Crystal Palace secured the Community Shield for the first time in their history following a dramatic victory over Liverpool, which was decided by a penalty shootout after a hard-fought match. The victory extends Palace’s impressive unbeaten streak to 10 competitive matches, while Liverpool’s recent form continues to be a concern, with the team now winless in their last five contests across all competitions.
The match, filled with action from start to finish, saw an early substitution for Liverpool when Will Hughes replaced the injured Daichi Kamada just before the half-hour mark. Hughes quickly got into the rhythm of the game, firing over from a cross delivered by Muñoz, who continued to be a constant threat down the wing.
The second half began with the same high intensity, as both teams pushed for an opener. Liverpool’s Ekitike had two clear chances in the first seven minutes, first heading wide and then narrowly missing the target with a shot. Palace responded with their own offensive pressure, with Eberechi Eze seeing a strike deflected behind and Chris Richards’ ensuing header being held by Liverpool’s goalkeeper, Alisson.
A moment of brilliance from Adam Wharton created the breakthrough. After intercepting a pass from Dominik Szoboszlai, Wharton slipped a perfect ball to Eze, whose shot was saved by Alisson. The deadlock was finally broken when Sarr, latching onto another pass from Wharton, showed his clinical touch by scoring with a shot that went in off the post.
Liverpool mounted a fierce comeback attempt. A crucial last-ditch block from Milos Kerkez denied Sarr a second goal, while Mohamed Salah’s effort was saved by Henderson. Mateta also had a chance for Palace, but blazed his shot over the bar, leaving both sides searching for a winner in the dying moments.
In the final minutes, Justin Devenny came agonizingly close to securing the victory for Crystal Palace in regulation time, narrowly missing the left post. With the score tied, the match was sent to a penalty shootout.
Having been denied moments earlier, Devenny stepped up and scored his penalty emphatically, sealing the victory and the Community Shield for Crystal Palace. The result marks a significant achievement for the club and a disappointing one for Liverpool, who have now won just one of their last seven Community Shield matches as Premier League champions.
