Crystal Palace claimed the Community Shield after narrowly defeating Liverpool in a shootout.

Aiming to orchestrate Liverpool’s 17th victory in this historic fixture, Arne Slot’s new offensive signings made an ideal start by scoring within four minutes, as Hugo Ekitike combined excellently with fellow newcomer Florian Wirtz and created enough space at the edge of the box to find the bottom corner.

Palace responded effectively to the setback and earned a penalty moments later when Alisson Becker was judged to have fouled Jean-Philippe Mateta, as Virgil van Dijk brought down Ismaila Sarr.

Not to be denied again, Mateta converted the penalty, sending Alisson the wrong way to level the score in the 17th minute.

With Palace seeking more, Daniel Munoz delivered a cross for fellow wing-back Tyrick Mitchell, who failed to hit the target.

Liverpool soon regained the lead, however, as Jeremie Frimpong strangely chipped the ball over Dean Henderson and inside the far post, with 20 minutes on the clock, marking a significant moment for Liverpool.

Will Hughes came on for the injured Daichi Kamada just before the half-hour mark and shot over from another Munoz cross. The Colombian then made another forward run as the halftime approached, delivering a ball that just evaded Sarr.

The action continued at a fast pace after the restart, with Ekitike heading wide from one chance and narrowly missing the target within seven minutes of the second half.

Palace kept pushing forward, and Eberechi Eze saw a shot deflected behind, before Chris Richards’ header from the resulting corner was comfortably caught.

Adam Wharton then intercepted Dominik Szoboszlai’s pass, slipping Eze through for a shot that Alisson managed to save.

After Wirtz shot harmlessly over at the other end, Sarr displayed his finishing ability by connecting with Wharton’s pass and sending his effort in off the post.

A crucial Milos Kerkez block was needed to deny Sarr moments later, Mohamed Salah shot directly at Henderson, then Mateta blazed his effort over as both teams searched for a winner.

With Palace determined to win the Community Shield on their first attempt, Justin Devenny came agonizingly close to clinching it, missing the left post by mere inches after a well-placed ball to the edge of the box.

This led to a penalty shootout, and having been so close to a winner before, Devenny confidently seized his chance to ensure Crystal Palace lifted the Community Shield while also achieving an unbeaten streak of 10 competitive matches.

In contrast, Liverpool has not won in their last five games across all competitions and has secured only one victory in their last seven Community Shield matches as Premier League champions.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)

Read all about the key statistics behind how Palace surprised Liverpool.