Five Things Learned: Manchester City 1-1 (7-6 Pens) Manchester United (FA Community Shield) | OneFootball

Bernardo Silva’s late goal and Manuel Akanji’s winning penalty kick gave Manchester City a comeback victory over Manchester United in the 2024 FA Community Shield.

A header from the aforementioned Portuguese international came just minutes after Alejandro Garnacho’s grabbed the lead for United, sending the match to a penalty shoot-out. It was revenge for Pep Guardiola and his squad after the FA Cup Final at the end of last season.

Ultimately, Manuel Akanji’s winning penalty – making personal amends following his heartbreaking exit from the European Championships in the summer – gave Manchester City their first FA Community Shield victory since 2019.

City were the better side throughout the first-half despite Pep Guardiola electing to go with four youth players in his starting line-up. United held onto the majority of the possession early on, yet were unable to create any real chances.

It was a sluggish first half for both sides, who were unable to muster a single shot on target. Oscar Bobb and Jeremy Doku were standouts however, beating their opposition defenders with ease on multiple occasions but unable to create a chance to threaten Andre Onana.

However, Manchester United responded in the second half. A beautiful goal from Bruno Fernandes was called back for offside within the first 10 minutes, but signalled Manchester United’s ability find space in the back line.

United finally took advantage of their chances in the 82nd minute when Alejandro Garnacho finished off a counter attack with a well-taken near-post finish. It was a deserved goal, as the reigning FA Cup champions consistently found space in behind City’s defence.

But their lead did not last for long. After barely threatening at all for second half, Manchester City grabbed the equaliser out of nowhere with a Bernardo Silva header in the 89th minute. With the match tied at 1-1, the winner would be determined by a penalty shoot out.

City started the shootout poorly. Bernardo Silva saw his opening penalty easily saved by Andre Onana. However, he would be the only City player to miss. Ederson saved Jadon Sancho’s effort and Jonny Evans would sky his kick, allowing Manuel Akanji to decide the game.

Here are five things learned from Manchester City’s shoot-out win over Manchester United!

The Summer of Bobb continues

Oscar Bobb was the best player on the pitch during every pre-season match for Manchester City out in the United States, and that continued in the club’s first official competitive match of the season.

The rising Norwegian international beat Manchester United defenders with ease, set-up multiple chances, and nearly had a goal of his own as well. Yet another sign that the next few months will be his in Sky Blue.

Nico O’Reilly has a promising future ahead

It wasn’t a perfect competitive debut for the 19-year-old at Wembley on Saturday afternoon, however Nico O’Reilly looked arguably more comfortable than Matheus Nunes did for much of last season – which speaks of the teenager’s quality.

There were a few times when Nico O’Reilly perhaps held on to the ball for too long in the centre of the park, and faded a little as the first-half went on. But all-in-all, it was no doubt a solid performance for a cup final debut.

Josko Gvardiol still isn’t perfect

The Croatian international was certainly a polarising figure at times for Manchester City fans last season, following on from his big-money move from RB Leipzig and immediately being tasked with the role of mainstay left-back.

Josko Gvardiol took a few months to fully hit his stride and was unstoppable by the closing end of the campaign. However, Saturday afternoon’s performance looked like a return to the version of Gvardiol we saw early on last year.

It is of course still very early on in the season and the weekend’s outing comes after a somewhat rushed pre-season period with Pep Guardiola’s side out in the United States. Nevertheless, it is something to keep an eye on.

James McAtee will be able to fight for his spot

It has been an up and down few seasons for the 21-year-old midfielder, but James McAtee looked the part for large stretches of the match against Manchester United, operating in-behind Erling Haaland and the attacking trio.

It would have been a perfect first start for McAtee had his close-range effort not been denied by the post, but overall he looks like an excellent squad player. Hopefully he can find some consistent minutes this season, with Pep Guardiola having already shown his faith.

The Community Shield is important

It is easy (and somewhat understandable) to write off losses in the Community Shield as meaningless. However, it is always a good moral boost to win a trophy, especially so early on in the season.

It does not mean that Manchester City are guaranteed to win a fifth consecutive Premier League title by no stretch of the imagination, and recent history would actually show the opposite of happening.

Yet, it is never a bad thing for players to get a moral boost heading into the new campaign and opening weekend of the Premier League season, especially after a shortened pre-season and many first-team stars only returning early last week.