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In what is known as the proverbial curtain-raiser for the season, FA Cup winners Arsenal faced Premier League champions Liverpool at Wembley for the 2020-21 Community Shield title.
The Gunners might have felt that this game arrived too early in their pre-season. That was because Mikel Arteta said in his press conference that Arsenal only had two training sessions before this game. The Premier League champions, on the other hand, were in training for a few weeks and had already played three pre-season friendlies.
As expected, the match started in sluggish fashion, with both teams looking to find their rhythm in the match. Surprisingly, it was Arsenal who made the better start as Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang opened the scoring in emphatic fashion 12 minutes into the game.
Thereafter, a few end to end moments eventually morphed into sustained Liverpool pressure as the Reds kept the Gunners penned in their box in the second half. That pressure finally yielded dividends when subsitute Takumi Minamino restored parity by slotting the ball home with 17 minutes to go.
The two sides stayed level till full-time, taking the match to a nerve-wracking penalty shootout finale. As it turned out, Rhian Brewster’s missed penalty was the only difference between the two teams as Arsenal produced a perfect set of five successful spotkicks to celebrate another successful day at Wembley.
On that note, let us have a look at five talking points from Arsenal's penalty-shootout win against Liverpool in the first game of the 2020-21 English season.
Five talking points in Arsenal's win over Liverpool in the 2020-21 Community Shield:
#5: Rob Holding in the shop window
Up against a pacey and tricky Sadio Mane, Rob Holding held his own physically. In a hardworking display, the Arsenal centre-back made seven clearances and two interceptions. He also won four aerial and two ground duels and wasn’t dribbled past once.
Earlier in the day, there were reports that Rob Holding could be moving to Newcastle on a season-long loan. It was apparently an effort by Arsenal to clear out the plethora of centre-backs in their squad ahead of Gabriel Magalhaes’ imminent arrival.
The 24-year-old Rob Holding’s Arsenal career seemed to be over before this game. But after his energetic display against Liverpool, Holding might have showed the Arsenal boss that he may still have a future at the club.
#4: Liverpool’s front-three have an off day
We’re so used to seeing Liverpool score a plethora of goals that when they don’t, it feels strange. Against a resolute and organised Arsenal back-five, the Reds struggled in the final-third.
In fact, for large swathes of the game, Liverpool were passing the ball around their back-four in a u-shape. That allowed Arsenal to form a low-block, leaving limited space for Liverpool’s lethal front-three to operate in.
Among the Liverpool attackers, it was only Sadio Mane who could conjure a clear goal-scoring opportunity; however, Emi Martinez quickly thwarted the effort.
Between the three of them, Salah, Mane and Roberto Firmino only mustered two shots (both off target) and lost possession 32 times throughout the 90 minutes. It was undoubtedly a bad day for Liverpool's Fab 3, but it marked the second time that Arsenal managed to nullify their threat in successive games.
#3: Bukayo Saka’s efficiency
It’s incredible to think that a player of Bukayo Saka’s calibre didn’t make it to the senior England squad. The 18-year-old has shown that despite his tender age, he can make an impact against the very best.
Up against the champions of England, Saka was precise and efficient in everything he did. He knew when to release the ball early, when to hold on to it and which pass to make. For Aubameyang’s opener, it was Saka’s quick thinking and switch of play that put the Arsenal captain in a favourable position to score.
Against Liverpool, Saka operated as an RW. He has also excelled at LWB, LB and AM in the past, which shows that he is a special talent. The Arsenal player won five aerial duels and four ground duels; he also created three chances, two successful take-ons and provided an assist.
#2: Takumi Minamino makes his mark
Last season, Japanese international Takumi Minamino struggled to make any kind of impact at Liverpool. Brought in as a rotational option in January for Liverpool’s world-class attack, things didn't gone too well for the 25-year-old as he failed to score in 14 games. Against Arsenal, however, when his manager needed him the most, Minamino delivered.
It was only when the forward came on in the 59th minute that Liverpool truly started to look dangerous. Before that, they had dominated possession against Arsenal without really creating enough chances.
Minamino's movement and insistence to run at Arsenal’s defence helped open up gaps for Liverpool to exploit. He looked sharp during his cameo, and it was his quick reactions that allowed him to prey on a loose ball in the box and score Liverpool's equaliser.
Minamino will hope that his performance against Arsenal will lead him to make more Liverpool starts in the near future.
#1: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Man of the Match)
According to reports that broke out earlier in the week, Ainsley Maitland-Niles was apparently nearing a move to Wolves. The West Midlands side reportedly offered £15m for the 23-year-old, which Arsenal rejected; it was believed the Gunners did so because they were holding out for £25m instead.
However, after a big-game performance like the one he put up against Liverpool, Arsenal may not be able to justify the sale of the versatile midfielder.
Although he lined up as an LWB, Maitland-Niles drifted inwards as a third CM to help Arsenal in possession, thus facilitating quicker transitions up the pitch. His positioning was instrumental to Arsenal’s attacking play and defensive organisation.
In a 'Man of the Match' display, the 23-year-old made four tackles and three clearances. He also won eight ground duels and constantly offered himself as a passing option for Aubameyang.
