Palace clinch victory over Liverpool in Community Shield final
Crystal Palace followed up their Wembley Stadium heroics in May by defeating Liverpool on penalties to win the Community Shield on Sunday afternoon.
The Eagles had sealed their first major trophy less than three months ago when they beat Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final, but went into this traditional EPL season opener as underdogs against the big-spending Premier League champions.
After an entertaining 90 minutes that ended 2-2, Palace came out on top in the penalty shootout, winning 3-2, with 21-year-old Northern Ireland international Justin Devenny firing home the winning kick in the London sunshine.
It was another memorable moment for Palace fans at the famous venue, coming just ahead of Monday’s verdict at the Court of Arbitration for Sport on their appeal against UEFA’s decision to remove them from the Europa League over a breach of multi-club ownership rules.
That ruling could wait, however, as Palace enjoyed lifting their second trophy in a matter of months.
“I have to give big credit to the players for this win today. We came back and were able to decide the game on penalties,” said manager Oliver Glasner. “We were on the same level as Liverpool and it was a big performance. I’m proud of the team.”
“We know what we can do and how we can create chances. Things have developed over 18 months and the players are really starting to believe in what we are doing. I knew we could score at least two goals,” he added.
Before kick-off, tributes were paid to Liverpool’s Portuguese attacker Diogo Jota, who was killed along with his brother in a car crash in Spain in July.
