Arsenal defeated Manchester City 4-1 on penalties after the match was tied 1-1 after extra time to win the Community Shield. The Gunners got off to a strong start and were denied two goals by City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega in the first half. Cole Palmer gave City the lead in the 70th minute, but Leandro Trossard equalized for Arsenal in the 101st minute.
In the penalty shootout, Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri missed for City, while Fabio Vieira scored the decisive penalty for Arsenal.
Many may argue that a Community Shield victory hardly serves as a reliable precursor for Premier League triumph – only once since 2011 has the Community Shield victor secured the league title. Nevertheless, the win is a significant psychological boost for Arsenal as they look to challenge for the Premier League title this season.
Arsenal’s Summer Signings Impress
Arsenal’s summer signings made their competitive debuts in the Community Shield, and they all made positive contributions. Declan Rice was solid in midfield, Kai Havertz had two good chances to score, and Jurrien Timber looked assured at the back.
City Dominate Possession But Can’t Convert Chances
City dominated possession for much of the match, but they were unable to create enough clear-cut chances. Erling Haaland had a quiet game and failed to score, while Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva were also wasteful in front of goal.
For Pep’s all-conquering side, it was another Community Shield defeat – a recurring disappointment in the last three seasons.
Summing up his emotions post-match, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said:
“I’m extremely happy, proud and relieved at the same time, because it doesn’t get any better than winning at Wembley in front of your fans and playing the best team in the world. Winning it the way we did it, I’m extremely happy.
“It was incredible, obviously in an empty stadium it feels good, but just seeing the happiness in their faces, how they were interacting and connecting with the players is just great.”
We put in an excellent display throughout the contest but saw a number of chances go begging before slipping behind, however Mikel was delighted that his players had the resilience to keep going against the best team in Europe.
Summing up the game, he said:
“We had three big chances, and when you don’t [take your chances], they come to the other end, you make a little mistake, and they punish you big time. After that, psychologically, it was really difficult because they are so used to playing the clock down, and managing those moments.
“We discussed that we had six subs today, and they were going to have a big impact and they did – Leo scoring the goals and Fabio scoring the last penalty.
“We’ve done it [taken part in a shootout] three times in pre-season. It was part of the plan to get ready just in case we had to do it today, that it wasn’t the first time to do that, and I think that it paid off.
“The energy is great, the positivity around the place, you feel the happiness around everybody at the club. Let’s enjoy the day and then tomorrow, let’s go back to work because on Saturday, it will be a very different, but very tough match as well.”
