London, 6th of August 2023. With a trophy in hand, Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard poses victoriously in the sunlight on Wembley’s turf. At the same time, somewhere in his villa Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand decides to tweet a condescending sentence. He reminds everyone that the Community Shield is not a real trophy, and he can't remember the exact number of times he has lifted that plate into the air. To answer his question: four times.
Last season Arsenal ran a race with perseverance while fighting this giant of a club that has truly monopolized English football. It was a pity that the London club fell short at the end. Their head-to-head record is leaning towards the blue team by a large margin with City winning their last 8 games against the Gunners (all competitions). On Sunday the odds weren't in Arsenal's favour either, and yet...
If you want to analyze the game with stats, you could say Manchester City were the better team when it came to expected goals, possession, shots on target, more accurate passes and the list could go on and on. How has Arsenal managed to emerge victorious? The same way they did a few months ago against Bournemouth. Believing until the very last second and the second after that. All it took was one magic moment, a deflected shot, and a few perfect penalties for the Gunners to land the trophy. The new signings are shining, with Jurien Timber displaying a Man of The Match-worthy performance; the midfield looks rock solid with Rice making his presence known; and as a cherry on top, Kai Havertz did not fall short either when it came to his performance.
No one knows what next season holds for the London club, but there are many signs of optimism. It truly may happen this season. So next time someone asks why Arsenal fans are so happy about winning the Community Shield they can say: We finally beat City. And what is the best in it? This one happened to come with a trophy.