LEICESTER CITY 1, MANCHESTER CITY 0
New £100m signing Jack Grealish failed to win silverware on his Manchester City debut as Leicester City lifted the 99th FA Community Shield at Wembley.
And it was Foxes’ striker Kelechi Iheanacho who broke the heart of his former club with a 90th minute penalty, a dramatic conclusion to the annual clash between Premier League and FA Cup winners.
With a penalty shootout beckoning, Leicester were awarded a penalty three minutes from the end when substitute Iheanacho, signed by Leicester for £25million in 2017, was caught by Nathan Ake.
And Nigerian international Iheanacho, who had been barely on the pitch for 10 minutes, clinically found the net from 12 yards.
Embed from Getty ImagesIheanacho, who came through the academy at the Etihad, said: “I don’t know what to say, I think it’s mixed emotions. I’m really grateful to get the trophy today for my team, so I’m really happy.
“I think it was a penalty, he caught me, the referee saw it. He wanted us to play so if we scored it would have been okay.
“I’ve been practising penalties. I missed one last season, so I’ve been practising in pre-season. I had just one thing in my mind, just shoot at an angle and hit it hard, and that’s what I did.”
City manager Pep Guardiola described his side’s performance as “really good” given their lack of preparations – he explained City’s four England’s Euro players and their Brazilians will not report back for training until Monday while Aymeric Laporte is self-isolating after a passenger on his flight tested positive for Covid-19.
Guardiola said: “We tried and tried but perhaps we did not make the right decisions in the final third.
“In the short time we had to prepare the players were exceptional. Day by day, month by month and game by game we will improve.
“We did not play badly and said how proud I am to the guys, and we must congratulate our opponents who deserved their win.
“We know will not be at our best for the opening game (at Spurs) as was the case last year when we lost 5-2 at home to Leicester last season.
“But the players who played today will be better next week and we have three or four games before the international break.”
Guardiola was delighted with Grealish’s debut and the performances of youngsters Sam Edozie and Cole Palmer.
Grealish was named on the City bench two days after his British record move from Aston Villa.
Teenager winger Edozie made his competitive debut, with fellow academy graduate Palmer also handed a start, both after impressing in pre-season matches.
Fernandinho captained the side while there were also starts for Riyad Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Torres who was featuring for the first time following his return from Euro 2020.
Only three of the side that started the final of the Champions League for City kicked off this match with Kevin de Bruyne and the injured Phil Foden among the absentees.
But joining Grealish on the bench were senior players Rodrigo and Bernardo Silva as City’s below-strength starting line up still cost £380m with an additional £200m on the bench.
Brendan Rodgers named a strong Leicester side which included seven of the side that started the FA Cup final with starts for James Maddison, Jamie Vardy and Wembley match-winner Youri Tielemans.
Summer signing Ryan Bertrand made his debut following his summer move from Southampton while Harvey Barnes made his first appearance since February after recovering from a serious knee injury.
City came close to making a seventh minute breakthrough when Gundogan’s free kick from almost 30 yards arrowed towards the top corner until Kasper Schmeichel made a fine fingertip save to turn over the effort.
It was as good as it got for City as Leicester had the better chances of the opening period.
Barnes had a low shot turned round the post by goalkeeper Zack Steffen while Ayoze Perez and Vardy both straight at the stopper.
Then in the dying embers of the opening period, Vardy latched on to a left-wing cross from Barnes and looked as though he could not miss from six yards.
That was until Steffen showed razer-sharp reflexes as he somehow managed to deflect the super strike on to the upright with his hand.
Mahrez broke from half-way but blazed wide while at the opposite end Maddison fired narrowly wide from 30 yards.
City made their first two changes mid-half when Gundogan and Edozie made way for Rodrigo and new-boy Grealish whose entrance was greeted by an almighty cheer.
Barnes cut in from the left and curled a shot wide of the far post as neither side was able to conjure a breakthrough goal.
That was soon followed by two further City changes as Ferran Torres and Cole Palmer were replaced by Ben Knight and Bernardo Silva.
Both keepers made brave saves to deny opponents, Schmeichel to deny Torres and Steffen at the feet of substitute Patson Daka, a striker from Zambia signed for £22m this summer from RB Salzburg,
The breakthrough came when Leicester were awarded an 87th minute penalty when Ake caught Foxes’ substitute Iheanacho.
It was bitterly contested by City with Fernandinho booked for protesting too vehemently, though the decision was upheld by VAR.
And it was Iheanacho who stepped up in the 90 minute after order had been restored to fire high past Steffen to give Leicester only their second shield win as Manchester failed to post a seventh victory as this was the seventh time they have been runners-up.