Chapter 468: Chapter 126: Advancing to the Final! Wembley, Here We Come! New Contract Signed! Wenger’s Memories!

He could go out, but he didn’t want to immerse himself in that tense atmosphere again.

Whether they made it to the finals or not, it would bring back some bad memories for him.

Like seven years without a trophy, like last year’s English League Cup final where Birmingham relegated them with a last-minute goal...

At this age, he had already let go of many things, remaining calm and unaffected by past painful experiences.

But when the team got close to the finals again, close to breaking the trophy curse, his mind would always conjure up some bad thoughts, as if years of failure made him subconsciously expect something unexpected to happen.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Footsteps sounded as Wenger walked towards the equipment room near the field, intending to listen to the match calmly from there.

The equipment room was cramped, mostly filled with things, and had a smell of plastic and mold.

"Click." He didn’t mind, sat down at the table in the middle, and lit a cigarette.

The place wasn’t entirely dark; a very small glass window at the top of the wall led out to the fans’ area, allowing some natural light to filter through.

"Oh.....!"

A burst of cheers suddenly came, shadows reflected by the glass window showed many people standing up, though they quickly sat back down, "Ah....!"

Wenger’s gaze remained calm, focusing on the clock on the wall and the glass window to judge the time and situation.

"Wow.....!"

After a long time, another intense cheer came from outside and slowly faded away.

"Oh....!"

"Yeah....!"

"....."

Match time passed by minute by minute, gradually over 60 minutes, 70 minutes, often accompanied by magnificent cheers, not necessarily due to a goal.

As time surpassed 80 minutes, 85 minutes, 88 minutes, 90 minutes.....

The calm Wenger had maintained broke; he started to feel anxious, growing impatient, and his breathing became uneven.

"Yeah.....!" Another unusually intense sound came from outside, showing silhouettes of many raising their arms in cheers on the window.

Wenger couldn’t stand it any longer. He opened the door to go out and check the situation on the field.

"Tap, tap, tap!"

Just as he opened the door, a figure ran past him, heading towards the player tunnel.

Wenger went out and looked at the back of the person, realizing it was Philip, the one he had entrusted with a significant role, seemingly coming to find him.

Upon hearing the door opening behind him, Philip instinctively glanced back, paused seeing it was Wenger.

He didn’t ask the idle question of why Wenger was there, as he could basically figure it out. At the moment, he merely showed a breathless demeanor.

Wenger quickly walked towards him, reaching him and lifting his arm, "How’s it going?!"

Philip blinked continuously, facial muscles twitching, then lowered his head after a moment of silence.

"Whew....." Wenger let out a breath, shoulders sagging, looking seriously at Philip, waiting for him to announce the team’s defeat.

Philip suddenly nodded continuously, eyes starting to redden.

He bit his lip, unable to suppress the joy bubbling beneath his face, took a deep breath and raised his voice, "Three Two! We won three-two! The aggregate score is five-four, we’re going to Wembley!

"Haha.....!"

Wenger stepped forward, grasped his collar, frowned and checked, then exhaled deeply, "You scared me to death! Damn it, you really scared me to death!"

"Haha.....!" The two then laughed together, embracing tightly in the player tunnel.

"Who scored?!" Wenger embraced his shoulders, his face moved, "You must promise me, never do that again."

"Absolutely, absolutely."

Philip first promised Wenger, then laughed, "After Ma’el scored the first goal, he quickly assisted Walcott’s strike, Kuyt soon equalized for Liverpool.

"Did you hear that ’Wow’? At that moment, Liverpool fans went crazy, thinking they were on equal footing with Arsenal, no longer having any worries.

"Alexander Song! Song connected with Van Persie’s pass and clinched the match!"

Wenger looked up at the sky, then took out his phone to urgently check the status of another semi-final.

Championship dark horse Cardiff City won the penalty shootout three-two against Crystal Palace, advancing to the English League Cup final!

"Ah...." Wenger put down his phone, hugging Philip again, at this moment, he felt the first trophy in seven years was so close.

"Oh.....!"

"Squeak, squeak....!"

Thereafter, amidst cheers and the sound of spikes rapidly contacting the ground, the Arsenal players rushed in from the player tunnel, celebrating with joyful smiles.

"Wembley!"

Leading the charge was Ma’el, arms raised, jumping continuously, "Here we come! Finals, here we come!"

"Mr. Wenger, remember to dance!" Alexander Song hurried past Wenger, patting him on the shoulder, then rushed to the locker room to celebrate.

Wenger stood there, occasionally being embraced, occasionally being nudged, a content smile always on his face.

He no longer wanted to lament how difficult this month had been, how trying the matches were this month.

Remarkably, under such challenging circumstances, the team had advanced in both the FA Cup and the English League Cup, without losing a match in the Premier League!

This team’s fighting spirit and determination are unimaginable in the previous few seasons.

They truly have the hallmark of champions!

"Philip." Wenger turned around, watching the many figures rushing into the locker room, "Is it this year?"