•Crystal Palace’s Captain Marc Guehi lifts the Community Shield yesterday
Crystal Palace beat Premier League champions Liverpool 3-2 on penalties to win the Community Shield after an entertaining 2-2 draw at Wembley yesterday, with keeper Dean Henderson reprising his penalty-saving heroics from their FA Cup final triumph.
Substitute Justin Devenny scored the winning spot kick, after Mohamed Salah skied the Reds’ first penalty and Henderson, who saved an Omar Marmoush penalty as Palace won their first major trophy against Manchester City in May, then saved efforts from Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott, reports Reuters.
“They were 2-1 up, you would think we were out of the game,” Henderson said. “The manager said we would get chances in the second half … and we deserved that in the end.”
New recruit Hugo Ekitike had put Liverpool ahead inside four minutes after he and record signing Florian Wirtz combined beautifully before the Frenchman produced a superb finish.
But Palace deservedly levelled in the 17th minute, Jean-Philippe Mateta sending Alisson the wrong way from the penalty spot after Virgil van Dijk brought down Ismaila Sarr.
Close-season signing Jeremie Frimpong restored the Reds’ lead, as Liverpool fans marked the death of Portugal forward Diogo Jota with 20 minutes on the clock in honour of his shirt number, sending an attempted cross looping in off the post.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner has said his side need additions to remain competitive and will have been concerned to see midfielder Daichi Kamada go off injured inside half an hour.
The Eagles posed a threat on the counter and kept themselves in the game, although Ekitike spurned two decent chances to extend Liverpool’s lead in the early stages of the second half.
“We could have maybe scored the third one in the first 15 to 20 minutes after halftime but we didn’t, we kept them alive,” Liverpool boss Arne Slot said.
Palace’s England forward Eberechi Eze tested Alisson with a low shot before the Londoners equalised again with 13 minutes to play, Sarr slotting past the onrushing Alisson.
Palace nearly grabbed a winner at the end, with Mac Allister perhaps fortunate to have a VAR referral for handball in the box go his way before Devenny nearly scored in added time, as the traditional season curtain-raiser went to penalties.
Devenny got the winner in the shootout with an emphatic penalty to give Palace a third victory at Wembley in a row.
Glasner said he was “very happy with the squad”, though he added that this season’s European campaign, with Palace expected to find out on Monday if it will be in the Europa League or Conference League, will increase demands.
He revealed that Northern Ireland midfielder Devenny had even volunteered for the pressure penalty. “Justin came (to me and said) ‘I’ll take it, I’ll take the last one’,” the Palace manager said, complimenting the 21-year-old’s confidence.
