It was deep into the Wembley afternoon when skied the eighth Manchester United penalty of the shoot-out and the prospect of Erik ten Hag’s 2024 Wembley double over their all-conquering neighbours gradually faded out. These are long afternoons at the end of long summers of Euro and Copa, although for United it will feel like an opportunity that passed them by. They led the game through the substitute , and then later they led the penalty shootout, and both times it slipped away.
Yet for much of this Community Shield final, which was not much of a game, United looked to have a coherent plan that yielded a good performance. As the arrival of , it was the defensive aspect of United that looked the most solid ahead of the signing of the two defenders. and Evans are not a long-term solution but with at left-back and on the other side, they looked solid.
City created very little. Yet City have become the pre-eminent side of the last seven years of English football by wriggling out of these traps. They ran out of time in the FA Cup final defeat to United less than 80 days earlier on the same pitch.
This time the gradual restocking of Pep Guardiola’s team with more experienced players eventually yielded the equaliser. That was from substitute who would later have his shootout penalty – the first of City’s – saved by . Unusually he headed in a fine cross from for City’s goal.
The 20-year-old Norwegian attacker Bobb, from City’s academy was one of a group of young players .