The FA Community Shield played out at Wembley on Sunday, where debutants Hugo Ekitike (£8.5m) and Jeremie Frimpong (£6.0m) both scored for Liverpool.
Our Scout Notes article rounds up the key takeaways from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective.
Premium Members can see official Opta data – including defensive contributions! – from the FA Community Shield via this link here.
CRYSTAL PALACE 2-2 LIVERPOOL
Crystal Palace win 3-2 on pens
Goals: Mateta pen, Sarr | Ekitike, Frimpong
Assists: Sarr, Wharton | Wirtz, Szoboszlai
EKITIKE + FRIMPONG GOALS
Hugo Ekitike only needed four minutes to score at Wembley on Sunday.
Sharp from the off, the 23-year-old was arguably Liverpool’s best player, as he combined well with Florian Wirtz (£8.5m) for the opener. He probably should have scored a second, too, when he was presented with two decent chances after the break.
Nonetheless, this was a very encouraging debut for 71 minutes, with another start anticipated against Bournemouth on Friday.
“He had a good impact but he is also an example of a player who came, I think, one-and-a-half to two weeks ago, at the end of our Asian tour. So, for me, with only three or four days before the Friday game, it wouldn’t be smart to play him for 90 minutes because… of course we have Federico [Chiesa] but he has not been on the Asian tour as well, so there’s not a lot to replace him with. So, if he gets an injury at this moment of time, that would be a big risk for the Bournemouth, Newcastle and Arsenal games. That’s why I took him off but he had a good game today, that’s for sure.” – Arne Slot on Hugo Ekitike
Another new arrival, Jeremie Frimpong, also got on the scoresheet at Wembley, when he chipped the ball into the top corner when looking to cross.
Despite this, not everything was positive for Liverpool.
LIVERPOOL DEFENCE EXPOSED
One of the key takeaways from this match was Liverpool’s defensive vulnerabilities.
The defensive line was frequently exposed, and it was clear that the system was not functioning as smoothly as Arne Slot would have hoped.
Indeed, Palace were able to equalise twice.
Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m) was particularly poor and at fault for both goals, initially conceding a penalty before being caught out of position for the second.
It might take some time for the full-backs, Frimpong and Milos Kerkez (£6.0m), to properly adjust to their new roles, too.
In his post-match press conference, Slot accepted that his team must improve defensively.
“Now, we are better in creating and getting promising situations than we were, in my opinion, throughout the whole of last season. But the other side is also true, that we have conceded four against Milan, one against the Japanese team, two against Bilbao and again two today. We need to do better defensively.” – Arne Slot
Ryan Gravenberch (£5.5m), meanwhile, wasn’t involved at Wembley because his partner gave birth on Saturday. He’s suspended for Friday’s opener against Bournemouth anyway.
WIRTZ IMPACT/SALAH QUIET
Florian Wirtz’s full passing range was on display on Sunday, as he claimed the assist for Ekitike’s opener with a well-weighted ball.
In a No 10 role (see below), the German schemer passed the ball well, showed good control in tight spaces and generally orchestrated the play for Liverpool.
Indeed, he finished top for chances created (four), final-third touches (33) and passes received in the final-third (22).
He didn’t neglect his defensive duties, either, racking up 10 defensive contributions, just two short of the midfielder threshold.
Above: Liverpool’s average position map v Crystal Palace on Sunday, including Florian Wirtz (no 7)
It was an afternoon to forget for Mohamed Salah (£14.5m), however, who was uncharacteristically poor.
The Egyptian didn’t create a single chance for his teammates, managed just one shot on goal and blasted his penalty well over the bar in the shootout. That’s the second spot-kick Salah has missed in pre-season.
MATETA + SARR ON TARGET
Oliver Glasner decided to name the same starting XI that achieved victory in the FA Cup final against Manchester City, and this decision paid off handsomely.
Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m), who has now netted five goals in pre-season, converted a penalty with Eberechi Eze (£7.5m) on the pitch.
The electric Ismaila Sarr (£6.5m) later scored a vital equaliser, having previously won the penalty.
Mateta also scored in the shootout, whereas Eze’s attempt was saved, positioning the Frenchman as the likely candidate to take Palace’s first penalty of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Outside of that, Mateta was quiet and only touched the ball 17 times.
Still, he’s in fine pre-season form, with interest starting to ramp up.
In other news, Daniel Munoz (£5.5m) showed plenty of dynamism down the right flank and produced nine defensive contributions (see below). He also created three chances.
Above: Players sorted by defensive contributions (Tot) in the FA Community Shield
Adam Wharton (£5.0m), meanwhile, assisted Sarr’s equaliser and was solid in possession, with three big chances created.
In his post-match interview, Glasner confirmed Marc Guehi (£4.5m) left the pitch late on with cramp, while Daichi Kamada (£5.0m) has sustained a knee issue.
“He feels that it’s not that worse, but he had pain. We will look at him in more detail tomorrow. It looks like it’s not that serious, but it could be that he misses maybe one or two games.” – Oliver Glasner on Daichi Kamada
Crystal Palace XI: Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi (Devenny 94); Munoz, Wharton (Lerma 85), Kamada (Hughes 29), Mitchell (Sosa 79); Sarr, Eze, Mateta
Liverpool XI: Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez (Robertson 84); Jones (Endo 71), Szoboszlai; Salah, Wirtz (Elliott 84), Gakpo; Ekitike (Mac Allister 71)