Arsenal have started the season in England the way it hopes to end it - by beating Manchester City.
Arsenal beat Man City 4-1 on penalties after drawing 1-1 in regular time on Sunday to win the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium, a match that has been seen as the traditional closing ceremony for Arsenal. Season.
The match is usually played between the Premier League and FA Cup winners from last season. Because City has won both the treble as well as the Champions League for the first time, Arsenal came in as runners-up of the tournament and could have gained a psychological advantage ahead of the new campaign. starting on Friday.
Cole Palmer scored in the 78th minute after coming on from the bench to put City ahead, only for Leandro Trossard to score with a deflected shot in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time, leading the game. play on the penalty spot. Kevin De Bruyne hit the bar with a powerful shot from the penalty spot and Rodri watched as the effort was thwarted by Aaron Ramsdale, creating a chance for Fabio Vieira to score for Arsenal. The Portuguese player took a very high corner.
Arsenal had more chances in the 90 minutes, with out-of-season signing Kai Havertz - starting with an injured Gabriel Jesus - having two close-range efforts saved in the first half and Bukayo Saka shooting from long distance.
John Stones headed home from Ramsdale's corner in front of Palmer's goal.
City have now lost the Community Shield for three consecutive years, having been beaten by Leicester in 2021 and Liverpool in 2022. In addition to the painful goal of the game, Man City coach Pep Guardiola may also be a little concerned when star striker Erling Haaland has been quiet again, after finishing last season with 1 goal in 8 games above. every arena.
One bright spot for City, however, was the arrival of De Bruyne in the final half-hour of the opening minutes since the Champions League final in June, when he picked up a hamstring injury.
Another is Palmer, a 21-year-old winger who is expected to have more game time next season after Riyad Mahrez left Saudi Arabia last month.
The way he converted his chances - receiving a nod from De Bruyne, cutting his heart in his left foot, and shooting into the far corner - showed he was more than capable of trying his luck under Guardiola.
Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol, who joined City for £90 million ($99.2 million) on Saturday, was not involved. Arsenal have stepped up their strength by signing Havertz, midfielder Declan Rice, and versatile defender Jurrien Timber and have become one of City's biggest rivals in the Premier League this season. Arsenal only finished second last season after a belated collapse
The match also provided the first indication of what to expect from match officials next season, with players and coaches agreeing to a so-called 'Participants' Charter' meaning they will face heavier penalties for misconduct during matches.
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, two players - Arsenal's Thomas Partey and Man City's Julian Alvarez - were shown yellow cards for returning the ball.
