Man City rain on Man Utd’s parade as Marcus Rashford made to rue Community Shield gaffes | Football | Sport
Manuel Akanji scored Manchester City‘s winning penalty in a tense Community Shield shootout against Manchester United on Saturday. Defeat, after a 1-1 draw in regulation time at Wembley, will come as a bitter blow to Marcus Rashford, who missed two high-quality chances to put United in control.
Erik ten Hag‘s Red Devils showed fans they could be back in business this term with a superb display in which they routinely carved City open. But Pep Guardiola‘s defending Premier League champions dug deep late in the game to open their 2024/25 silverware account at the first time of asking.
Here, Express Sport takes you through four key talking points from the contest…
Man City rain on Man Utd’s parade
It took around 30 minutes for United’s 4-2-4 line-up to begin threatening, by which point James McAtee had already hit the post for City. Ten Hag’s side built on some bright moments from Amad Diallo in the first period by finding the net through Bruno Fernandes after the break, although his spectacular effort was disallowed for offside.
Alejandro Garnacho looked to have bagged the Red Devils’ winner with fewer than 10 minutes to play after driving at the box and slotting past Ederson. However, superb work from Oscar Bobb at the other end saw Bernardo Silva head home an 89th-minute equaliser.
As the game immediately headed for a shootout, Bernardo and Jadon Sancho both saw spot-kicks saved before Jonny Evans spooned over and Akanji made it 7-6, dampening United’s mood after what was an impressive performance.
Rashford made to rue Wembley gaffes
United’s attacking play was sharp and incisive at Wembley, but Rashford may not be overly pleased with his own display. Stationed on the left-hand side, he offered little defensive help to out-of-position full-back Lisandro Martinez, and failed to put the finishing touches on an electric team move in the first half.
Rashford spurned another gilt-edged opportunity in the 75th minute, receiving a ball across the box and fumbling onto the base of the post, with the miss ultimately proving costly.
Haaland off the hook
The Community Shield hasn’t been kind to Erling Haaland on an individual level. He had a stinker against Liverpool two years ago and drew a blank in the shootout defeat to Arsenal last year. Surely things would get better against United.
Not really. Haaland’s performance was a prime example of why he attracts criticism in spite of his exceptional scoring record. While some of the blame for his lack of contribution lies at the feet of those tasked with creating chances, the frontman was a passenger from the first whistle to the last at Wembley, although his stock bounced back slightly by converting in the shootout.
Amad sends message
Amad Diallo is on a mission to earn Ten Hag’s trust this season. He was used sparingly in 2023/24, making his start on the right flank at Wembley a valuable opportunity to show the Dutchman exactly what he can do.
Diallo played a key role in United’s first two glimpses at goal; firstly carving open City’s left side with a skilful run, before orchestrating a neat one-two with Casemiro and playing an unanswered ball across the six-yard box to Mason Mount.
The youngster seemed a little tetchy at being substituted before the hour mark, although his replacement, Garnacho, went on to find the net.
