Arsenal were ruthless in the shootout as their players held their nerves to find the corners, while the goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale also did a good job.
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Arsenal supporters would have been relieved with starting the new season on a positive note after ending the previous campaign on a disappointing fashion. The Gunner incredibly came from behind to level the score against Manchester City in the Community Shield before triumphing in a one-sided penalty shootout. With nothing to separate between the sides in a match high on intensity and technical excellence, Cole Palmer gave City the lead deep into second half.
Just when Manchester City looked like they were going to win the contest, Leandro Trossard found the equaliser courtesy of a massive deflection in the stoppage time. With the momentum on their side, Arsenal won the penalty shootout convincingly 4-1. It was a much-needed triumph for the Gunners after narrowly missing out on the Premier League title to Man City last season despite leading the table for major parts of the campaign.
Mikel Arteta was understandably a happy man after lifting the Community Shield on Sunday. “I’m extremely happy, proud and relieved at the same time, because it doesn’t get any better than winning at Wembley in front of your fans and playing the best team in the world. Winning it the way we did it, I’m extremely happy. It was incredible, obviously in an empty stadium it feels good, but just seeing the happiness in their faces, how they were interacting and connecting with the players is just great,” he was quoted as saying by Arsenal.com post match.
Arsenal were ruthless in the shootout as their players held their nerves to find the corners, while the goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale also did a good job. Arteta believes practice in pre-season during the US tour and at the Emirates Cup helped them. “We had three big chances, and when you don’t [take your chances], they come to the other end, you make a little mistake, and they punish you big time. After that, psychologically, it was really difficult because they are so used to playing the clock down, and managing those moments,” he explained.
He added: “We discussed that we had six subs today, and they were going to have a big impact and they did – Leo scoring the goals and Fabio scoring the last penalty. We’ve done it [taken part in a shootout] three times in pre-season. It was part of the plan to get ready just in case we had to do it today, that it wasn’t the first time to do that, and I think that it paid off. The energy is great, the positivity around the place, you feel the happiness around everybody at the club. Let’s enjoy the day and then tomorrow, let’s go back to work because on Saturday, it will be a very different, but very tough match as well.”
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