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Football
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United Kingdom · Northern Europe
Performance, competition, community identity and sports economy
Leicester City FC has won the English Community Shield by defeating Manchester City FC in a keenly contested match on Saturday.
Leicester City FC’s Prolific Striker, Kelechi Iheanacho scored a penalty in the 89th-minute to give Leicester City FC the much needed Wembley glory during the 2021 Community Shield clash on Saturday.
The Community Shield loss could even be prevented by the introduction of the £100m new arrivals, Jack Grealish from Aston Villa in the 64th minute.
However, it was the Leicester City FC’s substitute, Iheanacho that made an immediate impact by forcing Nathan Ake to make a mistake that was rewarded with a spot-kick.
He later converted the spot-kick against his former employer, Manchester City FC.
Leicester had impressed throughout, with Harvey Barnes starring on his return to competitive action from a knee injury which had sidelined him since February, and the winger had been involved when Jamie Vardy’s shot was kicked onto the post by Zack Steffen on the stroke of half-time.
Man City had their moments too, with Riyad Mahrez passing up several good chances to score against his old club, including a great opportunity on the counter-attack in the second half.
However, despite Grealish’s cameo, in which he showed glimpses of his exciting dribbling ability, the Premier League champions were defeated.
FA Cup winners have now won this prize on six of the last seven occasions against Premier League winners.
While it is unlikely to have a major bearing on how the title race will play out this coming season, it’s clear Pep Guardiola’s side still have work to do to be ready for their Super Sunday opener with Tottenham.
For Leicester, though, they go into their season curtain-raiser with Wolves full of confidence after another Wembley triumph.
Wembley wasn’t at full capacity but there was excitement for both sets of fans early on, with fit-again Barnes seeing a shot in the box blocked. Kasper Schmeichel, and then, less-cunningly Caglar Soyuncu, diverting the ball over the Leicester bar, and Vardy and Riyad Mahrez trying their luck from distance.
There was a let-off for young Man City midfielder Cole Palmer on 24 minutes when Wilfred Ndidi robbed him on the left flank and set up a move which saw Barnes blocked again and Vardy fire straight at Steffen. However, the Foxes breathed a sigh of relief themselves moments later when 18-year-old Sam Edozie sliced badly wide at the other end.
For the Foxes, 50 per cent of their attacks were coming down the left flank, as they repeatedly looked for the impressive Barnes and Ake had to be sharp to snuff out some slick combination play between the winger and Vardy on the half-hour.
And it was that pair who almost forced the opening on the stroke of half-time when Barnes picked out Vardy at the back post, but the striker hooked his effort awkwardly back across goal and Steffen was able to clip the ball with a trailing leg onto the woodwork.
Man City was inches away themselves immediately after the restart, with Edozie’s cross-shot curling just beyond Schmeichel’s far post and although Vardy forced Ruben Dias into his third block of the afternoon, it was Guardiola’s side on the front foot again as Mahrez clipped a free-kick over and Ilkay Gundogan drilled high.
They should have gone in front on 57 minutes when Mahrez was sent racing clear on the counter-attack but, much to the delight of his former Leicester fans at the other end of the pitch, he was caught up and hassled by Ndidi before shooting over the bar.
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Seven minutes later, it was the moment Man City fans had been waiting for, as their new record signing, Grealish was sent into the action.
Playing in his familiar left-sided forward role, the England man immediately tried to have an impact, twice dribbling at the Leicester defence before being crowded out.
A flurry of changes was made by both sides not long after, including the introduction of Leicester’s new signings Patson Daka and Boubakary Soumare – who caught the eye with his skill and strength in midfield – and Man City’s Bernardo Silva, who, reports suggest, could be on his way out of the club this summer.
It was almost the perfect start for Daka, who was just beaten to a through ball by Steffen, but it was the more familiar sub-Iheanacho who changed the game, muscling Ake off the ball and then hitting the deck when the Dutchman waved a careless leg out to trip him up.
The striker smashed home the spot-kick and the Foxes – who handed City a bruising defeat in the Premier League in the early stages of last season – saw out the final moments to add more silverware to their collection.
Leicester City FC, Brendan Rodgers, said that “Both teams are here on merit and it is at the end of a pre-season when players are still looking for fitness physically but you’ve seen over the last number of years it’s even more so become a prominent trophy.
If you’re here you want to win it and that’s the mindset we tried to bring to the team and the club: that every game is to win. The guys showed great spirit, great quality at times and eventually got the winning goal.
He further said that: “Barnes is such a talent. I’m looking forward to him this season. It was a huge blow when he was out. Great one v one. He’s not quite there on his fitness but he’s such an important player for us.”
Meanwhile, the Manager of the Manchester City FC, Pep Guardiola, said that: “I would have loved to have won the game. Congratulations to Leicester for the Community Shield victory. Our performance was really, really good, especially for this stage of the season and the way we played in the second half was so good.
The game was well played. They had chances, we had chances and in the second we were so good.
“Tomorrow, players will arrive. Many of our players have played just three training sessions. Day by day, month by month we try our best to compete as best as possible.
We will try our best, knowing we will not be at our best. It happened last season at Wolves and we lost 2-5 at home to Leicester.
He further said that: “We know we will not be at our best. The players will be better next Sunday. Before the international break, we want to get as many points as possible to be there and after week by week, I am pretty sure we will be better. From what I saw today I am incredibly confident for the season.
Opta Statistics:
The Opta Stats presents the following:
- Leicester have won their first game against Manchester City outside of league competition since a 4-3 victory in the FA Cup back in February 1968, having been winless in 12 matches against the Citizens in such games prior to today.
- Excluding 2019 (when Manchester City appeared as double winners), the FA Cup winners have won the Community Shield in six of the last seven campaigns, with the exception being Man City’s 2-0 win over Chelsea in 2018.
- Manchester City has lost three of their last four matches at Wembley Stadium (W1), as many defeats as in their previous 15 games at the venue (W9 D3).
- Leicester City has won three consecutive matches at Wembley Stadium without conceding a single goal, having lost three on the bounce at the stadium before this run.
- Manchester City has lost four of their last six games in all competitions (W2), as many defeats as in their previous 53 matches combined (W43 D6 L4).
- Leicester’s Kelechi Iheanacho became the first player to score a penalty in a Community Shield final (excluding shootouts) since Gary McAllister for Liverpool vs Manchester United in 2001.
- In his ninth game in all competitions against his former side, Kelechi Iheanacho scored his first goal against Manchester City with what was his sixth shot attempt against the Citizens.
- Samuel Edozie (18y & 191d) and Ben Knight (19y & 54d) became the 17th and 18th different teenagers to be handed their Manchester City debuts by Pep Guardiola.
Player Ratings
Leicester: Schmeichel (7), Bertrand (6), Soyuncu (7), Amartey (6), Pereira (7), Barnes (8), Maddison (7), Ndidi (7), Perez (6), Tielemans (6), Vardy (6).
Subs used: Iheanacho (8), Soumare (7), Daka (6), Albrighton (6), Thomas (6), Dewsbury-Hall (6)
Man City: Steffen (7), Mendy (5), Dias (7), Ake (5), Cancelo (6), Fernandinho (6), Palmer (6), Gundogan (6), Edozie (6), Torres (6), Mahrez (5).
Subs used: Rodri (6), Knight (6), Bernardo Silva (6), Grealish (6)
Man of the match: Harvey Barnes (Leicester)
In Conclusion
Leicester’s Premier League season begins with Wolves at home at 3 pm on Saturday. Manchester City gets their Premier League title defence underway against Tottenham next Sunday, live on Sky Sports from 3.30 pm; kick-off at 4.30 pm.
