Arsenal lifted their second piece of silverware at Wembley inside a month as they beat Liverpool 5-4 on penalties in the FA Community Shield supported by McDonald's, after a 1-1 draw in normal time.
The Emirates FA Cup winners took the lead through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has scored five goals in his last three appearances at Wembley.
Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool (5-4 on penalties)
2020 FA Community Shield supported by McDonald's
4.30pm, Saturday 29 August
Wembley Stadium connected by EE
Takumi Minamino’s instinctive equaliser took the game to penalties and Rhian Brewster’s miss left the Gunners to claim a 15th Shield title.
Liverpool made the early running and had the ball in the net when Virgil van Dijk glanced home from Andy Robertson’s free-kick, only to see it ruled out for offside.
Aubameyang, who scored twice in the 2-0 Emirates FA Cup semi-final win over Man City, struck again as he cut in from the left and whipped a curling effort into the bottom right.
Superb from @Aubameyang7! š #CommunityShield pic.twitter.com/LNFi94tFFT
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) August 29, 2020
The Gunners continued to press and Bukayo Saka’s slide-rule pass found Eddie Nketiah in space in the box, the 21-year-old’s low effort firmly parried by Alisson.
The same duo linked up on the half-hour mark as Nketiah shook free of Joe Gomez but leant back on the shot and sent it well over the bar.
Liverpool grew into the contest with Robertson to the fore, his whipped cross evading Mo Salah before Sadio Mane couldn’t capitalise on another good ball from the left.
Klopp’s side started the second half in sprightly fashion as Roberto Firmino ran at the Arsenal back four and curled past the right-hand upright from the top of the box.
The league champions should have levelled on the hour mark when Mane was played through on goal only for Emiliano Martinez to come out and smother the Senegalese’s shot.
Minamino made an immediate difference coming off the bench as he tested Martinez from 25 yards after good work from Naby Keita and Firmino.
A flurry of substitutions disrupted the game’s rhythm but the equaliser came on 73 minutes when Minamino poked a loose ball that deflected off Salah past Martinez from close range.
All square in the #CommunityShield as @takumina0116 equalises! ā½ļø pic.twitter.com/zMeNEqMxUF
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) August 29, 2020
Martinez was equal to Mane minutes later as Liverpool went for the jugular, the 27-year-old quick off his line once again when the ball fell to the forward in front of goal.
Arsenal came close to a late winner when substitute Joe Willock nodded Cedric Soares’s right-wing cross wide and Aubameyang couldn’t connect with Ainsley Maitland-Niles’s delivery.
Salah, Reiss Nelson, Fabinho and Maitland-Niles all converted their penalties confidently - the latter in nonchalant fashion - as the shootout began at 2-2.
Rhian Brewster stepped up and ballooned his effort onto the bar and over, Cedric sending Alisson the wrong way to open up an advantage.
Minamino slotted his and David Luiz made no mistake, leaving teenager Curtis Jones with a must-not-miss penalty that he duly slotted.
That man Aubameyang stepped up to slot the winning penalty to cap a dream summer at Wembley for the North London side.
Arsenal: 26 Emiliano Martinez, 2 Hector Bellerin, 16 Rob Holding, 23 David Luiz, 3 Kieran Tierney, 25 Mohamed Elneny, 24 Granit Xhaka, 7 Bukayo Saka, 15 Ainsley Maitland-Niles, 30 Eddie Nketiah, 14 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Substitutions: 17 Cedric Soares for Bellerin 58’, 24 Reiss Nelson for Nketiah 82’, 28 Joe Willock for Saka 82’, 31 Sead Kolasinac for Tierney 83’
Unused substitutes: 1 Bernd Leno, 4 William Saliba, 32 Emile Smith Rowe, 47 Tyreece John-Jules, 54 James Olayinka
Manager: Mikel Arteta
Liverpool: 1 Alisson, 76 Neco Williams, 12 Joe Gomez, 4 Virgil van Dijk, 26 Andy Robertson, 7 James Milner, 3 Fabinho, 5 Georginio Wijnaldum, 11 Mohamed Salah, 9 Roberto Firmino, 10 Sadio Mane
Substitutions: 8 Naby Keita for Milner 59’, 18 Takumi Minamino for Williams 59’, 17 Curtis Jones for Firmino 83’, 24 Rhian Brewster for Wijnaldum 90’
Unused substitutes: 13 Adrian, 16 Marko Grujic, 21 Kostas Tsimikas, 67 Harvey Elliott, 89 Billy Koumetio
Yellow cards: Milner 58’
Manager: Jurgen Klopp
Referee: Andre Marriner
