Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City: 5 hits and flops as Darwin Nunez scores debut goal to seal trophy | 2022 Community Shield
Liverpool overcame Manchester City 3-1 at the King Power Stadium in Leicester to win their first Community Shield title on July 30 since 2006.
Mohamed Salah, from the spot, and Darwin Nunez struck apiece late on after Julian Alvarez had canceled out Trent Alexander-Arnold's first-half opener.
The Reds were the better side from the start, showing more intent and creating better chances as City looked uncharacteristically off.
The Premier League champions had played only two friendly games coming into tonight and this lack of pre-season showed in their anemic display. Meanwhile, the FA Cup champions were playing their fifth game, which was evident in their sharpness on the ball.
Starting the season with silverware, thanks to goals from @TrentAA, @MoSalah and @Darwinn99 🏆
#CommunityShield https://t.co/0fldUoYwzo
Erling Haaland, making his official debut for the Sky Blues, was a huge disappointment as the Norwegian striker didn't get enough space and time to work.
However, he had one glorious chance to pull a consolation goal back in the dying embers, but his effort from close range hit the crossbar.
It summed up City's evening, while Liverpool began their 2022-23 season with a bang.
Here are five hits and flops from the match:
Hit: Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)
Liverpool fans were fearing the worst after seeing that Darwin Nunez wasn't in the starting lineup for the clash. However, following his talismanic performance, it's easy to see why.
The Uruguayan made a telling impact on his official debut. He won the penalty for Salah before putting the game beyond doubt with their third goal of the evening.
Darwin Núñez vs. Man City
100% Pass accuracy
1 Penalty won
2/4 Shots on target
1 Goal
0.6 xG
3 Big chances
The best individual performance by a distance. He loves it. https://t.co/mKwuBKF65s
He came off the bench just before the hour mark and struggled to find space, but Nunez persisted, pressing the Sky Blues with his intelligent movements.
He won the penalty after his header was handled by Ruben Dias inside the box. The Uruguayan then headed one home from close range from Andrew Robertson's headed pass in added time.
A promising debut from the 23-year-old.
Flop: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
All eyes coming into the game were on Erling Haaland, Manchester City's £85.5 million man who also made his debut. However, unlike Nunez, he couldn't pull anything special here.
The Norwegian ace was kept under wraps by Liverpool's stoic defense, never allowing him enough space to get to the end of crosses.
Erling Haaland really missed this 😳 https://t.co/rfs1TGRaEw
In the closing stages of the match, the former Borussia Dortmund star had a good chance to pull another one back and set up a grandstand finale. However, he fired his shot against the bar.
Throughout the game, he mustered just one shot on target, made 16 touches on the ball, and completed seven passes. All of these point to a forgetful debut for the 22-year-old striker.