Premier League champions Manchester Metropolis beat FA Cup winners Manchester United 7-6 on penalties to win the Neighborhood Defend at Wembley on Saturday after the standard season curtain-raiser completed 1-1.
Erik ten Hag’s facet seemed on the right track to repeat their shock victory over Metropolis within the FA Cup closing when Alejandro Garnacho put United forward after 82 minutes, however Metropolis midfielder Bernardo Silva netted a minute from time to ship the match to penalties.
Metropolis defender Manuel Akanji scored the decisive spot kick after Silva had earlier missed within the shootout. Jonny Evans and Jadon Sancho didn’t convert their penalties within the shootout.
United thought they’d taken the lead quickly after half-time when captain Bruno Fernandes beat goalkeeper Éderson with a surprising end from distance, however the effort was disallowed for offside.
Substitute Garnacho ran by means of the Metropolis defence to slip the ball into the underside nook of the online earlier than Silva transformed Oscar Bobb’s cross from shut vary to ship the sport to a shootout.
Metropolis gained the trophy for the primary time since 2019 to finish a run of defeats in Neighborhood Defend matches, following losses to Arsenal final season, Liverpool in 2022 and Leicester Metropolis in 2021.
“I loved the season in opposition to our rival in Manchester, and to begin the season with a title is nice. We’re actually happy,” Metropolis supervisor Pep Guardiola instructed ITV.
“We misplaced a variety of balls, after transitions they’re among the best groups on this planet. They’re so harmful to manage. However in the long run, we did it.
“It’s good to play this recreation as a result of it means you gained one thing within the earlier season. … The goal now could be to not win the Premier League, it’s ‘OK, subsequent recreation, try to win it’. That is what we now have to do.”
HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
Metropolis’s England gamers Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and John Stones in addition to Spain midfielder Rodri have been unavailable for choice, main Guardiola to area an unfamiliar line-up with 4 academy gamers beginning.
Their younger facet dominated possession after a gradual begin, nonetheless, with United’s sloppy play handing the primary probability of the sport to teenager James McAtee, who struck the put up.
“Powerful outcome to take. When the efficiency is correct, if you lose, everybody feels this. It hurts in your abdomen. You need to really feel ache, and we now have to harm. We have now to take this perception into the league,” Ten Hag instructed ITV.
“We managed to be on an equal stage with Man Metropolis. … We created possibilities, we bought stress within the ball and in possession we had some excellent possibilities from this, so there are numerous positives we are able to take.”
Metropolis start their quest for a fifth consecutive Premier League title at Chelsea on Aug. 18, and United begin their marketing campaign at residence to Fulham on Friday.