Three weeks had passed since the famous victory at The Fortress. Barnsley had beaten Liverpool in the league. They had shocked the world.

But tonight was different. Tonight was the Carabao Cup Quarter Final. Tonight was at Anfield. And Liverpool wanted revenge.

Michael Sterling looked out of the window. The streets of Liverpool were lined with fans. But they were not waving. They were screaming.

Red flares were burning in the hands of the supporters. The smoke was thick and heavy. It drifted across the road turning the world into a hazy red nightmare.

Arthur Milton sat next to Michael. He was not eating. This was a bad sign.

"It looks like Mars Boss," Arthur whispered. "A very angry Mars. They haven't forgotten the league game."

"Good," Michael said buttoning his jacket. "If they are angry it means they respect us. Two years ago they would have laughed at us. Now they hate us. That is progress."

The bus stopped. The doors opened.

The noise hit them instantly.

"YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE!"

It was not a song tonight. It was a war cry.

THE LOCKER ROOM

Inside the away dressing room the walls vibrated.

Michael looked at his squad. They looked smaller in this room. Anfield had a way of shrinking opponents before a ball was even kicked.

Diego Nunez was sitting in the corner. He was staring at the wall. He was breathing heavily through his nose.

"Diego," Michael said. "Are you okay?"

"The air smells like smoke," Diego grunted. "It smells like a barbecue. But I am the meat. I do not like being the meat."

"You are not the meat Diego," Michael said calmly. "You are the butcher."

Michael turned to the team.

"Listen to me," Michael said. His voice had to fight against the noise from the ceiling.

"We beat them at home. We poked the bear. Now the bear is awake. Look at their lineup."

He pointed to the sheet on the wall.

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI:

Alisson. Trent. Van Dijk. Konate. Robertson.

Szoboszlai. Mac Allister. Endo.

Salah. Darwin Nunez. Diaz.

"Full strength," Sergio Ramos said nodding. "They show us respect. They bring the big guns."

"Exactly," Michael said. "They want to crush us early. They want to score in ten minutes and make us cry. We have to be brave. We have to survive the storm."

He looked at Jan Visser. The giant goalkeeper was pale.

"Jan," Michael said. "You will be busy. Be ready."

"I am ready Boss," Jan said. "I brought my big gloves."

THE KICKOFF

The players walked out. The famous sign THIS IS ANFIELD loomed above them.

Diego Nunez looked at it. He reached up and tapped it.

"This is Barnsley," Diego muttered.

The pitch was shrouded in a thin layer of mist. The smoke from the flares outside had drifted into the stadium. It hung over the grass like a ghostly blanket.

The referee blew the whistle.

The noise was physical. It hurt the ears.

Liverpool started like a train with no brakes.

MINUTE 5

Mohamed Salah received the ball. He was still angry from the last game. He ran at Enzo Silva.

Enzo tried to bite. He tried to get close. But the surface was slick. Anfield was watered heavily to make the ball zip.

Enzo slipped.

Salah was through. He crossed.

Darwin Nunez the Liverpool striker jumped.

Diego Nunez the Barnsley defender jumped.

It was the Battle of the Nunez.

Diego won. He headed the ball away with such force it landed in the midfield.

"NOT TODAY COUSIN!" Diego roared at Darwin.

"I am not your cousin!" Darwin shouted back.

"We have the same name!" Diego argued. "We are family! But I will still tackle you!"

THE FIRST THUNDERBOLT

Barnsley survived the first ten minutes. But the pressure was relentless.

Liverpool were not trying to walk the ball into the net. They were shooting on sight.

Minute 12.

Dominik Szoboszlai picked up the ball. He was thirty five yards out.

"Close him down!" Sergio Ramos screamed.

But Kai Sora was too slow. The smoke made it hard to judge the distance.

Szoboszlai hit it.

It was a thunderbolt. The ball did not spin. It moved like a knuckleball. It dipped. It swerved.

Jan Visser saw it late. He dived.

BOOM.

The ball smashed into the top corner. It hit the net so hard the water bottle behind the goal jumped into the air.

GOAL.

Liverpool 1. Barnsley 0.

Anfield erupted. Red smoke bombs were thrown onto the pitch from the Kop end. The visibility dropped even more.

Michael stood on the touchline. He could barely see his own players through the red haze.

"It is like a horror movie," Arthur shouted covering his eyes. "We are going to die in the mist!"

"Calm down Arthur," Michael said. "It is just a goal. We expected this."

THE RESPONSE

Liverpool smelled blood. They wanted a second goal immediately.

But Barnsley had a secret weapon. They had players who thrived in chaos.

Minute 22.

The game restarted after the smoke cleared slightly.

Enzo Silva won a tackle in midfield. He passed to Leo Stone.

The fifteen year old Phantom was finding it hard. Van Dijk was marking him. It was like a child fighting a giant.

But Leo was smart. He did not fight. He vanished.

He dropped deep. He dragged Van Dijk out of position.

This left a gap.

"ERIK!" Leo shouted.

He played a pass into the space.

Erik Olsen the Viking was running. He was fighting Konate. Shoulder to shoulder.

Erik was strong. He held him off.

He was twenty five yards out.

Alisson was off his line.

Erik saw the chance. He did not drive forward. He hit it early.

It was a dipping volley. A shot of pure rage.

The ball flew through the damp air. It looked like a cannonball.

Alisson backpedaled. He jumped.

He touched it.

But the power was too much. The ball bent his fingers back and crashed into the net.

GOAL.

Liverpool 1. Barnsley 1.

The away end in the corner went wild. A purple flare was lit in response to the red ones.

Erik Olsen stood in front of the Kop. He put a finger to his lips.

"Silence," Erik whispered.

"Do not annoy them Erik!" Arthur panicked. "They will throw coins!"

THE FOG OF WAR

1 to 1. The game was boiling.

The tackles were flying in.

Sergio Ramos tackled Diaz. Diaz rolled over three times.

Mac Allister tackled Kai Sora. Kai lost his sunglasses.

"My eyes!" Kai shouted groping the grass. "I cannot see the coolness!"

Diego Nunez picked up the sunglasses and put them back on Kai face.

"Stay cool brother," Diego said. "Now let us fight."

Minute 35.

The atmosphere turned dark. The Liverpool fans were furious. They felt the referee was giving them nothing.

The noise level rose again. It was a deafening whistle.

Liverpool won a free kick. Thirty yards out.

Trent Alexander Arnold placed the ball.

"Wall!" Jan Visser screamed. "Big wall! Diego stand in the middle! Do not move!"

Diego stood in the wall next to Ramos.

"If the ball hits my face," Diego told Ramos. "Tell my mother I loved her cooking."

"Just block it," Ramos said.

Trent hit the ball.

It curled over the wall. It was heading for the top corner.

Jan Visser flew. He tipped it onto the bar.

CLANG.

The ball bounced out.

But Barnsley were not lucky.

The ball fell to Luis Diaz.

The Colombian winger was standing on the edge of the box.

He hit it on the volley.

Through a cloud of red smoke that was drifting across the penalty area.

Jan Visser was still on the ground from the save.

Diego Nunez tried to block it with his body. He threw himself in the way.

But the shot was perfect. It went through Diego legs. It went past Ramos ear.

It hit the back of the net.

GOAL.

Liverpool 2. Barnsley 1.

The stadium shook. The red smoke seemed to get thicker as if the goal itself had summoned it.

MINUTE 40

Michael Sterling looked at the clock.

40:00

LIVERPOOL 2 - 1 BARNSLEY

The game was relentless. It was played at a speed that made his head spin.

Arthur Milton was writing furiously in his notebook.

"What are you writing Arthur?" Michael asked.

"I am writing a will," Arthur said. "If my heart stops tell the bakery to name a donut after me."

"Your heart is fine," Michael said. "Watch the game."

On the pitch the Barnsley players were gasping for air.

Liverpool were swarming. They wanted a third goal before halftime to kill the game.

Salah ran down the wing again. He cut inside.

Ramos stepped out.

The Legend vs The King.

Ramos slid. It was a risky tackle.

He took the ball. He took the man.

The referee blew the whistle.

Yellow card for Ramos.

"Be careful Sergio!" Michael shouted. "We need you on the pitch!"

Ramos nodded. He wiped mud from his beard.

"He is fast," Ramos muttered to Diego. "Very fast."

"I will eat him," Diego offered.

"No eating," Ramos said. "Just surviving. Five more minutes until halftime."

Michael looked at the scoreboard. The red lights glowed through the mist.

2 to 1.

They were losing. They were being battered. The Anfield crowd was smelling blood.

But as Michael looked at his team he saw something.

Erik Olsen was shouting at his midfield to push up.

Leo Stone was asking for the ball.

Diego Nunez was roaring at the Liverpool fans.

They were not broken. They were just in the middle of a storm.

"Five minutes," Michael whispered. "Just get to halftime alive."

He felt the vibration of the System in his pocket.

[MATCH INTENSITY: CRITICAL]

[ATMOSPHERE: HOSTILE]

[OPPONENT STATUS: RAMPAGE]

[ADVICE: SURVIVE]

"Survive," Michael repeated.

A long ball came over the top. Darwin Nunez was running. Diego Nunez was chasing.

The two bulls collided again. The sound echoed around the stadium.

This was not just football anymore. This was a brawl in the fog.

And Michael Sterling knew that if they could just hold on... the second half would be a different story.

But first they had to survive the next five minutes of hell.

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