Manchester City were dealt a hammer blow in the Community Shield yesterday, with Arsenal equalising in the final seconds of the match before Pep Guardiola’s side fell short in the resulting penalty shootout.
It was the third Community Shield defeat in a row for Guardiola and City, and there will be frustration at the manner of the defeat, having taken the lead through Cole Palmer’s stunning strike.
Both sides went toe to toe, and City caused Arsenal trouble, but a tactical change from Mikel Arteta helped the Premier League runners-ups cope with City’s pressure to eventually find the equaliser.
Speaking to Viaplay after the game, Arteta admitted that City’s pressing was causing his side a lot of problems.
“Yeah, we had to take some risks, and as well we were having some problems with the way they made a high press in that period (after Palmer’s goal),” he stated.
“With a change of Declan (Rice) I’m sure that it was going to get very hostile, so I decided to change it and play a different formation and cause them some problems, and the players that came in, they really made a difference.”
Fine margins prove fatal
Although it was a tight game overall, there may be some bemusement that City could not find a way to win, as they have done so often in tough matches in recent years.
Palmer’s stunning strike set City on course for victory, and they could have doubled their lead through Phil Foden, who saw his close-range shot saved by Aaron Ramsdale, with Arsenal leaving space behind as they pushed forward.
Arsenal’s equaliser in the dying seconds came as Leandro Trossard’s shot deflected off Manuel Akanji and trickled past Stefan Ortega, in another stroke of bad luck.
Whilst a draw in the 90 minutes may have been a fair result for both sides, City may feel that with a slice more luck, they will have secured the victory before the penalty shootout.
