ARSENAL WIN COMMUNITY SHIELD
So big questions will be asked as a tired-looking Liverpool miss out on early siverware. Chelsea and Manchester City will be rubbing their hands, as will Community Shield winners Arsenal. We will be back at the weekend as the Premier League gets under way with with Liverpool v Leeds....
ARSENAL WIN COMMUNITY SHIELD
Even David Liuz scores as Arsenal claim first blood in 2020-21 season. Congrats to the Gunners.
FULL-TIME: ARSENAL 1 LIVERPOOL 1
Poor second half means we are heading to penalties.
ARSENAL 1 LIVERPOOL 1
Now we see the true Liverpool as they impress their presence on the game. Aresnal retreating into themselves now.
GOAL: ARSENAL 1 LIVERPOOL 1
Minamino gets Liverpool on level terms are Salah batters through the Arsenal defence and the Japanese youngster gets the ball over the line.
ARSENAL 1 LIVERPOOL 0
A wave of substitutions breaks up the play. Waiting from that moment of magic. It's coming, I promise (I reserve the right to promise no such thing).
ARSENAL 1 LIVERPOOL 0
Certainly, Jurgen Klopp will have told his boys that they were the all-dominating team last campaign and they are behind to a team that didn't even get in the top four.
ARSENAL 1 LIVERPOOL 0
Back under way at Wembley. What will Liverpool conjure to get back in the game?
HALF-TIME: ARSENAL 1 LIVERPOOL 0
Arsenal fans will be delighted by this performance as the half-time whistle blows. They weathered a 10-minute eary storm and have been the better team. This is a full-strength Liverpool - the EPL champs - mind...
ARSENAL 1 LIVERPOOL 0
Mane does great work on the left wing before Andy Robertson whips one in, but Arsenal - David Luiz and all - are looking solid.
ARSENAL 1 LIVERPOOL 0
As I write that, Liverpool wake up as Firmino and Sane link up before the final ball is lacking.
ARSENAL 1 LIVERPOOL 0
Liverpool look lethargic after that bright opening. Another Arsenal chance goes over the bar.
ARSENAL 1 LIVERPOOL 0
20 minutes down in the new season and we are into a cagey affair now. Allison makes a great stop after Bukayo Saka lays off to Eddie Nketiah but the Brazilian stopper does well to get down to his left.
GOAL: ARSENAL 1 LIVERPOOL 0
It was all Liverpool for the first 10 minutes but the Gunners strike with their first attack of the game. Aubameyang finds space on the left and curls it past Alisson and into the far corner. That will rile Klopp!
NO GOAL: ARSENAL 0 LIVERPOOL 0
The armchair fans are barely settled in their seats before Liverpool have the ball in the net, but Virgil Van Dijk is flagged offside as he taps in. Encouragingly he is not showing any after-effects from his knock last week.
ARSENAL 0 LIVERPOOL 0
That Arsenal shirt looks like a velociraptor has been at the poor guys.
KICK-OFF: ARSENAL 0 LIVERPOOL 0
Twas only last week we were congratulating Bayern Munich on their Champions League triumph, and we are now up and running on the English 2020/21 season. Madness. Liverpool get us started all in red, while Arsenal wear their questionable away number in white.
ARSENAL v LIVERPOOL
No beating around the bush as the game gets under way at an overcast Wembley in 20 minutes. The team news is in...
Arsenal: Martinez; Bellerin, Holding, Luiz, Tierney; Elneny, Xhaka, Maitland-Niles; Saka, Aubameyang, Nketiah
Liverpool: Alisson; Robertson, Gomez, Van Dijk, Williams; Fabinho, Milner, Wijnaldum; Mane, Firmino, Salah.
A full, three-pronged onslaught expected from Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool as Salah, Firmino and Mane all start. They will be boosted by the news that defensive brick all Van Dijk is also declared fit after picking up a knock last time out against RB Salzburg.
A familiar looking Gunners line-up too... It's just like we are still in last season.
It is that time already? The English Premier League season only ended 28 days ago and here we are at Wembley for the 2020-21 curtain-raining Community Shield extravaganza.
Normally a celebration as the English Premier League champions take on the FA Cup winners, I bet both Liverpool and Arsenal were wishing they could skip - or at least postpone - this one as their players have hardly had time off from the coronavirus-elongalted previous campaign. Thankfully, neither side were involved in the business end of the European competitions, so they have had some respite.
