Luton Town's final league match of the season was played under heavy rain.
On May 10th, Luton traveled to face Brentford in an away fixture.
Although Luton had already secured the League Two title, manager Ethan fielded most of his starting eleven. With ten days remaining before the FA Cup final, Ethan wanted to keep his key players match-sharp.
For professional footballers, going ten days without competitive action can be a long time.
The first half was largely uneventful. With neither team having much at stake, the game lacked intensity.
Luton had already clinched the title, so the result wouldn't affect their position at the top of the table.
The same was true for Brentford. Five points behind second-place Wycombe Wanderers and four ahead of fourth-placed Exeter City, Brentford had already secured third place with one match to spare—earning them automatic promotion to League One.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 38th minute when Charlie Austin found the back of the net, putting Luton 1–0 ahead.
At halftime, Ethan began making tactical substitutions.
He took off Lewis Emmanuel and Solo Davis, both of whom were playing on the left flank, and brought on Adam White and Hassan Ali.
At the time, no one paid much attention to the significance of these changes. Even the scouts sent by Rafa Benítez in the stands assumed that Ethan was simply giving some of his younger players a runout.
But Ethan had a different plan in mind. He was already strategizing for the FA Cup final against Liverpool.
Benítez, known as a tactical mastermind, was meticulous in his pre-match preparations. At Valencia, he'd often rotate starting lineups across matches with surgical precision—ten different starting elevens in ten different games was not uncommon.
To counter a coach as calculating as Benítez, Ethan knew he had to tweak his setup. As the underdogs, simply repeating previous tactics wouldn't be enough—Benítez would already have anticipated those.
So, Ethan made a key decision: he would start Adam White in the final.
Although Adam lacked the stamina to last 90 minutes, Ethan believed he could deliver a solid 50 or 60 minutes of high-intensity football.
However, starting Adam meant that the left-back position would require extra defensive cover.
That's where Hassan Ali came in.
Originally a midfielder, Hassan had the physical attributes, endurance, and defensive skills to take on the role of left-back. Ethan was confident in his ability to adapt—despite Hassan's sometimes-questionable positioning sense.
But Ethan had no intention of involving Hassan in the attack. His role would be strictly defensive—lock down the left side, nothing more.
Hassan didn't argue. For him, getting minutes on the pitch was all that mattered.
"Don't push too high—just play it safe at left-back for now," Ethan instructed quietly.
Hassan, lean and dark-skinned, nodded. "No worries, boss. I used to play defender back in the academy."
Ethan clapped him on the shoulder. "Liverpool's attackers aren't like Brentford's. Use this match to adjust. We'll focus your training on this role over the next ten days."
Ethan also recalled he still had a special training card that boosted basic technical attributes. Maybe it was time to use it on Hassan?
With the substitutions made, Luton shifted into a 4-3-3 formation.
This was Ethan's planned shape for the FA Cup final, though very few knew it at the time. The midfield trio featured Danny Drinkwater, N'Golo Kanté, and Kevin Keane—set in an inverted triangle. Kanté played the holding role, while Drinkwater and Keane occupied the flanks.
All three midfielders were defensively solid, with Kanté's extraordinary range covering huge areas of the pitch. With the tactical boost from training cards, the midfield had become a fortress.
But the real threat was up front.
The attacking trident of Adam, Jamie Vardy, and Charlie Austin had pace, energy, and sharp movement. Whether on the break or in structured attack, they posed a constant danger.
Luton spent the remainder of the match adjusting to the new setup. Brentford, with nothing to play for, offered little resistance.
The final whistle blew: 1–0. Luton had secured another win and closed out their League Two campaign as champions.
The trophy was brought back from Brentford, but there were no celebrations—yet.
"We'll celebrate the season once we've won the FA Cup!" Ethan announced to his players on the team bus.
The club echoed his words in a statement to fans:
"The team is fully focused on the FA Cup final."
Luton's training base was immediately locked down. From that moment, they entered a strict period of closed training. No media, no visitors—total isolation.
"Closed training?" Benítez raised an eyebrow when he heard the news.
He suspected Ethan was preparing something unconventional, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Probably just smoke and mirrors," muttered his assistant, Pako Ayestarán. "They can't do much besides sit deep and counter."
Benítez narrowed his eyes. "Still... let's not underestimate them. We've got our own business in the league to handle first."
Although Liverpool's hopes of clinching the Premier League title are slim, they refuse to give up while there's still a mathematical chance.
If Manchester United lose to Arsenal, Liverpool could draw level on points in the final round of the season. And if that happens, anything could be possible—Liverpool won't go down without a fight.
Offensively, Liverpool have been electric this season. Fernando Torres, in particular, has been in scintillating form. Before his injury setback, he was arguably one of the most lethal strikers in the world. His clinical finishing and blistering pace struck fear into defenders across Europe.
Ethan knew this well. But he'd also done his homework—Liverpool's defense was far from watertight.
This season, Liverpool had been involved in several high-scoring matches—either blowing teams away or getting caught in dramatic draws.
One of the most memorable encounters came in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The match ended in a 4–4 thriller. For the neutral fan, it was a spectacular night of football. But for Liverpool, the result meant elimination.
Just a few days later, in a Premier League showdown at Anfield, they drew 4–4 again—this time against Arsenal.
The Reds' attacking firepower was undeniable, but their defensive frailties had cost them dearly.
Jamie Carragher, still a mainstay at center-back, was beginning to show signs of age. Martin Škrtel remained solid, but Pepe Reina—once one of the top keepers in Europe—had shown worrying signs of decline between the sticks. His form had become one of the key reasons Liverpool had been leaking goals.
Despite all this, Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez didn't read too much into Luton's decision to go behind closed doors for training. He chalked it up as standard mind games before a big match.
Still, deep down, Benítez clung to the faint hope of a league miracle.
But the dream died hours before kickoff. Manchester United drew 0–0 at home to Arsenal, which meant they mathematically secured the Premier League title with one game to spare. Even a win for Liverpool wouldn't be enough—they would remain four points behind.
Liverpool went on to beat West Bromwich Albion later that day, but the mood was subdued. Victory felt hollow.
Benítez barely acknowledged the win. There was no celebration, no fist pumps. He simply turned and walked off the pitch, his mind already elsewhere.
Back in Liverpool, as the disappointment settled, he began to refocus.
There was still one trophy left to fight for: the FA Cup.
The final was just three days away.
There would be no surprises, no slip-ups. This was it—the last chance to salvage silverware from a season of near-misses.
Taking a deep breath, Benítez gathered his players and announced it:
Training would be closed to the public starting tomorrow.
Preparation for the final had begun.
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