Well, that was a bit of alright. Does anybody actually look forward to the Community Shield? Even the managers of the teams involved act like they don't give a toss, and it seems like an antiquated part of English football that is no longer fit for purpose.
And yet, Liverpool and Manchester City are so good that they actually managed to make it a thriller.
It was a game that had everything. Thrills, spills, mistakes, some moments of absolute class, drama, penalties, whatever you wanted.
Manchester City took the lead early on, when Raheem Sterling managed to poke the ball home from close range.
Ended 2018-19 with an @EmiratesFACup Final double...
...and now @sterling7 starts 2019-20 with a #CommunityShield opener! pic.twitter.com/HTDyUT6fDP— England Football (@EnglandFootball) August 4, 2019
The rest of the first half was a bit of a non-event, but things would spring into life for the second half.
Liverpool applied pressure throughout the half, but City looked consistently dangerous on the break. It was the type of intensity and and crowd noise that we rarely see in an FA Cup final, never mind the Community Shield.
Virgil van Dijk thought he had equalised for Liverpool, but his shot rebounded off the bottom of the crossbar and failed to cross the line.
How close was that for @LFC?! #CommunityShield pic.twitter.com/3xsc7Q3Yz5
— England Football (@EnglandFootball) August 4, 2019
Liverpool missed a couple more chances, with Mo Salah also striking the woodwork.
They would grab a deserved equaliser 13 minutes from full time. Virgil van Dijk showed fantastic composure to take the ball under control at the far post, before perfectly teeing up Joel Matip to nod it home.
All square in the #CommunityShield! pic.twitter.com/NGQXmYjJD7
— England Football (@EnglandFootball) August 4, 2019
Mo Salah thought he had won it for Liverpool late on, only for a miraculous piece of defending from Kyle Walker to deny him.
The Egyptian cleared Claudio Bravo with a looping header, but the right back managed to clear the ball off the line with a unbelievable scissor kick.
Wow! Amazing defending from @kylewalker2!#CommunityShield pic.twitter.com/ooB494EEp7
— England Football (@EnglandFootball) August 4, 2019
Manchester City would win the match on penalties, with Gini Wijnaldum's miss proving decisive. Liverpool would no doubt have wanted to win this one, but the main takeaway from the game is that football is BACK!
These two sides went to toe-to-toe last season, and if this supposedly meaningless friendly is anything to go by, we should be in for another cracking campaign.
How healthy it is for English football to have two teams that are so far ahead of the chasing pack can certainly be debated, but it is no doubt exciting for supporters.
The only thing that is missing from their rivalry is a bit of shithousery. Both teams are incredibly respectful of each other, as could be seen after today's final whistle. We wouldn't mid a bit more bite and trash talking to be honest.
We're sure those edges will harden as the season goes on, however. We can only imagine what the Premier League meetings between these two will be like...
