Crystal Palace 2-2 Liverpool (3-2 pens): Henderson heroics secure Community Shield win

Crystal Palace won the 2025 Community Shield on Sunday, defeating Liverpool 3-2 on penalties after an enjoyable 2-2 draw at Wembley.

An entertaining first half saw goals from Liverpool debutants Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong, with a Jean-Philippe Mateta penalty equaliser sandwiched in between them after Ismaila Sarr had been fouled by Virgil van Dijk.

Ekitike continued to combine with the excellent Florian Wirtz after the break, but an improved attacking display from Palace saw Sarr equalise with 13 minutes of the game remaining, before Oliver Glasner’s side had a strong shout for a second penalty — after the ball hit Alexis Mac Allister’s arm — turned down.

Both sides had chances to win it in the closing stages, but instead the game went to penalties, where Dean Henderson showed his expertise once more, helped by some wayward efforts from Liverpool.

Gregg Evans, Matt Woosnam, Anantaajith Raghuraman, and Will Jeanes analyse the game.

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How the penalty shootout played out

Mohamed Salah started things on an ominous note for Liverpool, blasting his penalty well over the crossbar even as Henderson dived the wrong way. Mateta, having scored a penalty in the game, then scored from the spot again, finding the bottom-right corner to give Palace the lead despite Alisson diving the right way.

Mac Allister, who replaced Curtis Jones in the second half, then saw his shot saved brilliantly by Henderson. The England goalkeeper celebrated the save by doffing his cap to the Palace supporters at the other end of the crowd. Eberechi Eze couldn’t capitalise, however, jogging, stuttering and giving Alisson the eyes before seeing his shot saved by the Brazilian.

Cody Gakpo finally got Liverpool on the board, slotting into the bottom-right corner. Sarr, Palace’s other goalscorer in regulation, delivered the calmest penalty of them all, taking two steps before stroking the ball just over a diving Alisson to put Palace back ahead.

Another Liverpool substitute, Harvey Elliott, in what might prove to be one of his final moments in a Liverpool shirt amid speculation over his future, then saw his penalty, a little too central, saved comfortably by Henderson, too. Borna Sosa, on his Palace debut after replacing Tyrick Mitchell in the second half, could not seal it for Palace, though, seeing his penalty cannon back off the crossbar.

Dominik Szoboszlai handed Liverpool a lifeline by blasting his shot into the top-left corner with a precise strike, leaving it up to 21-year-old Justin Devenny — who replaced Marc Guehi in second-half stoppage time — to seal it for Palace with an inch-perfect strike into the top-right corner.

CRYSTAL PALACE WIN THE COMMUNITY SHIELD! 🏆

📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/8j5e2mGSD7

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 10, 2025

Anantaajith Raghuraman

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Florian Wirtz injects some fluidity into Liverpool’s attack

“He’s really special in tight spaces,” Milos Kerkez said about Wirtz before this match. That quality was on show in front of a packed Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

In the opening three minutes, Wirtz had moved across the width of the attacking third, trying to prise out a gap, but did not receive many passes due to the compactness of Palace’s defence. In the fourth minute, he drifted over to the left to combine with Kerkez before playing a one-two with Ekitike, who received Wirtz’s pass near the edge of the area, cut inside, and scored.

The Germany international’s involvement steadily grew, as he constantly showed for the ball while combining well with Ekitike and Salah, with all three taking turns to try to feed the others’ runs in behind. Wirtz was defensively switched on, too, at times pushing up with Salah and Ekitike and otherwise falling into the midfield line with Szoboszlai and Jones.

He created a fantastic chance for Ekitike in the 52nd minute with a cutback from the left after a neat passing move involving Gakpo, Szoboszlai and Kerkez, but the striker skied his shot. Wirtz also found a pocket in the box to receive a pass from Szoboszlai and shoot on the turn, but he could not direct his effort on target.

Wirtz’s willingness to move across the pitch also fed into the overall fluidity in Liverpool’s attack. Ekitike was willing to drop and receive with his back to goal, interchanging positions with both Wirtz and Gakpo, who assisted Kerkez in dealing with Daniel Munoz’s runs from right wing-back. Frimpong staying high and wide on the right allowed Salah to play as an inside forward, too, with Wirtz operating as a No 10 behind him and Ekitike.

Few stats will show it, but Wirtz is central to Liverpool’s four-pronged frontline functioning at maximum capacity.

Anantaajith Raghuraman

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How impressive was Hugo Ekitike’s start?

It didn’t take long for Ekitike to announce himself.

The way he converted the opening goal of the game after just four minutes was sublime, linking up wonderfully with fellow new signing Wirtz to raise expectation levels ahead of the Premier League season.

Ekitike was signed as a striker ready to make an immediate impact, but also with one eye on the long-term future. Liverpool believe he has the potential to develop into a prolific, world-class striker and the early signs at his new club are good.

It’s not just his sharp-shooting, either. The 23-year-old’s fancy flicks and tricks are both eye-catching and entertaining, and crucially, they make a big difference. There was one moment in the first half where he split the defence with a flick on the turn. On other occasions, he dropped deep to collect and link up play with those around him.

For a tall, relatively imposing figure, there’s a definite softness to his feet. Defenders Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix and Guehi didn’t know which way to turn whenever Ekitike was running at them.

Out of possession, he also roamed in and out of the back three with precision to free up space. He was a nightmare to contain and if this is the Frenchman early in his Liverpool career, still learning the patterns of play and the demands to play in a Slot side, then the future looks exciting.

Gregg Evans

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Palace show attacking promise once more at Wembley

Sarr took a while to come alive for Palace last season after joining from Marseille, but he was integral by the end of it, and he showed his worth again here. He won the penalty from which Mateta scored the equalising goal before finishing adeptly to score Palace’s second equaliser.

He also linked well with Munoz in particular and his quick feet and sharp thinking were on show at times here.

Oliver Glasner will be pleased with how his side created ample openings, but there will surely be frustration at the inability to take those chances.

Munoz was a thorn in Liverpool’s side throughout the first half, given time and space down the right to put crosses in, as he did for Eze’s FA Cup-winning goal. The problem was that either his crosses were too poor or his team-mates failed to predict what he would do sufficiently to make it to them in time.

Eze looked bright in spurts and Mateta, although quieter, made some excellent runs to create space for others to chase down through balls. But Sarr was the star of the show, capped off by the coolest of penalties.

Matt Woosnam

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Why was there no Palace tifo?

The tifos that covered the Palace end of Wembley for both the FA Cup semi-final and final, and were so striking and poignant, were absent today.

The Holmesdale Fanatics (HF), a Palace ultras group, who organised those displays and who raised almost £14,000 for today, say they had “arbitrary restrictions” placed on them by Wembley Stadium.

They were denied access to the stadium in the days preceding the match, there was a significant reduction in the permitted banner size, and only 10 members were allowed access on the morning of the game to set up.

A statement on behalf of the FA and Wembley Stadium to The Athletic said: “The FA and Wembley Stadium have implemented additional measures for The FA Community Shield in relation to fan activations. These measures include an increased level of club involvement to ensure the safety of all spectators in attendance.”

The restrictions relate to events in the lead-up to and during Palace’s two previous visits to Wembley. For the Community Shield, both clubs were offered the same options for fans to be involved in displays, but some of those would have been required to be delivered by club staff.

They sang anti-UEFA songs and displayed banners reading “UEFA Mafia” and lit flares during the game, actions which are unlikely to endear them to the authorities, who may have been wary of what might be displayed, too.

The minute’s silence for the late Diogo Jota was abandoned after noise from a mostly respectful and silent Palace end, although many complained of a late arrival into the stadium due to lengthy queues outside and were unaware of what was happening.

Matt Woosnam

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What did Arne Slot learn about his team ahead of Bournemouth?

Liverpool are in transition, no doubt about it, but Slot should be relatively pleased with the way his new players have settled in.

This was a team without five of the regular starters from last season, yet there was still a lot to like, albeit a few concerns defensively.

Changing both full-backs will take time to get used to and may present initial teething problems. Liverpool also need Van Dijk to put this unusual performance behind him and produce the kind of display that helped carry the defence through last season.

Bringing in another centre-half as cover before the close of the transfer window is another essential. An injury to Van Dijk or Ibrahima Konate will leave the team light, no matter how much Slot talks up Wataru Endo as a backup defender.

Slot will also feel more comfortable when Ryan Gravenberch — a star of last season — is back available, as he sat out of this one to be with his newborn child, and misses the opener against Bournemouth through suspension.

One positive was having Mac Allister back on the pitch for the final 20 minutes, and the prospect of the midfielder linking up with the new attacking players is exciting.

There’s a lot to like about Liverpool going forward, but there’s still work to be done at the back, especially as their title rivals have all strengthened this summer.

Gregg Evans

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Have Liverpool avoided the Community Shield jinx?

Liverpool shouldn’t be too disheartened after their loss at Wembley — victory in the Community Shield is far from a prerequisite for a successful league campaign.

As the table below shows, just one of the previous 14 winners of the season curtain-raiser has gone on to win the Premier League the following spring. That was Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the 2018-19 season.

Overall in the Premier League era, just eight of the 33 winners of the Community (formerly Charity) Shield have gone on to win the title.

The last time Liverpool won both in the same season was in 1989-90, when they beat Arsenal 1-0 in the Charity Shield before finishing nine points clear of second-placed Aston Villa in the old First Division. However, they have won the league twice since then; in 2019-20 and 2024-25 — losing in the Community Shield on penalties to Manchester City at the start of the former campaign.

Will Jeanes

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What did Oliver Glasner say?

We’ll bring you the Palace manager’s view as soon as possible after the game.

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What did Arne Slot say?

We’ll bring you the Liverpool manager’s view as soon as possible after the game.

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What next for Crystal Palace?

Sunday, August 17: Chelsea (Away), Premier League, 2pm UK, 9am ET

What next for Liverpool?

Friday, August 15: Bournemouth (Home), Premier League, 8pm UK, 3pm ET

(Top photo: Getty Images)