The question perennially on the lips of all Manchester United fans was asked at Wembley once more: ‘How will we bridge the gap between ourselves and Manchester City?’ Alejandro Garnacho came within minutes of providing an answer, but in the end there wasn’t one.
Man Utd finished a whole 31 points behind their city rivals in the Premier League last season. More chasm than gap.
A makeshift City side were made to work mightily hard for it but found vengeance for their FA Cup final defeat to United here last season, clawing their way back to 1-1 before prevailing 7-6 in a marathon penalty shootout.
And yet maybe Pep Guardiola was right when he said this week of United: “I have been concerned for many years [with] how good they are, because every year they are getting better.”
Perhaps tipping the Red Devils as title contenders was no show of mind-games but just an honest appraisal. Despite the eventual shootout defeat, they look capable of a really strong season on this showing.
City were the Champions League winners a little over a year ago, won the Club World Cup in the winter, and still have that air of being untouchable as English football’s finest side.
Silverware in hand again 🏆
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) August 10, 2024
Man City are Community Shield champions 🩵#ITVFootball | #CommunityShield pic.twitter.com/lz8kDr8WOy
That accolade used to belong to United, though, and they must find a way back. This match offered a role reversal in that sense. It was United with the better chances throughout the match — James McAtee’s shot against the post aside — and City who had to show their powers of recovery to claw themselves to penalties.
Garnacho’s superb run and finish, tucked into the corner on 83 minutes, suggested there would be more Wembley misery for Man City against their Mancunian rivals, just as 76 days ago when United won the FA Cup to effectively keep Erik ten Hag in a job.
No, said Bernardo Silva — his bullet-header converting Oscar Bobb’s cross to level on 89 minutes.
Once United, now it is City who seem never to know they are unbeaten. When referee Jarred Gillett’s full-time whistle blew, it was the heads in red who fell. City’s players were upstanding in posture, sensing victory via spot-kicks.
And in ominous fashion for the rest of the Premier League no doubt watching on, City rode the wave of Silva missing their first spot-kick, holding their nerve to win it 7-6 as Manuel Akanji showed the distraught Jonny Evans how a centre-back ought to take a penalty.
It offered a reminder that this was by no means the City team that will lead their title charge this season when Kevin De Bruyne appeared from the bench after Silva’s equaliser. Guardiola will have seen the Community Shield as little more than one final pre-season friendly. He still ended up winning it.
It was a worthwhile experiment for Guardiola to hand starts to McAtee and senior debutant Nico O’Reilly, who both impressed. So too did Kobbie Mainoo for United after his excellent displays for England at Euro 2024. Marcus Rashford, who missed a sitter towards the end, was, though, made to wait to overcome his crisis in confidence.
United have added Joshua Zirkzee — who remained on the bench throughout — and look set to sign Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui to bolster a tiring and ailing defence.
Can they help overturn that 31-point difference? That looks a near-impossible task in a single season, but United can certainly hope to cut a sizeable chunk of it away. City, Arsenal and perhaps Liverpool will battle it out for the Premier League title. It is up to United to keep pace for as long as they can and avoid falling away.
For City, the flipside of the coin in this match from last season. From defeat on penalties to Arsenal a year ago, now it was victory on spot-kicks against the opponents they most enjoy beating. They start the season as they mean to go on.
