Community Shield: Crystal Palace Edges Liverpool in Penalty Shootout

Crystal Palace Wins Community Shield in Thrilling Penalty Shootout Against Liverpool

Crystal Palace wins its first-ever Community Shield title after a thrilling 2-2 draw and 3-2 penalty shootout win against Liverpool at Wembley Stadium.

The match remained intense, with both teams creating opportunities. At one end, Florian Wirtz shot harmlessly over...

Crystal Palace made history by winning their first-ever FA Community Shield, edging past Liverpool 3-2 in a penalty shootout after a thrilling 2-2 draw at Wembley Stadium. The reigning FA Cup holders showed resilience and determination, twice equalizing in the match before securing the win in the shootout.

Defeat on penalties in the FA Community Shield. pic.twitter.com/J7PUw5mRIJ

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 10, 2025

Liverpool's new signings, Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong, scored for the Reds, with Ekitike opening the scoring in just 12 minutes after brilliantly linking up with Florian Wirtz. However, Crystal Palace responded strongly, with Jean-Philippe Mateta converting a penalty after Virgil van Dijk brought down Ismaila Sarr in the box. The Eagles then leveled again when Sarr calmly slotted past Alisson Becker 13 minutes from time.

What. A. Man. pic.twitter.com/T6Sp6XJeBR

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) August 10, 2025

The Penalty Shootout

The match went to penalties, where Dean Henderson became the hero for Crystal Palace, making crucial saves against Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott. Mohamed Salah also blazed Liverpool's first penalty over the crossbar. Meanwhile, Mateta, Sarr, and Justin Devenny converted their spot-kicks for Palace. Devenny, a late substitute, sealed the win with a confidently taken penalty, smashing it past Alisson.

Crystal Palace quickly responded to Liverpool's early goal, earning a penalty just moments later when Virgil van Dijk fouled Ismaila Sarr in the box. Jean-Philippe Mateta stepped up and confidently scored the penalty, sending Alisson Becker the wrong way to level the match at 1-1 in the 17th minute.

This feels familiar 👀😍#CPFC pic.twitter.com/GYAtXimSEm

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) August 10, 2025

The Eagles continued to push for a second goal, with Daniel Munoz delivering a precise cross into the box for Tyrick Mitchell. However, Mitchell's effort unfortunately failed to find its mark, leaving Palace to continue their pursuit of the match-winning goal.

Liverpool regained the lead just before the 20-minute mark when Jeremie Frimpong scored a clever goal, expertly dinking the ball over Dean Henderson into the far corner, giving the Reds a 2-1 advantage.

As the first half neared its conclusion, Crystal Palace continued to create chances. Will Hughes replaced the injured Daichi Kamada just before the half-hour mark and had a shot go over from a Daniel Muñoz cross. Muñoz himself remained a threat, bursting forward and delivering a ball that narrowly evaded Ismaila Sarr.

The pace of the game didn't slow down after halftime, with Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike having two promising opportunities. He headed one chance wide and another shot narrowly missed the target within the first seven minutes of the second half.

Despite trailing, Crystal Palace continued to push forward, with Eberechi Eze having a shot deflected behind for a corner. From the set piece, Chris Richards' header was confidently gathered by Alisson Becker. The Eagles maintained their pressure, with Adam Wharton intercepting a pass from Dominik Szoboszlai before releasing Eze, whose shot was matched by Alisson's sharp reflexes.

Palace's persistence eventually paid off when Ismaila Sarr equalized in the 75th minute, slotting past Alisson to make it 2-2 and send the match to a penalty shootout.

The match remained intense, with both teams creating opportunities. At one end, Florian Wirtz shot harmlessly over, while at the other, Ismaila Sarr showed his clinical touch by latching onto Adam Wharton's pass and scoring with a shot that went in off the post. Moments later, Sarr had another chance, but Milos Kerkez made a crucial block to deny him.

As the match neared its conclusion, both teams continued to push for a winner. Mohamed Salah's shot was straight at Dean Henderson, while Jean-Philippe Mateta blazed his effort over the bar. The match ultimately ended 2-2, with the winner to be decided in a penalty shootout.

In the dying moments of the match, Crystal Palace continued to push for a winner. Justin Devenny came agonizingly close to snatching victory, hitting the left post with a shot from the edge of the box. However, his effort fell just short, sending the match to a penalty shootout.

Devenny's near-miss ultimately gave him an opportunity to make amends. In the penalty shootout, he stepped up and confidently scored the winning penalty, securing Crystal Palace's first-ever Community Shield title. The win also extended Palace's unbeaten run to 10 consecutive competitive matches.

The outcome marked a disappointing trend for Liverpool, who have now lost five consecutive matches across all competitions. Additionally, their Community Shield record as Premier League champions hasn't fared much better, with just one win in their last seven attempts.