Crystal Palace staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Premier League champions Liverpool 3-2 on penalties after a thrilling 2-2 draw at Wembley, lifting the Community Shield for the first time in their history.
The Eagles, making their debut in the competition following their historic FA Cup triumph over Manchester City 85 days earlier, twice fought back from behind before holding their nerve in the shootout.
Liverpool’s new signings made an immediate impact, with Hugo Ekitike opening the scoring after just four minutes. The French forward combined with Florian Wirtz before cutting inside Chris Richards and curling a low shot past Dean Henderson—marking the first goal Palace had conceded at Wembley this year.
Palace responded with intensity, pressing high and creating chances through Adam Wharton and Ebere Eze. Their persistence paid off on 15 minutes when Daichi Kamada’s incisive pass sent Jean-Philippe Mateta through on goal. Ismaïla Sarr was fouled in the box, and Mateta calmly converted the penalty to level the score.
Liverpool regained the lead in bizarre fashion moments later, as Jeremie Frimpong’s attempted cross looped over Henderson and into the far corner, giving the Reds a 2-1 advantage at halftime despite Palace’s strong spells.
The second half saw Ekitike squander two golden opportunities to extend Liverpool’s lead, while Palace grew back into the game. Eze and Sarr posed constant threats, and their pressure was rewarded on 75 minutes when Wharton’s clever through-ball released Sarr, who coolly finished in off the post to make it 2-2. The Senegalese winger nearly scored again seconds later, only for Milos Kerkez to produce a last-ditch block.
Late chances fell to Borna Sosa and Dominik Szoboszlai, but neither side could find a winner, sending the match to penalties.
In the shootout, Mohamed Salah blazed Liverpool’s first kick over the bar, while Mateta confidently converted to give Palace the early advantage. Henderson then saved from Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott, with Sarr and Cody Gakpo trading successful spot-kicks in between. Sosa hit the crossbar for Palace, and Szoboszlai kept Liverpool alive, but substitute Justin Devenny stepped up and emphatically rifled his penalty into the top corner to seal a famous victory for Oliver Glasner’s side.
The win capped a fairytale Wembley double for Palace, who had stunned Manchester City in May to lift the FA Cup. Glasner fielded the same starting XI that delivered those triumphs, and their resilience was once again on full display as they overcame the champions in a dramatic curtain-raiser to the new season.