Ranking the top 5 Community shield games of this century
The curtain raiser. The opening showcase. The start of something special. It needs no introduction but we are giving it one anyway. This weekend will see the latest of the annual glorified friendly that is the Community shield and the buzz that is created as the actual start of the season inches ever closer. So we take a look back at some of the classics that this game has produced over the years and completely ignore the dross that is often produced each year. Here are our top 5 of this century starting with…
#5 2013 Manchester United v Wigan Athletic
Coming in at number 5, we will be completely honest this is a vibes entry. It would be a derelict of duty to not include a final that included both the Managerial debut of Moyes, as well as the unlikely appearance of the then recently relegated Latics side. This game is worth the entry based on the line ups alone, Dat Guy Welbz leading the line, lynchpin Tom Cleverly holding down that midfield spot and Crystal Palace legend Zaha on the wing. Not to mention serial winner Scott Carson as Wigan’s number 1 that day. The match itself was fairly innocuous, with United dominating possession and controlling the game, yet struggling to emphasize the gulf between the two sides. A Van Persie brace was enough to see Moyes win his first piece of silverware for the club.
#4 2019 Manchester City v Liverpool
The rivalry we have seen between these two sides has been carved out through pure brilliance rather than hatred. Both sides could lay claim to have cemented their place in Premier league folklore via their dominance over the rest of the league over the last few years. No season better represented that than in the 2018/19 season where Liverpool would lose the league by 1 point, despite reaching a total of 97 points. Truly remarkable. Luckily for the neutral, we got to see this season kicking off with the two behemoths going toe to toe and laying down their marker for the upcoming year. As expected it was a tight affair that went all the way to penalties with Guardiola’s men eventually prevailing, although it was Klopp who had the last laugh come the end of the season.
#3 2014 Arsenal v Manchester city
Arsenal were coming off the back of finally breaking their 9 year trophy drought, and they had the tough challenge of fighting against Pellegrini’s reigning league champions. But clearly the taste of silverware was sweet and Arsenal were not ready to stop tasting! Sanogo lead the line that day for Arsenal while superstar Alexis Sanchez also made his debut for the club. City on the other hand had colossus midfielder Toure in the centre of the park and a late appearance from Scott Sinclair on the wing. Despite City going into the game as favourites and dominating the game for the majority of the match, Arsenal came out on top winning 3-0 and continuing Ramseys love affair with Wembley.
#2 2011 Manchester City v Manchester United
Manchester City had gotten their dynasty underway by winning the F.A cup the previous season to qualify for this match against league winners and bitter rivals Manchester United. I did want to vary the teams that made this list somewhat, however when the league has been dominated so often over the last 20 years by both Manchester clubs, it’s hard to avoid them both dominating this list. So it is only fitting that I include this match between the two sides. The season is most recognisable for the Aguero last minute winner to see City win their first League title under the new regime, but the big one, the Community shield would be coming home with the red half of Manchester on this day. Oddly prophetic in a way, a 3-2 game with the eventual winners scoring in the last minute of stoppage time, this would be the perfect way to set the scene for these two sides to battle it out throughout the season.
#1 2005 Chelsea v Arsenal
We spoke previously about City starting their dynasty, well this match was a showcase for a Chelsea side who had already written their first chapter to qualify for this game. Jose Mourinho had managed to break the dominant top 2 of Arsenal and Manchester United to win the league in 04/05, while Arsenal had cemented their place in this match thanks to departing captain Patrik Vieira’s penalty winner against the aforementioned Manchester United in the F.A cup final. Tensions were already high going into this game, with Ashley Cole having been caught trying to facilitate a move to Chelsea without permission from Arsenal that led to a legal dispute eventually resulting in him departing the club 12 months later. But perhaps most notably it would be the start of a love hate relationship between the Gunners and new Chelsea forward Didier Drogba. He loved scoring against them and boy did they hate playing against him. Rising star Fabregas pulled one back with half an hour to go but it wasnt enough to counter the brace Drogba had already put away. He would go on to score 13 goals in 15 games against Arsenal during his Chelsea stint and im convinced he could still play just two games a season for Chelsea, both against Arsenal, and he would still finish the season with at least 2 goals.