Crystal Palace 2-2 (3-2 on pens) Liverpool (Mateta pen 17′, Sarr 77′ | Ekitike 4′, Frimpong 21′)
Crystal Palace stunned Liverpool in a penalty shootout to win their first Community Shield on a dramatic Sunday at Wembley.
Youngster Justin Devenny scored the winning spot-kick after goalkeeper Dean Henderson made crucial saves from Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott and Mo Salah blazed high over the bar.
Palace had come from behind twice against the Premier League champions, with Jean Philippe-Mateta and Ismaila Sarr cancelling out strikes from Liverpool new boys Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong.
Palace’s second glorious outing at the national stadium following their victory in May’s FA Cup final comes at the end of a turbulent summer during which they have faced a protracted legal battle with Uefa over their demotion from the Europa League and constant transfer speculation over their star players.
Their afternoon could hardly have got off to a worse start when an ominous looking Liverpool scored after less than four minutes.
Ekitike picked the ball up on the left edge of the box after a neat one-two with fellow new boy Florian Wirtz, ghosted past his marker with a deft first touch and then placed an unstoppable shot past Henderson’s fingertips into the far corner.
Soccer Football - FA Community Shield - Crystal Palace v Liverpool - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - August 10, 2025 Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike celebrates scoring their first goal with Jeremie Frimpong and Curtis Jones Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs
Ekitike celebrates his debut goal for Liverpool in the Community Shield (Photo: Reuters)
It looked as though the champions could run away with it from there, but Palace got themselves back into the game when Virgil van Dijk conceded a penalty for tripping Sarr with the type of rusty challenge you would not expect to see from Liverpool’s captain once the season is in full flow.
Mateta made no mistake from the spot, sending Alisson the wrong way and firing the ball into the bottom right corner.
Liverpool’s second came soon after, as Frimpong lobbed the ball over Henderson with what was almost certainly supposed to be a cross.
The fortune of the strike did not take away from its sense of poignancy, coming just after Liverpool’s fans stood to applaud the late Diogo Jota as his shirt number – 20 – passed on the clock.
Palace came close to equalising several times early in the second half, with Chris Richards and Eberechi Eze both testing Alisson from close range.
Eventually it was Sarr who got the better of Liverpool’s keeper, capitalising on another error from Van Dijk to beat the offside trap and slot home.
Palace were unfortunate not to win a second penalty towards the end of normal time, with replays clearly showing the ball striking substitute Mac Allister’s hand.
In the end it mattered little, as Mateta and Sarr both found the net in the shootout before substitute Devenny scored the winner with an emphatic strike into the top corner.