Manchester City have avenged Wembley heartbreak from three months prior after overcoming Manchester United on penalties to win the Community Shield.
Both teams probed for an opener during the first half, with James McAtee hitting the post for the Citizens before Amad Diallo spearheaded a United resurgence down the other end.
The Red Devils remained on top after the break and took the lead through a piece of individual brilliance from Alejandro Garnacho with eight minutes to play.
Bernardo Silva headed in at the death to equalise and take the game to a shootout, and despite missing his spot-kick, his blushes were spared by Manuel Akanji who fired in the decisive penalty to kick off City’s season in dream fashion.
Still without a handful of senior stars, Pep Guardiola opted for a more youthful lineup, offering a senior debut to 19-year-old Nico O’Reilly and a starting berth for McAtee, who made his return after a two-season loan spell at Sheffield United.
It was a relatively sedate start to the contest, with both teams opting to ease their way back into action after a summer away.
The game soon kicked more into derby gear as City experienced joy down the flanks, utilising the threats of Jeremy Doku and Oscar Bobb to create the first openings of the afternoon.
André Onana tried to psyche out @ErlingHaaland, but he was having none of it 😅🙅♂️#CommunityShield pic.twitter.com/mqXuizATD7
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) August 11, 2024
Moments after firing over the bar from inside the box, Bobb pounced on a loose ball from Lisandro Martinez to give McAtee a golden opportunity to open the scoring, only for the England U21 international to hit the post.
With the pendulum seemingly swinging towards the blue side of Manchester, United began to cause concern of their own, with Diallo weaving between Doku and Ruben Dias before curling just wide.
Diallo then delightfully linked up with Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes to break in behind - but instead of slotting home himself, the Ivorian squared it to an unexpectant Mason Mount for a tap in, who agonisingly watched the ball pass him by.
United continued on the ascendency as the first-half drew to a close and could have easily gone into the interval ahead through Marcus Rashford, who failed to find the far corner after being picked out unmarked on the left side of the box.
Erik ten Hag’s men picked up where they left off after the restart and soon thought they had the lead through an absolute corker from Fernandes, spectacularly bending one into the top corner from the edge of the area on 54 minutes.
However, the offside flag promptly went up as the net began to ripple - something the United skipper appeared to expect, hence his muted initial celebration.
Fernandes was at the heart of things once again minutes later, lofting in an incredibly inviting ball that evaded everyone bar Rico Lewis, who headed behind for a corner.
With City seeking a shift in momentum, Guardiola introduced £30m summer signing Savinho to English football, the tricky Brazilian winger who proved so pivotal to Girona’s success in La Liga last season.
Savinho was quick to get involved in the action, dancing past opponents down the left hand side and whipping a delicious delivery towards Erling Haaland, who had largely been starved of opportunities during the contest.
Derby Day glory for @ManCity 🤩
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) August 10, 2024
The Cityzens clinched their first piece of silverware in the 2024 #CommunityShield with a 7-6 penalty victory over @ManUtd! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/7XchZ0VTcW
But as encouraging as Savinho’s cameo would have been to Guardiola, it was another South American starlet that stole the show on the day.
Substitute Alejandro Garnacho very nearly created the first goal of the game, breaking away on the counter and slotting in Rashford for what appeared to be a simple finish, only for the goal-shy forward to miss the target and hit the post.
The Argentinian was quick to make up for his teammate’s blunder, though, driving towards the box before firing into the bottom-right corner in the 82nd minute, replicating his exploits from the FA Cup final three months prior to hand United a precious lead.
With City on red alert, Guardiola needed a hero to come good at the death - enter Bernardo Silva.
Latching on to an excellent cross from Bobb, Silva got the better of Facundo Pellistri to head in for parity in the 89th minute, forcing the game to a nerve-wracking shootout.
The Portuguese playmaker threatened to go from hero to zero after missing City’s first spot-kick, giving the Red Devils the advantage.
But after Ederson brilliantly denied Jadon Sancho to level terms, Jonny Evans spooned his penalty over the bar to give the Premier League champions a shot at silverware.
Overwriting the memories of his shootout miss against England at Euro 2024, Manuel Akanji stepped up and fired into the roof of the net to bring the Community Shield back to the Etihad.
