Crystal Palace show fighting spirit to set off-field frustrations aside with battling Community Shield victory | OneFootball

Dean Henderson the hero as Eagles edge out Premier League champions on penalties

Matters off the pitch at Crystal Palace have left Oliver Glasner frustrated as the new season looms, but a return to Wembley provided a timely reminder of what this Eagles side are capable of.

The starting lineup sent out by Glasner here was the same one that started in the the FA Cup final win over Manchester City in May almost three months ago. This was not a triumph of the same magnitude, not one that will merit an open-top bus parade, but it is a hugely welcome one.

Glasner this week described the club's transfer window as "quite passive". Even that felt an understatement, in the same way as suggesting Palace fans might have quite enjoyed their recent trips to Wembley. The summer business so far amounts to Borna Sosa and Walter Benitez joining for a combined £3million.

This is a squad in need of freshening up and that sense only grew when Daichi Kamada limped off inside half an hour, and Guehi did likewise in stoppage-time.

Those concerns, though, were put on held on another day. The Eagles, led by their brilliant manager, once again proved they can beat the very best.

Palace trailed, responded, and then fell behind again in an eventful first 20 minutes. Adam Wharton booted the ball away straight from kick-off and the south Londoners barely saw it again before Dean Henderson picked it out of his net four minutes later. Hugo Ekitike finished smartly into the bottom corner to silence what had been raucous Palace support behind that goal.

Eze was the Wembley hero in the FA Cup final but he was largely quiet here. Beyond one deflected strike from a free-kick, he had limited involvement in the first half, and Alisson got down well to save his strike after the break.

The equaliser came earlier in the match through his attacking partners. Ismaila Sarr drove into the box and earned a penalty for Jean-Philippe Mateta - who should have scored when clean through seconds earlier - to convert.

Parity lasted only four minutes before Liverpool moved back in front, Jeremie Frimpong's attempted crossed turning into a perfect lobbed finish over Henderson.

The frustrations of Glasner and Palace fans have not just been transfer-based this summer. There is the ongoing battle for the club to regain their place in the Europa League, with a decision expected from the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday.

The verdict of the Palace supporters came a day early, with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis also in the crosshairs. Around the hour mark, a several-minute chorus of "F*** UEFA, f*** Marinakis” broke out from the Palace end. Mateta called for more noise and got it. In a bouncing atmosphere, a scrappier spell broke out and it suited Palace perfectly.

Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk were uncomfortable all match and Liverpool's defensive line was there to be exploited. A wonderful pass from Adam Wharton did just that, playing in Sarr to breeze away from Van Dijk and slot past Alisson with the help of the woodwork.

Palace had chances to win it in the remaining 13 minutes. Mateta blazed over from the edge of the box and Devenny was inches away from scoring with effectively the final kick.

To a shootout it went, and Henderson again thrived under the spotlight. He saved a spot-kick in the FA Cup final and denied Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott here, while enjoying a watching brief as Mohamed Salah skied his effort.

For all the jubilation in the stands and on the pitch, more significant to Palace's season will be the decision on whether they can play in the Europa League, and indeed the final weeks of the transfer window. Those answers will soon come, but this was a day for Palace fans to be glad all over. Again.