Arsenal 1 Chelsea 1 (4-1 on pens) highlights: Community Shield win for Arsene Wenger as Alvaro Morata and Thibaut Courtois miss from the spot


THIBAUT COURTOIS and Alvaro Morata both missed penalties as Arsenal won the Community Shield in a shoot-out following a 1-1 draw at Wembley.

Using the new ABBA system of taking spot-kicks, Arsenal triumphed 4-1 with Theo Walcott, Nacho Monreal, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Olivier Giroud all on target.

Arsenal won the Community Shield after defeating Chelsea on penalties
Arsenal won the Community Shield after defeating Chelsea on penalties
Reuters
Arsenal new boy Sead Kolasinac headed home a late equaliser at Wembley
Arsenal new boy Sead Kolasinac headed home a late equaliser at Wembley
Rex Features
Victor Moses broke the deadlock just moments into the second half
Victor Moses broke the deadlock just moments into the second half
Rex Features

Gary Cahill was the only scorer for Chelsea from the spot and the penalty taken by goalkeeper Courtois was particularly bad.

Morata was a second half substitute for Antonio Conte and he dragged his effort wide of Petr Cech’s post.

The match was pretty even and neither side deserved to win although for Arsenal, all eyes will be on Friday when they start the Premier League season against Leicester.

The big talking point of the first half occurred when Arsenal lost Per Mertesacker after 30 minutes.

The big German was floored and covered in blood after he suffered an eye injury following an elbow from Cahill.

Record signing Alexandre Lacazette came close to a debut goal when he struck the post before the break.

Arsenal then defeated the Blues 4-1 in the shoot-out to claim the prize
Arsenal then defeated the Blues 4-1 in the shoot-out to claim the prize
Reuters
Olivier Giroud celebrates with team-mate Petr Cech after his winning penalty
Olivier Giroud celebrates with team-mate Petr Cech after his winning penalty
News Group Newspapers Ltd

However, less than a minute into the second half, Victor Moses sprung the offside trap to put Chelsea ahead.

Granit Xhaka was guilty of a poor clearance, hammering the ball high into the sky, Cahill got to the ball and delivered a header into the path of Moses, who scored past a stranded Cech.

It appeared as if the Blues were on their way to winning the first piece of silverware this season before their world came crashing down in the closing stages.

Per Mertesacker was forced off early in the first half after he was cut open by Gary Cahills elbow
Per Mertesacker was forced off early in the first half after he was cut open by Gary Cahill’s elbow
AP:Associated Press
Victor Moses in action against Arsenals Danny Welbeck
Victor Moses in action against Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck at Wembley
Reuters
Willian was booked for diving during the first half - but appeared to trip over his own feet
Willian was booked for diving during the first half – but appeared to trip over his own feet
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Firstly, Pedro was handed a straight red for raking his studs down the Achilles of Mohamed Elneny.

And then the impressive sub Sead Kolasinac headed the leveller following Grant Xhaka’s free-kick to take it to spot-kicks.

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Pedro was given his marching orders for this nasty tackle on Granit Xhaka
Pedro was given his marching orders for this nasty tackle on Granit Xhaka
BT Sport
The Spaniard was sent off with just ten minutes of the clash remaining
The Spaniard was sent off with just ten minutes of the clash remaining
Getty Images - Getty
Kolasinac then headed home the equaliser directly from the free-kick
Kolasinac then headed home the equaliser directly from the free-kick
Rex Features

FACTS, STATS, GOALS & LOLS

  • The touching tribute to the Grenfell victims would not be the only time the two sets of rival supporters came together. The blue and red sides of Wembley united for a chant of “Stand up if you hate Tottenham” after just 15 minutes – perhaps forgetting that they were in the temporary Wembley home of their London neighbours.
  • Antonio Conte vowed that he will be a lot calmer this season on the touchline. Yet he had already burst out of his technical area twice inside the opening twenty minutes.
  • Irony is sometimes a wonderful thing. Willian was booked on 37 minutes for a tumble in the box – although he appeared to just trip over his own feet. But Victor Moses racing to plead his team-mate’s innocence was perhaps not the best move – the wing-back was given his marching orders for diving against Arsenal in May’s FA Cup Final.
    Thibaut Courtois punches the ball clear the during the clash with Arsenal
    Thibaut Courtois punches the ball clear the during the clash with Arsenal
    Getty Images - Getty
    He later took Chelseas second penalty in the shoot-out
    He later took Chelsea’s second penalty in the shoot-out
    Reuters

    But he will have felt like punching himself after he skied his effort
    But he will have felt like punching himself after he skied his effort
    Rex Features

  • But he gained redemption for that by opening the scoring just seconds after the restart. Few would forgive Gunners for feeling aggrieved, it could be argued he should have been suspended – instead he will miss the Premier League opener against Burnley next week.
  • And that was Moses’ first goal for the Stamford Bridge side in 27 matches. His last came against Spurs in November 2016.
  • Gary Cahill appeared to be on a one man mission to injure everyone. Arsenal’s Per Mertesacker was forced off covered in blood in the first period after he was caught by the England defender’s elbow. Then ten minutes into the second half he left team-mate David Luiz needing treatment after a clash of heads.
    Arsenal and Chelsea pay tribute to the Grenfell fire victims ahead of the Community Shield at Wembley
  • Chelsea fans were desperate to see their new big-money buy Alvaro Morata in action. But they had to wait until the 73rd minute when he replaced Michy Batshuayi from the bench - and he might have wished he had stayed there after his miss from the spot.
  • Pedro has endured a miserable summer against the Gunners. Just a fortnight ago he suffered a fractured cheekbone after being smashed in the face by goalkeeper David Ospina in a pre-season friendly. And it got worse today as he was red carded for a nasty rake down the back of Granit Xhaka's Achilles.
    Olivier Giroud was the man who stepped up to convert the winning penalty
    Olivier Giroud was the man who stepped up to convert the winning penalty
    Getty Images - Getty

    Arsene Wenger and his side have claimed the first piece of silverware this season
    Arsene Wenger and his side have claimed the first piece of silverware this season
    Rex Features

  • The last two red cards in this fixture have both now been issued to Chelsea men. The previous one was handed out to Branislav Ivanovic in 2012.
  • Arsenal's victory continued a recent trend in this clash. The three previous Community Shields had all been won by the FA Cup winners.
  • Chelsea's defeat also continued their miserable run of form in this contest. They have now lost their last four Community Shield matches against Manchester United (2010), Manchester City (2012) and Arsenal (2015) as well as now this one.
  • Arsene Wenger must have been pretty confident heading into the clash. Aside from the Emirates and Highbury, he has won more games at Wembley than at any other ground. And he stretched that to 13 this afternoon.

SOCIAL SAYS

WHAT THEY SAID

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: "It was not a friendly, it was a game of high intensity and we put ourselves in a difficult position just after half-time.

"Overall I believe we had a performance where we continued the end of last season. That's what you want to focus on.

"It is a dream to make the fans happy. We try very hard and I would like them to stand by the team. We might go through some good periods and some not so good periods. We want to be united and together. Hopefully we can make them happy at the end of the season."

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka: “We’ve had a good pre-season and this performance was the first step of the season.

“I’m very happy we won. Next week is the Premier League and I hope we star well.”


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The Choir for Grenfell sing 'Bridge over troubled Water' ahead of the Community Shield at Wembley

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