The English Premier League has started clicking out its countdown as only a handful of five days remain, to kick-start the oldest football league in Europe again.
Football has been waiting too long, to witness games like the Manchester Derby, Manchester United vs Liverpool, Chelsea vs Arsenal and much more since May. So to hype up the mood a bit more the FA Community Shield Final was organised yesterday in the Wembley stadium between the former top two contenders of the Premier League season of 2022-23, Manchester City and Arsenal.
The match began at 8:30 pm IST when both the teams, who have amazing players by their side, have also been purchasing players like Mateo Kovacic, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz to their respective teams this season of 2023-24. The teams arrived at the national stadium of England, Wembley for the finals of the FA Community Shield face-off.
Both teams have been carrying great rivalry since the past season due to the same tactics and strategy followed by both the coaches, Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta, who have been coaching mates at Manchester City at some point in their careers.
The Arsenal versus Manchester City match began with Arsenal taking control in the first half. However, Manchester City had some good opportunities during this time, thanks to players like John Stones and Rodri.
Although Arsenal had the better shots and chances, Manchester City defended well and kept the score at zero. In the second half, Manchester City came back strong and put pressure on Arsenal, also known as the Gunners. In the 70th minute, a substitution by Manchester City proved to be a game-changer. Haaland was replaced by Cole Palmer, an under-21 star player from England who had won player of the tournament at the Euros U-21. His exceptional gameplay and goals helped England win the championship.
The Manchester City player displayed impressive agility and skill in both moves and passes, leading to an impressive 1-0 lead. In the 77th minute, the player placed an untouchable shot 10 metres away from the goalpost, directly into the top left corner. This shot significantly boosted Manchester City’s chances of winning the game, as the team began to focus more on their midfield and defence, making it difficult for Arsenal to gain momentum.
However, at the injury time of the match, Arsenal finally got their chance to score. Trossard, who was substituted in place of Gabriel Martinelli, placed a shot directly into the box, which was assisted by Saka from the corner and later deflected by Manchester City’s defender, Manuel Akanji.
This led to the equalizer in the 101st minute of the match, and the game progressed to the penalty shootout stage. The penalties favoured Arsenal, with Ramsdale’s save of Rodri’s shot and Fabio Vieira scoring the winner against Ortega, leading to a final score of 4-1 in penalties. Arsenal emerged victorious, lifting the consecutive FA Community Shield twice in a row.