Newly crowned Premier League champions Liverpool will clash against FA Cup winners Arsenal in the FA Community Shield on Saturday at the Wembley Stadium.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will have the chance to add another piece of silverware to the cabinet within a month, and it will be a huge boost for him going into the next season if he manages to outsmart Jurgen Klopp tomorrow.
The Gunners currently have 15 Community Shields to their name and have been involved in a number of famous games in what is widely regarded as the curtain-raiser for the new season.
Looking through the archives, here are the top five Community Shield matches in the recent memory which Arsenal have played a part in.
#5 Arsenal 1 Manchester United 1 (1993)
Back in 1993, Manchester United and Arsenal locked horns at the Wembley Stadium in what was one of the most intriguing Community Shield fixtures of all time. Former Southampton manager Mark Hughes gave United an early lead beating Arsenal custodian David Seaman at the near post.
However, Ian Wright found the back of the net just before the interval to restore parity between the two sides. The score remained unaltered for the remainder of the game and Sir Alex Ferguson’s troops eventually had the last laugh as they went on to win the game via penalty shoot-out (5-4).
#4 Arsenal 2 Manchester United 1 (1999)
Despite having clinched the FA Cup, Premier League and the Champions League in the 1998-99 campaign, the red half of Manchester were tormented in the Community Shield by Arsenal, with the latter having entered into the clash by virtue of having finished as the runners-up in the English top-flight.
The north London based side suffered a setback after David Beckham’s exquisite free-kick was nudged over the line by Dwight Yorke but they responded fiercely with sheer resolve. Nwankwo Kanu first scored from the penalty spot and then assisted Ray Parlour which sealed the game in Arsenal’s favour.
#3 Arsenal 1 Liverpool 0 (2002)
Arsenal were undoubtedly entering their peak after the turn of the century and had won the FA Cup and the Premier League during the 2001-02 campaign. Despite being bereft of the services of many key players, the Red and Whites did not disappoint in their outing in the Community Sheild of 2002.
Gilberto Silva, who started the game on the bench, was brought on in the second half and the Brazilian scored on his debut for Arsenal. Liverpool were resilient at the back and it took a number of shrewd passes from Arsenal to help Gilberto to squeeze the ball through Jerzy Dudek’s legs, and it ultimately proved to be the winning goal.
#2 Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2 (2005)
In what was a mouth-watering London derby at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea and Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal went toe-to-toe against each other, but Didier Drogba’s offensive prowess was too hard to tame for Arsenal.
Drogba scored a goal early on and doubled the lead for the Blues within a few minutes after the break. Arsenal left no stone unturned to forge a comeback but Cesc Fabregas’ goal in the second half was inadequate in saving his side from falling into the clutches of a defeat.
#1 Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 (2014)
Manchester City were clear favourites to lift the Community Shield in 2014 but Arsenal were absolutely ruthless following their end to a trophy drought of nine years. Wenger’s entourage produced a charismatic performance with their intense attacking endeavours and blew the Sky Blues apart.
Arsenal dominated possession right from the start and secured a two-goal cushion in the first half, thanks to a goal each by Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey. Willy Caballero’s debut for the Cityzens went from bad to worse after Olivier Giroud came up with a thunderous striker from the distance after the break to humiliate City further.