Manchester City began the 2023/24 in disappointing fashion, as Pep Guardiola's side were beaten on penalties by Arsenal in the Community Shield.
It was far from a classic encounter, with both teams evidently still working their way back to peak fitness levels. Cole Palmer's goal after 76 minutes had looked set to hand City the win inside 90 minutes, but a late Leandro Trossard strike took the game to spot-kicks after a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes. The Gunners scored all of their four penalties, but two missed efforts from City proved costly.
City dominated possession in the early stages at Wembley without creating many clear-cut openings. It took until the 14th for the champions to go close, when Rodri’s shot from outside the area deflected wide off Declan Rice, while Julian Alvarez dragged an effort off target soon after.
But it was Arsenal who had the best chance of the first half when Ben White’s pass into the six-yard box found Kai Havertz, who spun and shot, only for Stefan Ortega to get a toe to the ball, before the follow-up from Gabriel Martinelli was blocked by John Stones.
The City stopper denied Havertz again from point-blank range in the final stages of the first half, not long after Bukayo Saka cut inside and curled his shot wide. Rodri nearly broke the deadlock on 43 minutes when he noticed Aaron Ramsdale off his line and attempted to chip him from around 40 yards out, similar to Florian Sotoca’s distance goal against United's Andre Onana on Saturday, but the City midfielder’s attempt landed on the roof of the net.
The game continued in a similar pattern after the break, with a dearth of scoring opportunities. Ramsdale saved from Stones’ header on 52 minutes, while Jurrien Timber blocked Palmer’s strike in the 70th minute.
And it was the 21-year-old who provided the best moment of the game soon after, when the ball ricocheted back to him and, from the corner of the box, Palmer bent it into the far corner past the helpless Ramsdale.
It was nearly 2-0 in the 81st minute when Phil Foden, who provided an additional spark after his introduction, poked a shot through the legs of Ramsdale, only to see it roll just a few yards wide. From the resulting corner, Rodri went close, but his header was excellently saved by the Arsenal stopper.
City had looked set to wrap up a 1-0 win as the game move into added-on time, but a strike from Trossard in the 101st minute changed that, with the ball deflecting in off an unfortunate Manuel Akanji to bring the game to penalties.
City converted just one of their spot kicks, with Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne missing, as Bernardo Silva scored. The Gunners netted all four from Martin Odegaard, Trossard, Saka and Fabio Vieira, to ensure they began the season by picking up silverware. Here's how we rated the City players...
1. Stefan Ortega- 6
Made two good saves to deny Havertz, although the goalkeeper’s kicking was a little dodgy.
2. Kyle Walker- 6
Offered an outlet on the right and captained the Blues at Wembley.
3. John Stones- 7
Made a great block midway through the first half to stop Martinelli scoring. City’s no.5 was also positive on the ball and provided the foundation for several passing moves.
4. Ruben Dias- 6
Defended well and was composed at the heart of defence.