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#3: Hit - Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Fresh from a breakout season that saw him become somewhat of a fixture in Arsenal’s starting-eleven, Bukayo Saka began the 2020-21 season on the right side of a front-three.
The young Englishman repaid his manager’s faith in him with an extremely lively display that saw him claim the assist for Aubameyang’s opener and cause all sorts of problems for Chelsea down the right flank. Sporting the number seven jersey for the Gunners, Saka played with a maturity well beyond his years, creating several chances that his Arsenal teammates could have done better to capitalise on.
While Saka’s influence on the game understandably faded in the second half after Liverpool chased the game, he still found himself in dangerous positions on occasions as the game wore on before he was taken off with ten minutes to go. The youngster is another positive that Arsenal fans can look forward to seeing more of this season.
#2: Flop - Rhian Brewster (Liverpool)
A missed spot-kick in a penalty shootout may not be expected to have any bearing on a player’s performance in a season, but Rhian Brewster would definitely be rueing striking his effort with a little too much power.
The young striker, who shone on loan at Swansea last season, was brought on in added time with the sole intention of taking a penalty, which proved to be his only touch of the ball in the entire match. Cruelly for the youngster, Brewster’s was the only miss in an otherwise faultless shootout from both sides that saw Arsenal lift the Community Shield.
One would expect Brewster to feature fairly often for Liverpool should Jurgen Klopp decide against sending him out on loan to a Premier League rival for first-team experience. But the all-important miss could be viewed as a failed audition to get into Klopp’s first-team plans this season.
#1: Hit - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
Arsenal’s player of the 2019-20 season showed once again why he is so important to the Gunners and also why the club are so keen to tie him down to a new deal ahead of the 2020-21 season.
The Gunners' talismanic frontman gave his side the lead in the 12th minute with a fabulous curling finish that gave Alisson Becker in the Liverpool net no chance. The fine goal was made even more special by Aubameyang’s ‘Wakanda Forever’ salute, an apparent tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman.
Fittingly, after the game went to a penalty shootout, it fell to Aubameyang to score the decisive spot-kick and win Arsenal the Community Shield.
Arsenal’s number 14 duly obliged with a picture-perfect penalty that arrowed into the top right corner, sparking celebrations in the Gunners’ camp. The Gabonese international’s goal was his fifth for Arsenal at Wembley, as it drew him level with Alexis Sanchez in this regard.
