LONDON :Crystal Palace beat Premier League champions Liverpool 3-2 on penalties to win the Community Shield after an entertaining 2-2 draw at Wembley on Sunday, with keeper Dean Henderson reprising his penalty-saving heroics from their FA Cup final triumph.
Substitute Justin Devenny scored the winning spot kick to give Palace the spoils, after Mohamed Salah skied the Reds’ first penalty and Henderson then saved efforts from Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott.
“I love it, I love the big moments, I love being in that pressure moment,” Henderson – who saved an Omar Marmoush penalty as Palace won their first major trophy against Manchester City in May – told ITV.
New recruit Hugo Ekitike had put Liverpool ahead inside four minutes after he and record signing Florian Wirtz combined beautifully before the Frenchman produced a superb finish.
But Palace deservedly levelled in the 17th minute, Jean-Philippe Mateta sending Alisson the wrong way from the penalty spot after Virgil van Dijk brought down Ismaila Sarr.
Close-season signing Jeremie Frimpong restored the Reds’ lead, as Liverpool fans marked the death of Portugal forward Diogo Jota with 20 minutes on the clock in honour of his shirt number, sending an attempted cross looping in off the post.
The Eagles posed a threat on the counter and kept themselves in the game, although Ekitike spurned two decent chances to extend Liverpool’s lead in the early stages of the second half.
Palace’s England forward Eberechi Eze then tested Alisson with a low shot before the Londoners equalised again with 13 minutes to play, Sarr slotting past the onrushing Alisson.
Palace nearly grabbed a winner at the end, with Mac Allister perhaps fortunate to have a VAR referral for handball in the box go his way before Devenny nearly scored in added time, as the traditional season curtain-raiser went to penalties.
Devenny got the winner in the shootout with an emphatic penalty to give Palace a third victory at Wembley in a row.
