Liverpool vs Man City: Reds throw down gauntlet in Community Shield triumph

Liverpool vs Man City: Last season’s Premier League title combatants kicked off the 2022-23 domestic season on Saturday, with Liverpool topping Manchester City 3-1 to claim the Community Shield at the King Power Stadium.

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Trent Alexander-Arnold opened the scoring in the 21st minute, capping an early period of Liverpool control before Manchester City began their rabid pursuit of an equalizer. With all eyes on Erling Haaland for 90 minutes, it was Man City’s other summer arrival at striker, Julian Alvarez, who scored his first (semi-)competitive goal for the club in the 70th minute.

13 minutes later, Mohamed Salah stepped to the penalty spot after Ruben Dias was charged (upon video review) with a handball offense inside his own penalty area. Darwin Nuñez, Liverpool’s prize recruit from the summer, nodded home Liverpool’s third in stoppage time.

Gauntlet thrown down.

Final score: Liverpool 3, Man City 1

Goal scorers: Liverpool (Alexander-Arnold 21′, Salah 83′ – PK, Nuñez 90’+3), Man City (Alvarez 70′)

Shots: Liverpool 15, Man City 14

Shots on target: Liverpool 4, Man City 8

Possession: Liverpool 43%, Man City 57%

1. These are title contenders once again (duh): Two of the last three Premier League seasons, it’s been a case of “Manchester City and Liverpool, and everyone else.” Last season, Man City won the title with Liverpool a single point behind in 2nd, with 3rd-place Chelsea finishing 18 points behind the runners-up Reds. This summer, Man City signed a generational talent in 22-year-old striker Haaland ($80 million), and Liverpool opted for one of Europe’s most prolific goal scorers a season ago in Darwin Nuñez ($84 million, plus $21 million in potential add-ons). The rich get