Liverpool vs Man City LIVE: Community Shield result and final score as Darwin Nunez goal seals win
Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City: The Reds win the first trophy of the season as Darwin Nunez’s debut goal sealed the win while Erling Haaland had a day to forget
Liverpool are the winners of the Community Shield for the first time in 16 years after a debut goal from Darwin Nunez wrapped up a 3-1 win over the Premier League champions Manchester City at Leicester’s King Power Stadium.
In a contest befitting of Liverpool and Manchester City’s intense rivalry last season, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola’s teams produced a compelling match as new arrivals Erling Haaland and Nunez made their first competitive outings following big-money moves this summer.
Liverpool were sharp in the opening exchanges with Mohamed Salah threatening on the right wing, but it was Trent Alexander-Arnold who fired them ahead on 21 minutes as the right-back’s shot deflected off Nathan Ake.
Haaland had a couple of chances before the break, the best of which when he stretched for Joao Cancelo’s cross, but it was the other new signing Julian Alvarez who equalised for City after a lengthy VAR review.
Nunez also had chances to open his account but the Uruguay striker was involved in the decisive late penalty, as his header was blocked by Ruben Dias’ outstretched arm. Salah converted to restore Liverpool’s lead before Nunez added a late third to seal it, as Klopp added a Community Shield to his trophy haul at Anfield.
Haaland had an afternoon to forget after a late miss from six yards, as Liverpool gained revenge from two previous defeats in the Community Shield in 2019 and 2020. Follow live reaction from the Community Shield final, below:
Liverpool 0-0 Man City
4 mins: Ooh chance! Fabinho switches to Salah, as Liverpool go down the right again. He beats Cancelo all too easily, ducking outside, but fires into the side netting!
Liverpool 0-0 Man City
2 mins: Liverpool fans sing for their own number 9, Roberto Firmino, while Salah steals possession from Rodri. Henderson crosses towards Diaz and City hack clear! Diaz’s shot was blocked by Dias.
Community Shield final: Liverpool 0-0 Man City
Kick-off!
There’s a huge game tomorrow, this isn’t bad either. The Community Shield is underway with Liverpool pushing right away down the right.
Community Shield final: Liverpool vs Man City
There will be a signing of the national anthem before we start, which is predictably booed by the Liverpool fans.
I’m not sure why the FA bother...
Community Shield final: Liverpool vs Man City
The players is in the tunnel and there are plenty of high-fives and back-slapping between the Liverpool and Manchester City players. Roy Keane is staying silent, for now.
But the 100th edition of the Community Shield is moments away.
Community Shield final: Liverpool vs Man City
Roy Keane is back and looking refreshed from his summer break. Nothing, apart from perhaps Manchester United, could possibly dampen his mood ahead of the start of the men’s football season.
He predicts that Haaland will score a minimum of “20 goals” for Manchester City this season. Ian Wright nods and thinks it will be an “exciting time” for City fans.
Community Shield final: Liverpool vs Man City
Here’s Jurgen Klopp speaking to ITV:
On his team selection and Darwin Nunez: “The line-up is used to each other and against an opponent like City we want a team that 100% knows what it is doing. Darwin is in a good way and will come on definitely.”
On facing Haaland: “I can’t see that they have to change too much. Erling is made for City. He is a presence in the box, City have a lot of situations in the box. It is clear he will have a lot of opportunities. It is an addition that unfortunately will help City.”
What does this game tell us about the season: “Arsenal [today winning 6-0 against Sevilla] are impressive. Chelsea will come. Tottenham improved a lot. It will be tough, tough season for all of us. We want to be ready for a new challenge.”
Community Shield final: Liverpool vs Man City
The words came from Jurgen Klopp’s mouth but it could have been Pep Guardiola speaking. “He’s a different striker to what we have or what we had, but he’s a really good one,” said the Liverpool manager. He was talking about Darwin Nunez, while Guardiola may spend much of Manchester City’s season discussing Erling Haaland.
Their flagship signings are the sorts of players they neither had nor, perhaps, needed. City and Liverpool scored a combined total of 297 goals last season. Very few came from actual strikers: with Gabriel Jesus rebranding himself as a right winger, arguably none of City’s 150 did. Maybe only Divock Origi, who was responsible for six of Liverpool’s 147, qualified as a conventional centre-forward at Anfield. Diogo Jota could excel in the middle in his own fashion, Sadio Mane proved a remarkable success as a No 9 and Roberto Firmino remains Anfield’s definitive false nine. But arguably none would have met traditional descriptions of a centre-forward.
Enter strapping six-footers who can be defined by their scoring statistics.
By Richard Jolly
Liverpool and City face new challenge to make old solutions work after striker deals
A change in approach and goalscoring focus after the title rivals brought in classic No 9s this summer
Community Shield final: Liverpool vs Man City
We were treated to three extraordinary games of football between Liverpool and Manchester City last season.
Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City (3/10/21): Mohamed Salah’s stunning individual goal was cancelled out by Kevin de Bruyne’s finish as Rodri then made a crucial clearance off the line at Anfield.
Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool (10/4/2022): ‘The Premier League title decider’ certainly deliver in a ferocious, high-speed thriller at the Eithad. Liverpool equalised twice but could not get the winner and City’s point helped secure the title.
Liverpool 3-2 Manchester City (16/4/2022): The teams met again six days later at Wembley and Liverpool kept their quadruple hopes alive with a first-half blitz. The Reds would win the FA Cup for the domestic cup double but City would rule supreme again in the Premier League.
Community Shield final: Liverpool vs Man City
Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool and Manchester City require time to get used to their new strikers and said his team need to learn to give Darwin Nunez the ball less, Richard Jolly writes.
Nunez is set to make his competitive debut for Liverpool in Saturday’s Community Shield where City could give Erling Haaland his bow after his £51 million move from Borussia Dortmund.
Both teams have been accustomed to playing with false nines in recent years whereas their summer signings are more traditional centre-forwards and Klopp feels each will adapt.
He still expects Haaland, who scored in a pre-season friendly for City against Bayern Munich, to be prolific in the meantime but feels his players need to learn that part of Nunez’s value lies in his ability to drag defences deeper and create room for others.
He said: “Erling scored a Manchester City goal, a square ball in the six-yard box and so far it didn’t change a lot, they have same problem we have they are not used to Erling’s natural runs just as we are not used to Darwin’s natural runs yet.
“When Darwin offers a run we give him the ball all the time, which is not helpful because often a guy who stretches the opponent is there to create space between the lines, these kind of things.
“I am pretty sure they will need time for Erling but that doesn’t mean he cannot score already early like how he did it in the first game against Bayern.”
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