Liverpool FC came out second best against Arsenal on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the FA Community Shield. A Wembley showdown between the two sides on Saturday afternoon was always going to go straight to the wire, however, the Reds’ were left ruing their missed chance over the course of the 90 minutes.
Confirmed Lineups
Match Proceedings
After Bukayo Saka’s pass found Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a fantastic solo effort by the Gunners’ skipper saw Mikel Arteta’s men take the lead in the 12th minute. The forward tucked in a curling effort from 20 yards out into the bottom corner of the net for 1-0.
The Anfield giants nearly went two behind when Eddie Nketiah’s effort on goal was pushed aside in a superb manner by Alisson just minutes after Aubameyang’s strike.
As for Liverpool FC’s attacks on the other end of the pitch, very few materialized into substantial efforts to trouble Arsenal goalkeeper Emi Martinez.
Sadio Mane found himself going one on one against the Argentine shot-stopper after an Andy Robertson pass found the Senegalese running through the Arsenal backline, however, Martinez was up to the task to prevent Mane from finding the back of the net.
Jurgen Klopp’s decision to bring on the pair of Naby Keita and Takumi Minamino seemed to be a masterstroke on part of the Liverpool FC boss as the duo’s arrival on the pitch seemed to ignite a flurry of goalscoring attempts on part of the Reds.
And Minamino soon broke the deadlock for the Premier League champions when the Japan international’s link-up play with Salah led to the forward putting the ball past Martinez for his very first Liverpool FC goal.
Another chance fell Mane’s path to double the lead for Klopp’s men but the 28-year old took a touch too extra on the ball that prevented him from scoring past the Arsenal goalkeeper.
Level after 90 minutes. We go to penalties…#CommunityShield | #ARSLIV
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 29, 2020
After the final whistle blew to end the proceedings of normal time, the game went to a penalty shootout for the second time in as many years. However, this was where Liverpool FC ran out of luck.
Despite Salah and Fabinho slotting home their respective spot-kicks, Rhian Brewster’s penalty, the 20-year old’s first touch on the ball of the game, came crashing off the crossbar. Arsenal’s penalty record, meanwhile, remained perfect which meant that the Gunners were crowned the FA Community Shield champions.
MATCH STATS
SCORE: 1-1
Possession: Arsenal FC- 40% Liverpool FC- 60%
Yellow Cards: Arsenal FC- 0 Liverpool FC- 1
Shots: Arsenal FC- 8 Liverpool FC- 15
Offsides: Arsenal FC- 2 Liverpool FC- 1
