Crystal Palace clinched the Community Shield in a dramatic penalty shootout, defeating Premier League champions Liverpool 3-2 after a thrilling 2-2 draw at Wembley on Sunday. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson starred once again, reprising his penalty-saving heroics from Palace’s FA Cup final victory in May.
Substitute Justin Devenny netted the winning penalty after Mohamed Salah missed Liverpool’s first spot-kick. Henderson, who had previously saved an Omar Marmoush penalty to help Palace claim their first major trophy, then thwarted efforts from Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott.
Reflecting on the dramatic comeback, Henderson said, “They were 2-1 up, you’d think we were out of the game. The manager said we would get chances in the second half… and we deserved that in the end.”
Liverpool had taken an early lead through new recruit Hugo Ekitike, who combined brilliantly with record signing Florian Wirtz before finishing expertly inside the first four minutes. However, Palace responded in the 17th minute as Jean-Philippe Mateta converted a penalty, sending Alisson the wrong way after Virgil van Dijk fouled Ismaila Sarr in the box.
Ekitike then restored Liverpool’s lead with a fortunate goal, as his attempted cross in the 20th minute deflected off the post and into the net. The goal came as Liverpool fans observed a tribute to the late Diogo Jota, marking 20 minutes on the clock in honour of the Portugal forward’s shirt number.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner will be concerned about an injury to midfielder Daichi Kamada, who was forced off inside 30 minutes, but his team continued to pose a significant threat on the counter-attack. Ekitike squandered two chances to extend Liverpool’s lead in the early stages of the second half, with Liverpool boss Arne Slot acknowledging, “We could have maybe scored the third one in the first 15 to 20 minutes after halftime, but we didn’t, we kept them alive.”
Palace’s Eberechi Eze tested Alisson with a low shot before Sarr equalized for Palace in the 77th minute, calmly slotting past the goalkeeper.
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As the match neared its conclusion, Mac Allister survived a potential penalty call for handball, with a VAR review going in his favour. Devenny also came close to scoring in added time, but the game ultimately headed to penalties.
In the shootout, Devenny calmly stepped up to convert the winning penalty, sealing a third consecutive victory for Palace at Wembley.
Despite the win, Glasner acknowledged that Palace will need to strengthen their squad for the upcoming season. He also praised Devenny’s confidence, revealing that the Northern Ireland midfielder had volunteered to take the decisive spot-kick. “Justin came to me and said, ‘I’ll take it, I’ll take the last one,'” Glasner said, commending the 21-year-old for his maturity under pressure.
Looking ahead, Palace will be hoping to build on their strong performance as they prepare for their European campaign, with the club expected to learn on Monday whether they will compete in the Europa League or Conference League this season.
