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Writer's pictureBy Paul Lagan at Wembley Stadium

United are charitable by missing two penalties in shootout to give City the Community Shield after 1-1 draw



City v United team sheet Picture by Paul Lagan
City v United teamsheet Picture by Paul Lagan

By Paul Lagan at Wembley Stadium


Man City 1 v Man United 1 (City win 7-6 on pens)

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Chelsea face Manchester City on the opening day of the Premier League next week, and it might be a good time to play the champions.

While they are still rusty as their performance against United at Wembley showed, they can be got at by a swift counter-attack.

Chelsea have an abundance of talent to execute that tactic and it will be a factor in who gets the three points at Stamford Bridge.

United took full advantage of such tactics and could have scored more than their one in 90 minutes.

City equalised with a minute left to take the match directly to penalties.

It was then a case of who would fail to score, and two from United did, Jadon Sancho and Jonny Evans to give City the shield by 7 goals to 6.

The opening 15 minutes was a turgid, sterile, non-committal game seen at Wembley for quite a while.

Perhaps the travelling, intense pre-season training had already taken its toll, perhaps it was the lack of several players still sunning themselves on the beach due to their summer exertions.

Jeremy Doku gave the Blue half of the stadium a lift on 16 minutes, when the left winger nutmegged Diogo Dalot. There was no end product from his run, but Dalot let him know he was not impressed with a more than string sliding tackle on the Belgium two minutes late.

Oscar Bobb went on a weaving run in the United penalty area on 22 minutes, but his finishing was poor as he thumped the ball high and wide of Onana's crossbar. But it was an indication that City were taking control of the game.

Some terrible defending by the Reds allowed Bobb to snatch the ball, feed it to James McAtee who clipped the right post.

United's first effort, of sorts saw Amad Diallo try a sneaky curling left-footer of his own, but his shot went wide of Ederson's goal on 28 minutes.

The best passing move of the game came from the Reds on 32 minutes as they cut City apart with excellent one-touch play. Diallo, perhaps made one pass too many when clear on goal, passing to empty space with just Ederson to attack.

There were no changes by either side at half-time.

United thought they had taken the lead on 53 minutes, when a defence-splitting ball fed Bruno Fernandes, who took one touch as he cut to his right, before letting fly with a wonderful, curling right-footer that sailed past the desperate dive of Ederson, and the ball ended up in the back of the net.

But, the Portugal midfielder was a tad offside and the goal disallowed.

There soon followed a host of substitutions by the reds. On went Scott McTominay, Facundo Pellistri, Toby Collyer and Alejandro Garnacho.

City brought on Matheus Nunes and Savinho on 64 minutes.

Fernandes was next up for United to attack the goal. This time on 69 minutes he did beat the offside trap, but his shot was weak and slipped easily into the grasp of Ederson

Marcus Rashford could and should have put the Reds 1-0 up in 74 minutes, when a quick counter attack saw Garnacho escape on the right. He passed the ball perfectly for in-running, unmarked Rashford, who took the ball first time with a low, left-footer. But the ball struck the foot of Ederson's right post.

Pep Guardiola decided to bring on Bernardo Silva on with 10 minutes left on the clock. Off went McAtee.

Garnacho finally broke the deadlock with a lovely run with even minutes left. He cut in from the right, and slotted home past Ederson at his near post.

Rashford was then replaced by Jadon Sancho.

But on 89 minutes, City equalised when Silva got above Casemiro and headed a dinked byline cross by Bobb home.

And so to penalties where City ran out eventual winners.

Fernandes – 1-0

Silva – saved 1-0

Dalot – 2-0

De Bruyne – 2-1

Garnacho – 3-1

Haaland – 3-2

Sancho – saved -3-2

Savinho – 3-3

Casemiro – 4-3

Ederson – 4-4

McTominay – 5-4

Nunes – 5-5

Martinez – 6-5

Dias – 6-6

Evans – Missed – 6-6

Akanji – 7-6

 

Teams: City: Ederson, Haaland, McAtee, Gvardiol, Doku, Akanji, Kovacic, O'Reilly, Bobb, Lewis, Dias.

Subs: Ortega, Carson, Silva, Kabore, Phillips, De Bruyne, Nunes, Ake, Savinho


United: Onana, Diallo, Fernandes, Casemiro, Dalot, Maguire, Evans, Mainoo, Martinez, Rashford, Mount

Subs: Bayindir, Garnacho, Antony, Eriksen, Pellistri, Sancho, Zirkzee, McTominay, Collyer

Referee: Jared Gillett




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