LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 06: The Arsenal team and staff with the Community Shield after The FA Community Shield match between Manchester City against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on August 06, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Wembley Stadium is red.
Arsenal on Sunday beat Manchester City 1-1 (4-1 penalties) in the FA Community Shield in London to kick start the new 2023-24 Premier League campaign.
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Usually a fixture between the league winners and FA Cup winners, Manchester City played Arsenal because the Citizens completed a historic treble in 2022-23
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That run also involved City pipping Arsenal to the league title despite the latter being first for the majority of the seasonal year. However, injuries post-March derailed their momentum and caused them to slip.
But Sunday's affair was a mostly healthy clash between two teams likely to be favorites to win it all this upcoming season. The tactical battles on display made that quite evident.
Pep Guardiola's side kept their shape by building up with three at the back, which involved defensive midfielder Rodri dropping back to aid the two center-backs. Mikel Arteta's Gunners gladly sat deeper and pressed in a 4-4-2 mid-block, a staple from previous seasons.
Soccer
Newly acquired star Kai Havertz from Chelsea started at center forward for Arsenal and had the best chances of the first half despite City's dominance on the ball. But they found space at a premium against Arsenal's watertight defense, so the score read 0-0 at the break.
The opener didn't come until the 77th minute following multiple substitutions on each side, most notably Erling Haaland. Guardiola hooked the star Norwegian in the 62nd minute after he logged just 13 touches and no shots with William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes locking down the middle of Arsenal's backline.
Out of all the sources, it was 21-year-old Cole Palmer who delivered a cracking effort from the right wing. His bending shot gave Arsenal goalie Aaron Ramsdale no chance.
Arteta made several attack-minded subs after that, and the equalizer eventually came in the 11th minute of added time following a concussion protocol delay involving Kyle Walker and Thomas Partey.
Off a broken corner kick, Bukayo Saka laid off a pass to Leandro Trossard on the right flank. The versatile Belgian saw his left-footed shot deflect off Manuel Akanji and into the net past goalie Stefan Ortega.
The game then went to a penalty shootout immediately instead of extra time, where Arsenal prevailed 4-1. Martin Odegaard, Trossard, Saka and Fabio Vieira nailed their attempts for Arsenal while for City, only Bernardo Silva converted with Kevin de Bruyne and Rodri the other takers. Here's Vieira's winner:
Vieira's make sealed Arsenal's 16th outright Community Shield win (17 total) since the competition's founding in 1908. City have won six, the most recent coming in 2019.
The new Premier League season begins this weekend with Manchester City going on the road on Friday to face newly promoted Burnley. Arsenal will host Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
