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Arsenal left it late to grab an equaliser before beating Manchester City on penalties to lift the Community Shield on August 6.
Arsenal went into the game looking to lift their second trophy under Mikel Arteta, having won the FA Cup in his inaugural season in 2019-20. The Spaniard chose to hand starts to all three of his new signings - Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, and Jurrien Timber. The German started at the top of the attack for the injured Gabriel Jesus.
Manchester City, meanwhile, looked to continue their trophy-winning spree after completing the treble last season. New signing Mateo Kovacic played alongside Rodri in midfield, while Kevin de Bruyne and Phil Foden were named on the bench.
The first half was a goalless affair. City looked to gain the upper hand, dominating possession early but were met by a strong defensive resilience from Arsenal. On the other end, Havertz had two golden chances but could not find the finish on either occasion.
Haaland, who was ineffective for much of the game, was taken off for Cole Palmer. de Bruyne and Foden were also introduced around the hour mark as City looked to seize control.
It was the substitute Palmer who eventually broke the deadlock, finding the far corner with a brilliant curling strike in the 77th minute.
Arteta then made a host of substitutions in the hope that Arsenal would find the equaliser. Substitute Leandro Trossard received the ball from a corner before taking a shot that deflected off Manuel Akanji, leaving goalkeeper Stefan Ortega completely wrong-footed. This happened in the 11th minute of injury time!
With no extra time, the game went straight to penalties. The Gunners were 100 percent on their conversions, with Martin Odegaard, Trossard, Bukayo Saka, and Fabio Vieira scoring. de Bruyne hit the crossbar on City's first attempt, while Rodri's shot on City's third kick was saved well by Aaron Ramsdale.
Here are five talking points from the game.
#5 Strong outing for Aaron Ramsdale
With Arsenal being linked to signing Brentford's David Raya, Aaron Ramsdale put in a great performance against Manchester City. This comes after the shot-stopper opened up on his mental troubles after his wife went through a miscarriage.
He pulled off a great stop to deny Phil Foden from close range and later reacted quickly to Rodri's header off a corner.
#4. Erling Haaland's regrettable day
The Norwegian frontman had a game to forget. He was rendered practically ineffective by the Gunners' defense, with William Saliba notably performing quite well.
Haaland was limited to just 13 touches all game and failed to notch a single shot on target. He has now gone six games for Manchester City without a goal, a drought that is massive by his standards.
#3. Cole Palmer could be Manchester City's next star
Palmer came off the bench and made an immediate difference to Manchester City's attack. The youngster looked lively after coming on at the hour mark and grabbed the game's first goal with a sensational curling effort.
With Riyad Mahrez's departure, there is a spot in the rotation that the 21-year-old could look to compete for. He made 25 appearances in all competitions for the side last season and looks to be in for a greater role this campaign.
#2. Kai Havertz's debut evoked mixed reactions
Kai Havertz completed a sensational switch across London, moving to Arsenal after a mediocre stint at Chelsea for £65 million. Arteta stated that the German would mainly be used in a midfield three as compared to leading the line, which he did with the Blues.
However, Gabriel Jesus' injury meant that the 24-year-old was deployed as a center-forward. While he did miss two great opportunities, he looked comfortable on the ball and pressed well out of possession. His large frame offers the Gunners a different dynamic in attack, something they might not have with Jesus or Eddie Nketiah.
#1. Arsenal break duck to lift the first trophy of season
Arsenal had suffered eight straight defeats against Manchester City coming into the game. Early on, it was Pep Guardiola's side that had control and they eventually took the lead. However, Mikel Arteta's men held their cool, grabbing a late equaliser before keeping their calm in penalties to win.
