Courageous Crystal Palace surprise new-look Liverpool to win Community Shield

The Community Shield clash between Crystal Palace and Liverpool offered a thrilling curtain-raiser to the new Premier League season, with Palace lifting the trophy following a tense penalty shootout.

Liverpool started out with the brighter sparks, opening the scoring early thanks to a well-placed debut goal from new signing Hugo Ekitike, assisted by fellow newcomer Florian Wirtz. However, Palace quickly responded, earning a penalty after Virgil Van Dijk’s clumsy challenge on Ismaïla Sarr, which Palace’s corner-kicking talisman, Jean-Paul Mateta, was always going to bury.

Liverpool looked set to retake control when Jeremie Frimpong’s lifted cross unexpectedly sailed past Dean Henderson, yet another moment of optimism from one of Liverpool’s new boys.

The game took a turn in Palace’s favour late in the second half, with Ismaïla Sarr once again having an impressive impact on the game and slotting it calmly past Alisson, a goal which pushed the match to penalties. The shootout was particularly uncharacteristic of Mohamed Salah, not only unusually subdued throughout the game, but then going on to blaze his penalty over the bar for the second time in a week, also missing against Athletic Bilbao. Dean Henderson had his moment in the spotlight, saving two penalties with poise and tipping his cap to the fans. Where nerves got the best of more experienced players, Palace youngster Justin Devenny showed composure beyond his years by blasting in the decisive penalty.

What the Community Shield loss should represent to Liverpool is a team who have felt the full force of a chaotic summer

While Palace’s victory on the pitch was a cause for celebration, it threatens to be overshadowed by the news that their appeal against demotion from the Europa League has been lost. The Court of Arbitration for Sport made the ruling on the basis that John Textor had shares in both Crystal Palace and Olympique Lyon, with a ‘decisive influence’ over both clubs.

Controversially, while Palace have been punished for breaching UEFA‘s rules on multi-club ownership, Forest are expected to be promoted to the Europa League, despite the fact that owner Evangelos Marinakis also owns Olympiakos. The ruling not only hinders the club’s European aspirations but could cost the club up to £20 million in revenue, as they are set to compete in the Conference League instead.

The club must also focus on retaining captain Marc Guéhi, who has attracted interest from Premier League rivals Liverpool and Newcastle. Indeed, Liverpool are looking to sign a centre back to bring more depth in that compartment, and with only Virgil Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté, and the injury-prone Joe Gomez in the squad, Guéhi could be a beneficial addition.

Transfer rumours continue to swirl around the club as Liverpool seeks to bolster its attacking options as well. It’s no wonder that following the sales of Luis Díaz to Bayern Munich and Darwin Núñez to Al Hilal, the Reds are targeting Newcastle’s Alexander Isak and potentially even PSG’s Bradley Barcola to rejuvenate their front line.

What the Community Shield loss should represent to Liverpool is a team who have felt the full force of a chaotic summer transfer window. The second Palace goal looked like a prime example of miscommunication across the back line, something which can be expected in the first few games of the season until Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong fully settle.

A trophy-hungry club like Liverpool will not be satisfied with losing out on silverware

The team is well and truly in the ‘gelling phase’, but even with some instability, the talent remains there to see. If Kerkez can attain anywhere near the standard that he achieved at Bournemouth last season, and Wirtz and Ekitike continue to produce at the other end of the pitch, then Liverpool fans will have every reason to believe this new-look squad can quickly find its rhythm.

The Premier League season kicked off in style on Friday with Liverpool vs Bournemouth, and Palace played at Stamford Bridge on Sunday in a challenging first match. Many neglect the Community Shield as a baseless trophy, a glorified friendly, but it’s set the tone for both of these clubs. A trophy-hungry club like Liverpool will not be satisfied with losing out on silverware, and that could result in even more hunger in the opening few matches of the Premier League season, which looks like it could be an eventful one.