Arsenal Beat Chelsea To Win a Community Shield
Arsenal Football club has won the 2017 Community Shield by beating Chelsea FC in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw.(Arsenal 4-1 Chelsea on Penalty)
According to telegraph.co.uk,the winner does not take it all, certainly not with only the Community Shield at stake, but after Arsenal won the first penalty shoot-out on these shores under the new ‘ABBA’ system, the unbridled celebrations spoke volumes as to how much it means to Arsene Wenger as he prepares to fire-fight his way through another long campaign. Arsenal Beat Chelsea To Win a Community Shield
Moses put Chelsea ahead at Wembley Credit: Reuters
For Antonio Conte, also, with Chelsea, the champions, losing and the manager cutting an unhappy figure on the touchline as he raged against a series of perceived injustices. The cracker-jack Italian said last week that he wanted to avoid a “Mourinho season” – with Jose Mourinho sacked a few short months after bringing the Premier League title back to Stamford Bridge – but it has started as one. Two years ago Mourinho lost the Community Shield. And lost it to Arsenal. By December he was gone. Arsenal Beat Chelsea To Win a Community Shield
That is the doomsday scenario and, of course, far, far too much can be read into this feisty game where ring-rust remained, squads need to be finalised, players were at different levels of fitness and many key performers were sat on the bench, in the stands or not even at Wembley. Maybe there were four expected starters absent apiece with Arsenal missing Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey – both injury doubts also for the first league match at home to Leicester City this Friday – Laurent Koscielny and wantaway Alexis Sanchez, who donned his shades and, nevertheless, joined in the cavorting at the end. Arsenal Beat Chelsea To Win a Community Shield
Chelsea were also depleted. No Diego Costa, on his extended holiday/exile until he leaves, Eden Hazard, of course, nor Tiemoue Bakayoko while both Alvaro Morata and Antonio Rudiger started on the bench. Both came on – and both made inauspicious starts with Morata, the record signing for a fee of up to £70 million, missing the target completely from the spot in the shoot-out, as did goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, while Rudiger was caught out as Arsenal forced the late equaliser. Chelsea’s sense of angst was heightened by the identity of the scorer: Sead Kolasinac who they tried to sign themselves only last January. The Bosnian on a Bosman from Schalke looks like a good acquisition for Arsenal.
Pedro is given his marching orders by Bobby Madley Credit: Getty Images
The defender’s headed goal came with Chelsea down to 10-men, also, and Conte’s anger will be fuelled by that sense of grievance – he really must feel fate is conspiring against him as he fulminates over the club’s transfer dealings – with Pedro sent off and Willian booked for diving when it could be argued he should have had a penalty instead. Arsenal Beat Chelsea To Win a Community Shield
Conte did not hold back in his complaints about referee Bobby Madley, making the point, furthermore, that it was the second Wembley match in a row against Arsenal that Chelsea had finished with 10-men after Victor Moses was sent off during last May’s FA Cup Final. There could be no dispute, however, over that dismissal – Moses received a second yellow card for diving – while, here, Pedro appeared to catch Mohamed Elneny, raking his studs down the back of the midfielder’s calf.
It was from the free-kick for that offence, taken by Granit Xhaka, that Kolasinac was not tracked by Rudiger and was able to power a close-range header past Courtois. Until then it appeared that Arsenal would be Arsenal-y – playing well, creating opportunities, hitting the post through their own record signing, Alexandre Lacazette, who looked lively when he, rarely, managed to break clear of David Luiz’s shackles, before conceding a soft goal.
That came early in the second-half with Xhaka ballooning the ball woefully up into the air, then reacting slowly to challenge Gary Cahill as it dropped from the sky with the Chelsea captain’s header being latching onto by Moses who stole in ahead of Rob Holding to chest it down and side-foot past Petr Cech. The wing-back celebrated with a swallow dive – a reminder of that red card just 71 days ago.
By then Arsenal had lost Per Mertesacker, with a cut to his head and, with Koscielny out and Shkodran Mustafi only just returning to training after the Confederations Cup, they were left with only 21-year-old Holding as a recognised central defender. Cue more questions, then, over Arsenal’s soft centre. But it helps when you have a replacement whose nickname is ‘The Tank’ and Kolasinac certainly has some rugged qualities that Arsenal so often are accused of lacking.
Cel Credit: Getty Images Europe
