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Arsenal won the FA Community Shield with a 5-4 penalty shootout win over Liverpool, after the game ended 1-1 in the 90 minutes.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring for Arsenal with a lovely strike early in the game. A Bukayo Saka pass found Aubameyang in space on the left flank, and he cut in to curl an unstoppable shot past Alisson Becker in the Liverpool game.
Liverpool huffed and puffed but eventually found their way back into the game in the second half, after some pinball in the Arsenal box resulted in the ball dropping kindly for Takumi Minamino to easily score his first goal for the Reds.
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In the penalty shootout, Arsenal were faultless, whereas Rhian Brewster was the unfortunate one for Liverpool, after he saw his penalty hit the bar and miss the target.
Here's how each player fared in the game.
Arsenal Player Ratings
Emiliano Martinez - 7/10
He made two big saves off Sadio Mane during the game. Both were pretty similar, in that he made himself big, and stood tall till as late as he could, taking the lob out of the equation.
Rob Holding - 7/10
He was assertive in defending against Mane in the first half, but struggled a bit in the second half, as he couldn't really come to grips with Minamino's movement.
David Luiz - 8/10
He was very good for most of the game, decisive aerially, made some strong tackles, and was a leader at the back. Did make a few dodgy passes, but nothing to really get Aersenal nervy at the back.
Kieran Tierney - 7/10
The young Scot had another very good game for Arsenal at the back, as he combined defending as a third centre-back, with some excellent overlapping runs to support Aubameyang down the left flank.
Hector Bellerin - 6/10
When Arsenal played out of the back in the first half, it was Bellerin who was mostly the outlet on the right flank, and was allowed space as well. He didn't really make the most of it though.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles - 9/10
The youngster was the star of the show for Arsenal, with a complete performance in all respects. He was a constant outlet on the left flank, defended well against the Liverpool front three, and could have had a goal, if he had decided to pull the trigger in the first half.
Mohamed Elneny - 7/10
In first competitive game in an Arsenal shirt after a long gap, Elneny was actual solid in the middle of the park. He was the link that held Arsenal together for most of the game, and was combative against the likes of Milner and Wijnaldum.
Granit Xhaka - 6/10
Xhaka was solid in midfield, but not spectacular. He didn't have to be spectacular, though, as he put in a neat performance with no real errors, and just kept the ball moving.
Bukayo Saka - 7/10
He set up Aubameyang's goal with a terrific cross-field pass, with Liverpool caught out with not enough personal on that side of the pitch. He also had a few other moments of great potential, but failed to really make them count.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 7/10
Aubameyang scored fifth Wembley goal in three appearances in 2020, with a sensational finish that left Alisson with no chance. He wasn't really too involved apart from that, though, as Arsenal didn't really fashion enough chances for him to get close enough to goal.
Eddie Nketiah - 5/10
He had a golden opportunity to put Arsenal 2-0 up, but his low drive was well saved by Alisson. After that, he didn't really get too many openings.
Substitutes
Cedric Soares - 5/10
He was culpable for the goal Arsenal conceded, as he was caught out by the movement of Salah and Minamino. He did make amends with a calm penalty though.
Joe Willock - 4/10
He had a great chance to win Arsenal the game before the penalty shootout, but he put his header wide.
Reiss Nelson - 5/10
His only contribution in the tie was in the shootout, where he converted Arsenal's first penalty with aplomb.
Sead Kolasinac - 5/10
He came on late in the game to replace Tierney,
Liverpool Player Ratings
Alisson Becker - 6/10
He made a great save to deny Nketiah a second Arsenal goal, after having no chance of stopping Aubameyang's opener. He was given no chance by the precision of the Arsenal penalties.
Neco Williams - 4/10
The young man had a hard day at work, filling in for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold. Aubameyang's prowess and nous on the flank was sometimes too much for the youngster to contain.
Joe Gomez - 6/10
He had a couple of iffy moments in the first half, especially when playing out of the back. But once he settled into the game, he was solid. He moved to right-back in the second half after Williams was taken off, and didn't give Aubameyang a sniff.
Virgil van Dijk - 7/10
He had the ball in the back of the net early in the game, but his effort was ruled out for offside. He defended really well too, as his usual command in the air, and excellent reading of the game was on show.
Andy Robertson - 7/10
He was Liverpool's best player on the day, with his energy on the flank causing constant trouble for Arsenal. He whipped in some dangerous balls which, if the Liverpool attackers were a bit sharper, would have been converted.
Fabinho - 5/10
When he was in midfield, he didn't really do much to impact the game. When he moved to centre-back in the second half, he nearly cost Liverpool a winner by not marking Willock well enough.
Gini Wijnaldum - 3/10
He was invisible in midfield for the entirety of the game. He allowed the likes of Xhaka and Elneny to dictate play for Arsenal far too easily.
James Milner - 6/10
He should've scored off a Williams cross, that invited him to head home. Even otherwise, he was one of Liverpool's better players in the first half, involved in most of the Reds' good attacking play.
Mohamed Salah - 4/10
He was hardly involved in the game for most of it, but came alive in creating chaos in the Arsenal box in the build-up to Minamino's goal.
Roberto Firmino - 5/10
The Brazilian got a bit more involved in the game in the second half, but didn't really do enough to force Arsenal to rethink how they defended.
Sadio Mane - 3/10
He missed two massive chances, which eventually cost Liverpool the game. It was atypical of Mane, because he is generally decisive in those types of situations. Klopp will hope that this is just the lack of sharpness that early season brings.
Substitutes
Takumi Minamino - 7/10
He was bright in tight spots, as he showcased his technical skill brilliantly. He also opened his Liverpool account with a neatly taken goal.
Naby Keita - 6/10
He changed the momentum of the game in midfield for Liverpool. But after the Reds equalised, he was involved in some curious pieces of play which saw him give the ball away needlessly.
Curtis Jones - 5/10
Only real involvement was a calm dispatching of the penalty in the shootout.
Rhian Brewster - N/A
His only touch in the game was in the penalty shootout and unfortunately for him, ti was decisive, as his miss gave Arsenal the trophy.
