Why Crystal Palace’s Community Shield Win Matters | OneFootball

Final score:Liverpool 2 Crystal Palace 2(Palace win 3 – 2 on penalties)

Craig Burley, whose post-game commentary for ESPN was delivered pitchside in a white t-shirt, started with this gem: “It was a pretty good game today, was it not? For a Community Shield.” If you were a Crystal Palace supporter, it was VERY good game. If you were a neutral, well, then this one was for you, too.

The Community Shield competition, which pits the winner of the FA Cup against the winner of the Premier League, has been contested for over 118 years. It’s traditionally played the week before the Premier League season starts, sort of like a very important pre-season match with some serious bragging rights on the line.

In today’s soccer climate, most European leagues are dominated by a handful of clubs who tend to cycle between trophies. In Ligue 1 that club has been Paris Saint-Germain. La Liga has Real Madrid, Barcelona and (if you’re generous) Atlético Madrid. In the Premier League those clubs are known as the “big six” (Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham).

With this victory, Crystal Palace became the second club outside the “big six” to win the Shield in the 21st Century. The other one was Leicester City, who won back in 2021.

Mind the Gap

To highlight the divide between Palace and Liverpool, here are some figures. According to capology, Palace’s weekly wage bill is approx. $1.8M. Liverpool’s is $3M. That might not seem like a big difference, but Leicester City (who were relegated to the Championship) is still carrying $1.3M a week.

In terms of transfer spending, the chasm is even greater. Liverpool has spent $395M so far; Palace only $4.1M. That’s 1%. Justin Devenny, who scored the winning penalty kick, makes just over $200K a year in salary; Liverpool’s lowest paid fella makes over a half-million; 95% of the squad make over one million.

Takeaways

Please do not misunderstand. Crystal Palace is no minnow. This isn’t a victory as shocking as Preston North End’s FA Cup fourth round defeat of Liverpool. But it’s still a win for the underdog.

As much as their FA Cup victory back in May was historic (it was the Eagles’ first major trophy win ever), this one was just as sweet. It’s rare for any team, at any level, to hoist hardware twice in one calendar year. It’s just as rare for any team outside of the elite levels to be the ones doing the lifting.

A Short-Lived Celebration

Of course, Crystal Palace supporters got the icy cold news today that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) denied their appeal against UEFA to play in the upcoming Europa League. Instead, they will compete in the Conference League. Channel the resentment, everyone. Use it to fuel your passion. Revenge is a dish best served in a gaudy trophy.

Pre-Season Previews

Hooligan published some pre-season thoughts on both clubs prior to this fixture.

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