Crystal Palace completed a stunning turnaround against Liverpool in the Community Shield final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday Cr7.net. The final was a thrilling contest of end-to-end action. Those lessons came two months ago in a wild 2-2 draw sparked by Ismaila Sarr’s late game-changing equalizer in the 77th minute. This strike capped off a second-half display that proved Crystal Palace’s toughness following an early deficit to 2022 winners Liverpool.
As expected, Liverpool would be the first to score, and it was Hugo Ekitike who pounced to open the scoring after just four minutes. His opener seemed to inspire an aggressive, high-pressing Liverpool lineup. Crystal Palace was back on terms almost immediately, winning a penalty in the 17th minute. Jean-Philippe Mateta coolly converted the penalty, bringing the game to 1-1. The frantic pace of the action didn’t let up as Liverpool quickly found themselves behind again with Jeremie Frimpong finding the net in the 21st minute.
Though they were quickly 2-0 down, Palace was full of fight and looked dangerous. The tide turned yet again when Sarr found the equalizer in the 77th minute. Virgil van Dijk deserves credit for the goal. His unintentional touch did just enough to change the ball’s trajectory, keeping Sarr onside to finish. This moment served to showcase Sarr’s defensive awareness and positioning, but more than that it showed how chaotic and unpredictable the match would be.
The final 15 minutes would prove decisive, as both teams earned their equalizers and pressed efforts to win the game. Liverpool’s goalkeeper Alisson made a crucial save in the 62nd minute, denying a potential goal that could have shifted the match in Crystal Palace’s favor. Liverpool were very smart to introduce Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister on the stroke of 71 minutes as substitutes. This tactical move was focused on bulking up their midfield.
Crystal Palace made adjustments, bringing on Borna Sosa for Tyrick Mitchell in the 79th minute and Justin Devenny for Marc Guehi in stoppage time. These substitutions were a demonstration of both teams’ dedication to winning at all costs.