Arsenal beat Manchester City 4-1 in a penalty shootout, after equalising in the 101st minute of regulation time to draw 1-1 to win the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
Arsenal beat City 4-1 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in regulation on Sunday to win the Football Association’s Community Shield at Wembley Stadium, a match that serves as a traditional curtain-raiser to the season.
The match is typically played between the winners of last season’s Premier League and FA Cup. Because City won both as part of the title treble also containing the Champions League for the first time, Arsenal took part as the runner-up in the league and might have gained a psychological edge heading into the new campaign that starts on Friday.
After coming off the bench, Cole Palmer scored a curling goal in the 78th minute to give City the lead. However, Leandro Trossard scored with a deflected drive in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time to draw the game and force penalties.
Aaron Ramsdale stopped a shot from Rodri after Kevin De Bruyne struck the crossbar with a strong penalty kick, allowing Fabio Vieira the chance to seal the victory for Arsenal. It was curled high into the corner by the Portuguese playmaker.
With Gabriel Jesus out with an injury, Arsenal had the better chances throughout the entire 90 minutes, with Bukayo Saka missing wide and off-season signing Kai Havertz having two close-range shots in the first half saved.
Along with the heartbreaking outcome of the game, City manager Pep Guardiola might also be slightly worried given that top striker Erling Haaland, who finished the previous campaign with one goal in eight games in all competitions, was silent once again.
De Bruyne making his first appearance for City since leaving the Champions League final in June due to a hamstring injury during the last half-hour was a positive development.
Palmer, a 21-year-old winger, was another. With Riyad Mahrez having left for Saudi Arabia last month, Palmer might get more action in the upcoming season.
He received a nod from De Bruyne, cut inside onto his left foot, and curved a finish into the far corner, demonstrating that he is more than capable of converting his opportunity under Guardiola.
Josko Gvardiol, a defender from Croatia who joined City on Saturday for 90 million euros ($99.2 million), was not involved.
With the additions of Havertz, Declan Rice, and Jurrien Timber, Arsenal has bolstered its squad and is anticipated to once again compete with Manchester City for the Premier League crown. After a late collapse, Arsenal just managed to finish second last season.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was shown a yellow card in the first half for waving an imaginary yellow card after Rodri made a tactical foul to prevent a breakaway. On either side of that, two players—Arsenal’s Thomas Partey and City’s Julian Alvarez — were booked for kicking the ball away.