Arsenal locked horns with Manchester City at Wembley Stadium earlier tonight as they looked to secure a good result in the FA Community Shield final. The Gunners made a strong start to the game but were held to a goalless draw at the half-time break.
Mikel Arteta‘s men were less convincing in the second half and conceded the opening goal in the 77th minute when Cole Palmer found the back of the net. However, Arsenal equalised with the help of Leandro Trossard’s deflected effort in injury time as the contest finished 1-1 after 90 minutes.
The Gunners ended up winning the contest on penalties by a 4-1 scoreline.
Let’s take a look at how each Arsenal player performed during the clash against Manchester City.
GK: Aaron Ramsdale – 7.5/10
The English talent made a few solid saves at the back but couldn’t do much about Palmer’s match-winner. He also made a great stop during the shootout.
RB: Ben White – 6.5/10
White was a positive influence at both ends of the field. He was even tidy with his passing.
CB: William Saliba – 6/10
The French talent made a lot of crucial clearances at the back.
CB: Gabriel – 6.5/10
He didn’t hesitate to put his foot through the ball to clear the danger when needed.
LB: Jurrien Timber – 6.5/10
He was defensively solid but lacked quality in the opponent’s half.
CM: Martin Odegaard – 6.5/10
Odegaard struggled to get a foothold in the game but did well to score his penalty in the shootout.
CM: Thomas Partey – 6/10
He struggled to dictate the tempo of the game and did well to last the whole game.
CM: Declan Rice – 6/10
Rice was accurate with his passing but lacked quality on the ball.
RW: Bukayo Saka – 7/10
The English talent engineered a few inviting chances for others around him and picked up an assist for setting up Trossard’s goal.
ST: Kai Havertz – 6/10
He was already willing to have a strike at goal but failed to take any of his chances.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli – 6/10
Martinelli struggled to cause problems for the opposition defenders and was replaced in the 74th minute.
Substitutes:
LW: Leandro Trossard – 7.5/10
He scored the all-important equaliser late in the game and scored his penalty in the shootout.
LB: Kieran Tierney – 6/10
His impact on the game was minimal.
ST: Eddie Nketiah – N/A
He hardly had any time to make an impact.
CM: Fabio Vieira – N/A
Vieira scored the winning penalty in the shootout.
CAM: Emile Smith Rowe – N/A
He didn’t get enough time to make an impact.
