Arsenal beat Liverpool on penalties to win the 2020 Community Shield at Wembley making it 2 in 2 for Mikel Arteta.

With barely any time to prepare ahead of this match and a good chunk of the squad just not available, Mikel Arteta handed a start to Mohamed Elneny who impressed pretty much everybody. That’s apparently what Arteta does, makes players impress.

Emi Martinez’s constant moaning since the FA Cup final resulted in getting his way and getting a start during which he impressed, again. You can’t make a case for him losing the number one spot at present, so I don’t know what the club are thinking about when it comes to his future and selling him. It’s the same as with Ainsley Maitland-Niles who made a good case to be named Man of the Match, and was by a few people.

Generally, this was a patch-up side for Arsenal and this game little more than their second pre-season friendly ahead of 20/21 getting underway.

There were few expectations from any Arsenal fans ahead of it. We know better than that.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang got the scoring underway in the first half by bending a beauty past Becker in the Liverpool goal, triggering mouths everywhere to start blabbering about contracts.

https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1299735646437769216

Since July 18, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored more goals at Wembley (5) than 14 Premier League clubs have scored anywhere.

— Richard Jolly (@RichJolly) August 29, 2020

If Auba’s finish was excellent, the build-up was just as superb.

This was the first time both sides had met at Wembley since 1989 and Arsenal looked the far better team, not one who had finished nearly 50 points behind their opponents as they strolled to the league title.

Whereas there might have been an element of luck in Arsenal’s last outing against Liverpool, there was nothing of that about this game. Arsenal’s mix-n-match squad went to-to-toe with them and were the better side.

Arsenal wobbled a bit in the second half, allowing Liverpool to equalise, but that seemed to wake Arsenal up again and they went close to winning it a couple of times.

In the end, it went to penalties. Brewster, brought on to tae a penalty missed his and who else but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stepped up to score the winner for Arsenal.

Damn you, Arsenal, now I’m getting those feels again…

Arsenal men in the Community Shield

Arsenal’s men have won the Shield 16 times (1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1948, 1953, 1991 (shared), 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020).

Manchester United have won the trophy more times than any other with 21 outright wins and four shared in their cabinet.

Arsenal’s 16 (14, one shared) sees them in second place while Liverpool are in third with 10 outright and five shared while Everton take fourth spot above Tottenham (six wins, one shared) with eight outrights and one shared.

Chelsea’s men’s team have the joint-longest run of losing appearances along with Newcastle. Both have lost their last five.

Arsenal women in the Community Shield

The Women’s Community Shield was played in 2020 for the first time in 12 years so, unlike the men’s competition, is far from the annual event it should be.

Arsenal were not involved in 2020 and they didn’t organise one after Arsenal won the league in 2019.

Arsenal’s women’s team played in the first ever women’s Community Shield back in 2000 when they played Charlton Athletic at Craven Cottage.

They have won the trophy a record five times (2000 (shared), 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008)