“Is he actually good enough?” – Player ratings as Leicester leave it late to beat Man City and win the Community Shield

In an tense evening of football, Leicester beat Manchester City 1-0 to win the Community Shield for the Foxes.

It was a game of two halves but Leicester bagged the winning goal late into a City-dominated second-half.

Here’s how the players rated at Wembley:

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Leicester

Kasper Schmeichel – 6 – Had very little to do but did it confidently.

Ricardo Pereira – 7 – Still feeling his way back to his imperious best but was a solid performer, especially in defence.

Daniel Amartey – 7 – Put in an impressively solid display against Manchester City’s forward-line.

Kasper Schmeichel is the first goalkeeper to win the FA Cup final and Community Shield whilst keeping a clean sheet in both games since Ed de Goey did so in 2000 with Chelsea.

Another trophy at Wembley. pic.twitter.com/jHIWqKtoHC

— Squawka (@Squawka) August 7, 2021

Caglar Soyuncu – 8 – Really strong, especially against Mahrez. Repeatedly shut down any City attempts to get near the Leicester goal.

Ryan Bertrand – 7 – An impeccable display from a player who has been underrated for years now. A solid 7/10 from Mr. 7/10.

Wilfred Ndidi – 8 – An absolute colossus. Man City found it so hard to get beyond the brilliant Nigerian. His recovery defending on Mahrez in particular was quite special.

Youri Tielemans – 8 – Ran the show as per his last club appearance at Wembley. Really positive in his progressive passing and got back to make some massive blocks defensively, especially against Mahrez.

Ayoze Perez – 6 – A threat on the break to start with but tapered off as the game wore on. Defended well, however.

James Maddison – 6 – Very bright in his movement and energy but his execution was lacking.

Harvey Barnes – 7 – A bright presence in his new no. 7 shirt. Some of his touches and turns were delightful.

Jamie Vardy – 6 – Looked his age. Missed a great chance at the end of the first-half.

Leicester City have won the Community Shield for the first time since 1971.

Another trophy in the cabinet for the Foxes. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/fUVGRWGdZe

— Squawka (@Squawka) August 7, 2021

Substitutes:

Marc Albrighton (for Perez 71′) – 6 – Pressed well as per usual.

Patson Daka (for Vardy 71′) – X – Was more than a handful for the Man City defence, with his pace and movement rending them apart on multiple occasions.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (for Maddison 72′) – 5 – Worked hard.

Boubakary Soumaré (for Tielemans 72′) – 7 – Showed his immense potential by riding about five City challenges in a 30 second spell.

Luke Thomas (for Bertrand 79′) – n/a – Came on late.

Kelechi Iheanacho (for Barnes 79′) – 8 – Robbed the ball from Nathan Aké to force the penalty then stepped up and buried the trophy winning spot-kick and hand Leicester their second trophy in four months. A cup-winning cameo for Seniorman, whose potential partnership with Daka will strike fear into the hearts of every Premier League defence and perhaps set the stage for Leicester’s true emergence as a European contender for years to come. This is just the beginning for the Foxes.

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Manchester City

Zak Steffen – 7 – A stunning save with his legs to stop Vardy from scoring in first-half stoppage time was equalled only by his second stunning save, this time late in the second-half. However that was called back as a penalty had been given, but he almost saved that too!

Joao Cancelo – 6 – Knitted City’s passing game well but wasn’t as penetrative as Pep Guardiola would have liked.

Ruben Dias – 8 – A rock at the back, handling the pace and movement of Leicester’s attack with supreme ability.

Nathan Aké – 5 – Defended well until stoppage time when he he dawdled on the ball and then panicked when robbed and dove at Iheanacho to concede the penalty that ended the game. He’s classy on the ball but one has to ask, is he actually good enough?

Benjamin Mendy – 7 – An impressive performance from a player who is so often unreliable. Defended solidly, crossed wonderfully and split the Leicester team apart with a couple of outrageous forward passes.

Fernandinho – 6 – Looked his age trying to keep up with Tielemans, Ndidi and Maddison. Perked up a bit in the second-half, but never looked up to the pace of the game even with the youngsters around him.

Cole Palmer – 7 – Some good forward raids and was relentless in his pressing.

Pep Guardiola has lost back-to-back finals, including Super Cups, for the first time in his professional managerial career.

There's a first time for everything. 😳 pic.twitter.com/8AEzasIGGt

— Squawka (@Squawka) August 7, 2021

Ilkay Gundogan – 7 – Played City into good positions with his forward passes. Pressed well and got back to defend too.

Riyad Mahrez – 6 – Two massive misses to start the second-half, first hesitating with a clear shot at goal and allowing a block, then running sideways instead of forwards and creating a defensive angle for Ndidi. Played well besides that, but really should have been the match-winner.

Samuel Edozie – 5 – Held his width well but lacked the physical quality needed in 1-v-1’s in the first-half. Picked up the pace after half-time and looked more productive.

Ferran Torres – 6 – Linked play and led the press so well but couldn’t do anything with the ball.

Substitutes:

Jack Grealish (for Edozie 65′) – 7 – Was bright in possession, gliding about with his usual swagger. Played a couple of delightful passes to put team-mates in goalscoring positions only for them to fluff their lines. Needs to be paired with a goalscorer.

Rodri (for Gundogan 65′) – 7 – Added muscle and helped City control midfield.

Ben Knight (for Torres 74′) – 6 – Looked bright.

Bernardo Silva (for Palmer 74′) – 5 – Kind of just there. For a player who is upset about his lack of game-time he didn’t really do much to show why he deserves more.