Manchester City defeated Liverpool on penalties to win The FA Community Shield supported by McDonald’s for the second year in a row.
Raheem Sterling put City ahead by prodding home a well-worked free kick on 12 minutes, a one-goal lead they would take into the break.
Liverpool improved markedly in the second half and deservedly equalised through Joel Matip’s close-range header with just 13 minutes remaining.
Mo Salah came close to snatching victory for the Reds in added time, only for Kyle Walker to race back and acrobatically clear the Egyptian’s header off the line.
That clearance led to a penalty shootout: Pep Guardiola’s treble winners converted all five spot-kicks while Claudio Bravo saved Georginio Wijnaldum’s effort to hand the Shield to City.
The FA used today’s encounter to officially unveil ‘Heads Up’, a season-long campaign aimed at driving the biggest-ever conversation around mental health.
Launched with Heads Together and spearheaded by FA president The Duke of Cambridge, the initiative will harness the influence and popularity of football to help show the nation that mental health is just as important as physical health.
Far from the easing into what promises to be a long campaign for both clubs, this entertaining and open Community Shield clash was played at breakneck speed with chances created at both ends throughout.
Leroy Sane, who would limp off injured before the quarter-hour mark, had the game’s first opportunity, hitting a shot into the side netting after Sterling had dispossessed his England colleague Joe Gomez just outside the Liverpool box.
Roberto Firmino then smashed a half-volley straight at Bravo and Salah dragged a side-footed effort wide of the far post before former Red Sterling broke the deadlock.
There was a lengthy delay when Sane went down injured, but his City team-mates were sharper than their opponents when play restarted.
Walker clipped the subsequent free-kick out to the left where Oleksandr Zinchenko was on hand to play the ball back across goal. David Silva nudged it on and Sterling did the rest, bundling his close-range shot over the line.
Liverpool tried to respond immediately, but Salah shot wide after skipping past Zinchenko rather than squaring to Divock Origi, who appeared better-placed.
Jurgen Klopp’s men, who finished just one point behind City in the Premier League last season, were much the better team after the break and came close to completing a second-half turnaround.
Virgil van Dijk saw his cute side-footer, from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner, bounce down off the underside of the bar shortly before Salah also hit the woodwork with a low shot from his favoured inside-left position.
The Reds’ No11 then forced Bravo to save low at his near post with an almost identical shot just moments later.
But the European champions did find an equaliser when, in similar fashion to City’s opener, Henderson’s free-kick found its way to van Dijk at the back post. The elegant centre back dinked a cushioned volley back across the six-yard box where Matip, on for Alexander-Arnold, was waiting to nod home.
Liverpool attempted to turn the screw and win the Shield inside 90 minutes, with substitute Naby Keita, on for Fabinho, called Bravo into action once more.
Salah then saw a deflected shot land on the roof of the net before Walker intervened at the death with an overhead clearance which took the game to penalties.
Liverpool (4-3-3): 1 Alisson Becker; 66 Trent Alexander-Arnold, 12 Joe Gomez, 4 Virgil van Dijk, 26 Andy Robertson; 5 Georginio Wijnaldum, 3 Fabinho, 8 Jordan Henderson (capt); 11 Mo Salah, 9 Roberto Firminho, 27 Divock Origi.
Substitutes: 32 Joel Matip for Alexander-Arnold 67, 8 Naby Keita for Fabinho 67, 15 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for Origi 79, 20 Adam Lallana for Henderson 79, 23 Xherdan Shaqiri for Firmino 79.
Substitutes not used: 22 Simon Mignolet, 6 Dejan Lovren.
Goals: Matip 77
Manager: Jurgen Klopp
Manchester City: 1 Claudio Bravo; 2 Kyle Walker, 5 John Stones, 30 Nicolas Otamendi, 11 Oleksandr Zinchenko; 17 Kevin de Bruyne, 16 Rodrigo, 21 David Silva (capt); 20 Bernardo Silva, 7 Raheem Sterling, 19 Leroy Sane.
Substitutes: 9 Gabriel Jesus for Sane 13, 8 Ilkay Gundogan for David Silva 61, 47 Phil Foden for de Bruyne 89.
Substitutes not used: 31 Ederson, 10 Sergio Aguero, 12 Angelino, 50 Eric Garcia.
Goals: Sterling 12
Bookings: De Bruyne, Guardiola
Manager: Pep Guardiola
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Attendance: 77,565
