Arsenal managed to pick up their first silverware of the season after beating last season’s champions Chelsea 4-1 on penalties to win the Community Shield
The Gunners came in from behind to edge past Chelsea on penalties to seal a Community Shield win at Wembley. This is the second time that Arsenal have defeated the reigning Premier League champions after a similar outcome happened in the FA Cup final.
Although Victor Moses gave the Blues the lead shortly after half-time, the most controversial moment of the match took place when Pedro was sent off for a lunging tackle on Mohamed Elneny with 10 minutes to go. Sead Kolasinac equalized for Arsenal with a header, which led to a penalty shootout.
Olivier Giroud slotted in with flair for Arsenal while Thibaut Courtois and Alvaro Morata both missed for the Blues. Conte’s men seemed like the better team for a good majority of the first season but Arsenal made a strong comeback in the second half, leaving fans extremely optimistic about the upcoming season.
Arsenal Player Ratings:
Petr Cech – 7/10
Cech was especially stunning when he showed brilliant pace to thwart Michy Batshuayi’s effort. At other times, he seemed a bit slow and could not do much to stop the Chelsea goal.
Rob Holding – 5.5/10
Holding established control over the possession for a while but he was guilty of switching off for the opener as Moses snuck in from behind, and this was not the first time he had been caught out.
Per Mertesacker – 6/10
Mertesacker kept Batshuayi under control in the opening exchanges and looked quite convincing but he had to be replaced after 30 minutes following a bloody collision with Cahill’s elbow.
Nacho Monreal – 8/10
Monreal took charge quite responsibly as he played a more central role in the back three after Mertesacker’s departure. From there on, he established strong control over the Arsenal defence and impressed during his penalty as well.
Hector Bellerin – 7/10
Bellerin was quite tidy and neat on the ball but he completely miscued a sliding challenge on Alonso, for which he was booked. However, he was still quite pacy and added some attacking moves down the right.
Mohamed Elneny – 8/10
Elneny was in a fiery form for most of the match. He displayed brilliant bouts of energy in the midfield and put on a good show while showing some quality moments.
Granit Xhaka – 9/10
Xhaka was perhaps the only Arsenal player who remained consistently present on both ends of the field without a dip in his energy. He kept things ticking along nicely in the midfield area before gradually going on to unlock the Chelsea defence.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 8.5/10
Chamberlain looked quite threatening as he surged forward and was solid defensively as well. It is remarkable how much the player has improved, and it is likely that Wenger will be keen to sort out his contract impasse before the summer window ends.
Danny Welbeck – 7.5/10
Welbeck had a rather disappoint campaign in the previous season owing to struggling with several injuries. In last night’s game, however, the player looked sharp and posed several causes of concern to Chelsea. Welbeck will undoubtedly be a boost to the Gunners in the upcoming season.
Alex Iwobi – 7/10
Iwobi has the potential to be a lethal attacking player and that was evident against Chelsea. He is extremely quick on his feet and added depth to Wenger’s attack. The Gunners are likely to be considering playing Iwobi on a more consistent basis in the upcoming season.
Alexandre Lacazette – 6/10
The player looked shaky and it seems like he will require some time before he can completely fit in with the Gunners. Although he struggled for a while, the former Lyon player still showed some promising signs.
Subs: Kolasinac 7.5 (for Mertesacker); Giroud 6.5 (for Lacazette, 66); Walcott 6.5 (for Iwobi 67); Nelson 6 (for Welbeck 88)
Not used: Ospina, Maitland-Niles, Nelson, Willock