Liverpool stumbled to a 3-2 defeat on penalties against Crystal Palace, after the FA Community Shield final ended 2-2 following 90 minutes of action.
It took Arne Slot’s side just four minutes to open the scoring, with new signings Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike linking up on the left flank, and the latter finishing to make it 1-0.
Palace struck back soon after. Virgil van Dijk conceded a clumsy penalty by tripping up Ismaila Sarr in the box, which was cooly converted by Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Four minutes later, though, the Reds restored order in bizarre fashion. Jeremie Frimpong sent a looping cross to the far post, which ended up beating Dean Henderson and finding the back of the net.
Van Dijk came under scrutiny when Palace equalised for a second time. Cody Gakpo was dispossessed in midfield, but Van Dijk was not in sync with the rest of his defensive line as Adam Wharton slot Sarr in behind, who beat Alisson.
Here’s how the players rated at Wembley Stadium:
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Crystal Palace
Dean Henderson – 7.5 – Beaten by a pinpoint finish for Liverpool’s opener but his positioning was very questionable for Frimpong’s goal. However, he was a hero in the shootout, saving two penalties.
Chris Richards – 6 – Covered well for Munoz and did not make any glaring errors. However, he missed a chance to score off a set-piece.
Maxence Lacroix – 5 – Shaky in possession and allowed his man to get free of him on too many occasions.
Marc Guehi – 6.5 – Looked the most confident out of Palace’s centre-backs. Played out of the back well and covered for Mitchell.
Daniel Munoz – 7.5 – Very active going forward, creating three chances and completing three crosses. Won the most duels (10) but also lost the most duels (9) in the game. Was often overwhelmed with defensive responsibilities.
Daichi Kamada – 6 – Kept it tidy in possession but did not offer much. Withdrawn after 29 minutes due to injury.
Adam Wharton – 7.5 – Assisted Sarr’s equaliser with a neat pass and was very active in possession, creating three chances.
Tyrick Mitchell – 6 – Played very similar to his wing-back matchup, Frimpong. Got forward well but often left gaps in behind.
Ismaila Sarr – 8 – Scored a vital equaliser. Caused Liverpool problems on the few counter attacks Palace had and won the penalty earlier in the game. Scored his penalty in the shootout.
Eberechi Eze – 6 – Showed his quality when he received the ball but was generally kept quiet, as he drew much attention from Liverpool’s midfield. Missed his penalty in the shootout.
Jean-Philippe Mateta – 7 – Given minimal service but wrong-footed Alisson for the penalty in the match. Outside of that, he mistimed quite a few runs and managed only 16 touches throughout the game. Scored his penalty in the shootout.
Substitutes:
Will Hughes (for Kamada 29) – 7.5 – Offered a relentless work rate defensively. Was slightly clumsy on the ball, though, and did not get forward much.
Borna Sosa (for Mitchell 79) – 5 – Had a half-chance to score late on in the game. Missed his penalty in the shootout.
Jefferson Lerma (for Wharton 85) – N.A – A late sub.
Justin Devenny (for Guehi 90) – 7 – A late sub. Scored the winning penalty in the shootout.
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Liverpool
Alisson – 6 – Decent distribution and two solid saves. Dived the wrong way for Mateta’s penalty. Made one save in the shootout.
Jeremie Frimpong – 7 – Highly energetic and scored Liverpool’s second goal. Was keen to get forward and in behind, but left gaps at the back and did not recover defensively at times.
Ibrahima Konate – 6 – Much more composed than his centre-back partner. Made seven clearances and six recoveries, and was tidy in possession.
Virgil van Dijk – 4.5 – Solid for large parts of the game but made two vital mistakes. He conceded a very clumsy penalty and was awfully positioned for Palace’s equaliser.
Milos Kerkez – 6 – Struggled to deal with Munoz, who was seemingly able to send crosses in on demand. Kerkez was, nevertheless, heavily involved going forward and created three chances.
Curtis Jones – 7 – Helped keep Eze quiet at times and positioned himself well to allow Szoboszlai to get forward. Did not misplace a single pass (53/53 passes completed).
Dominik Szoboszlai – 6.5 – Active going forward and played behind Wirtz, offering an easy option when trying to break down Palace’s low block. Linked up well with Ekitike and Gakpo. Scored his penalty in the shootout.
Mohamed Salah – 4 – Very uninvolved. Most things down the right hand side came from Frimpong. Missed a big chance late on to make it 3-2 and sent his penalty over the bar in the shootout.
Florian Wirtz – 8.5 – Looked comfortable in the half spaces and distributed the ball wide when necessary. Combined nicely with Ekitike (not just for the goal), and generally pulled the strings for Liverpool, creating four chances.
Cody Gakpo – 6 – Linked up with Wirtz and Ekitike at times but was absent for most of the game. Dispossessed, which led to Palace’s equaliser. Scored his penalty in the shootout.
Hugo Ekitike – 7.5 – Superb finish to make it 1-0. Neat link-up play in tight areas and was involved in a few counter attacks. Arguably should have scored a second with the chances he received.
Substitutes:
Wataru Endo (for Jones 71) – 5 – Tidy in possession but looked weak in midfield and was overloaded by Palace’s counterparts.
Alexis Mac Allister (for Ekitike 71) – 6 – Was very bright when he came on, creating two chances. However, he missed his penalty in the shootout.
Andrew Robertson (for Kerkez 84) – N.A – A late sub.
Harvey Elliot (for Wirtz 84) – 5 – A late sub. Missed his penalty in the shootout.