The ball went to Trent Alexander Arnold on the right wing. He looked up. He saw a red blur running ahead of him. Mohamed Salah.

Salah was fast. Mateo, the Magic Bean, was fast too. But Salah was different. He moved like water.

Salah received the ball. Mateo stood in front of him. Mateo remembered the training.

Watch the hips.

Salah dropped his shoulder left. Mateo moved left.

It was a trap.

Salah exploded right. He was gone. He left Mateo spinning in the grass.

Salah cut inside. He was in the box.

Shaun Higgins, The Butcher, came across to block him. Higgins was huge.

Salah did not shoot. He rolled a tiny, perfect pass across the six yard box.

Darwin Nunez was there. The Liverpool striker.

He tapped it in.

GOAL.

1 to 1.

The stadium erupted. It was a noise so loud it made Michael's teeth vibrate.

Diego Nunez stood with his hands on his hips. He glared at Darwin Nunez who was celebrating.

"He got lucky," Diego growled. "He is just a fast haircut."

"Focus Diego!" Michael shouted. "The game is restarting!"

Minute 25.

Barnsley tried to play. They tried to keep the ball.

Kai Sora got possession in midfield. He looked for a pass.

But there was no space. Liverpool players were everywhere. They pressed like a pack of wolves. Three red shirts surrounded Kai instantly.

Kai tried a turn. A Liverpool midfielder stole the ball.

"Counter attack!" Arthur yelled.

Liverpool broke forward. Four against three.

They passed the ball with terrifying speed. Zip. Zip. Zip.

The ball came to Luis Diaz on the left. He shot.

Sam Jones dived.

SAVE!

Sam tipped it onto the bar. The ball bounced out.

But Liverpool were first to the rebound. Szoboszlai hit it on the volley.

SAVE!

Sam Jones saved it with his face. He scrambled across the goal line like a madman.

The ball went out for a corner.

Sam stood up. His nose was bleeding. He punched the air.

"IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE?!" Sam screamed at the Liverpool attack.

"He is brave," Arthur said shaking his head. "But he is going to get killed."

Minute 40.

The pressure was relentless. It felt like Barnsley were trying to stop a tsunami with a bucket.

Arda Guler, the Real Madrid loanee, tried to create something. He got the ball and did a beautiful turn, nutmegging Mac Allister.

The away fans cheered.

Arda looked up. He tried to play Isaiah King through.

But Virgil van Dijk was there. The Liverpool captain did not run. He just stepped across. He took the ball. He looked at Isaiah like a teacher looking at a naughty student.

"Not today little man," Van Dijk seemed to say.

Van Dijk played a long ball.

It was perfect. It landed at the feet of Salah.

Mateo was terrified. He backed off too far.

Salah curled a shot.

It bent around Higgins. It bent around Diego. It bent around Sam Jones.

It hit the top corner.

GOAL.

2 to 1.

The Kop went wild. Salah stood in front of the fans with his arms out. The King of Egypt.

Michael sat down on the bench. He drank some water. It tasted warm.

"They are just better Arthur," Michael said. "They are faster. They are stronger. They think faster."

"We are learning Boss," Arthur said. "This is a classroom. The tuition fee is expensive."

HALFTIME.

2 to 1.

The players walked into the dressing room. They looked shell shocked.

Mateo was sitting in the corner staring at the floor. He looked like he wanted to cry.

Diego Nunez was angry. He kicked a locker.

"They run too much!" Diego shouted. "Do they not get tired? Are they robots?"

"Sit down Diego," Michael said calmly.

Michael stood in the center of the room.

"Listen to me," Michael said. "Stop looking sad. You are losing 2 to 1 at Anfield against one of the best teams in history. Last year we were losing to Cardiff."

He looked at Mateo.

"Mateo. Salah is the best winger in the world. He destroys everyone. Do not be scared. Learn from him."

He looked at Kai Sora.

"Kai. You have no time. You have to think faster. Before the ball comes to you, you must know where it goes next."

Kai nodded. He took off his sunglasses. "They are very annoying Boss. They do not let me charge my battery."

"Arda," Michael said to the Turkish wonderkid. "You are doing well. Keep trying. We need a spark."

"I will try Boss," Arda said wiping sweat from his forehead. "But Van Dijk is very big. He smells like expensive cologne and victory."

Michael smiled. "Go back out there. Do not give up. If we lose, we lose fighting."

SECOND HALF.

The second half began. The rain started to fall. A cold Liverpool drizzle.

Barnsley tried to fight back.

Minute 55.

Kenji Sato, the Engine, was running himself into the ground. He tackled Szoboszlai. He intercepted a pass from Trent.

He passed to Arda.

Arda saw Danny Fletcher making a run.

Arda chipped the ball.

It was a beautiful pass. Danny controlled it. He was in the box.

He shot.

THWACK.

Alisson made a world class save.

The ball bounced out. Isaiah King tried to head it.

But Van Dijk was there. He headed it clear.

"SO CLOSE!" Arthur groaned burying his face in his hands.

That was the moment. The chance to make it 2 to 2.

And because football is cruel, Liverpool punished them immediately.

Minute 65.

Liverpool counter attacked from the Barnsley corner.

Darwin Nunez ran. He was fast. He was chaos.

Diego Nunez ran with him. The Battle of the Nunez.

They shouldered each other.

BAM.

It was a heavy impact.

But Darwin had the momentum. He stumbled but kept going. Diego slipped on the wet grass.

Darwin was through.

He smashed the ball past Sam Jones.

GOAL.

3 to 1.

The stadium rocked. The game was over.

Diego lay on the grass. He punched the ground. He was devastated.

Michael stood on the sideline. He clapped.

"HEADS UP!" Michael shouted. "KEEP GOING!"

The last twenty minutes were an exhibition. Liverpool kept the ball. They passed it around. The crowd sang.

Barnsley chased shadows.

But they did not quit.

Higgins threw himself in front of shots. Sam Jones made three more incredible saves. Kenji Sato ran until his legs cramped and he fell over.

Minute 88.

The Barnsley fans were singing.

They were losing 3 to 1 but they were singing louder than the Liverpool fans.

"WE ARE BARNSLEY! SUPER BARNSLEY! FROM THE FORTRESS TO THE SEA!"

Michael looked at the away end. Three thousand fans waving their scarves. They were proud.

"Listen to them Arthur," Michael said. "They know."

"They know we fought," Arthur said. "That is all they ask."

PHWEEEEEEET!

The final whistle blew.

Liverpool 3 - Barnsley 1.

The players collapsed on the pitch. They were exhausted. They had run more in ninety minutes than they usually ran in a week.

Jurgen Klopp walked over to Michael.

The German manager put a heavy arm around Michael's shoulder.

"Hey," Klopp said with a wide smile. "Your team. They are crazy."

"Crazy good or crazy bad?" Michael asked.

"Good crazy," Klopp laughed. "That number eight. The Japanese boy. Does he have batteries in his legs?"

"I think so," Michael smiled.

"And the big defender," Klopp pointed at Diego who was arguing with Darwin Nunez about who was the real Nunez. "He is a monster. You have a special team. Do not let this defeat hurt you. You belong here."

"Thank you," Michael said. "That means a lot."

Michael walked onto the pitch.

He went to every player. He picked them up.

"Head up," Michael told Mateo. "You survived Salah. You can survive anyone."

"Head up," he told Sam Jones.

"You were world class today."

He found Kai Sora. Kai was sitting on the grass looking at the giant scoreboard.

"We lost Boss," Kai said.

"We lost," Michael agreed. "But did you learn?"

Kai nodded slowly. "I learned that I need to be faster. And I learned that losing is boring. I do not like it."

"Good," Michael said. "Remember that feeling."

They walked over to the away fans. The whole team stood in a line. They clapped.

The fans cheered. They knew. This was just the beginning.

Michael felt a vibration in his pocket.

It was the System.

[MATCH COMPLETE]

[RESULT: LOSS]

[PERFORMANCE RATING: B+]

[LESSON LEARNED: THE GAP IN QUALITY]

[REWARD: 100 EXPERIENCE POINTS]

[NOTE: DEFEAT IS THE BEST TEACHER]

Michael put the phone away.

They had lost. They had been battered. They had zero points.

But they were alive.

They walked down the tunnel. The noise of Anfield faded behind them.

"Next game," Michael said to Arthur. "Manchester United at home."

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