2017 FA Community Shield

Founded in 1908 as a successor to the Sheriff of London Charity Shield, the FA Community Shield began as a contest between the respective champions of the Football League and Southern League, although in 1913 it was played between an Amateurs XI and a Professionals XI. In 1921, it was played by the league champions of the top division and FA Cup winners for the first time. As part of a sponsorship deal between The Football Association (FA) and American restaurant chain McDonald's, the match was officially referred to as "The FA Community Shield supported by McDonald's". with highlights shown later that night on BBC One. The FA brought forward the kick-off time an hour earlier to avoid a fixture clash with the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 final. Chelsea qualified for the 2017 FA Community Shield as winners of the 2016–17 Premier League. The turning point in their season came in September 2016, following successive defeats, first at home to Liverpool and then away at Arsenal. Manager Antonio Conte adopted a 3–4–3 formation which saw Chelsea embark on a 13-match winning run. and later set a new divisional record for the most wins (30). Chelsea later faced Arsenal in the 2017 FA Cup final, on course to complete a domestic double for the second time in the club's history. A disciplined display by Arsenal, however, saw Arsène Wenger's side triumph and secure a Community Shield spot. Like Conte, Wenger had adopted a similar tactical change during the season, playing three defenders at the back. Arsenal's noteworthy performance in the cup final was attributed to the formation switch. The 2017 edition was the first competitive fixture in English football to trial the ABBA penalty shoot-out system, provided scores were level after 90 minutes. The format is similar to a tiebreak in tennis, and is designed "to prevent the team going second from having to play catch-up." Unlike a traditional penalty shoot-out, which sees Team A and Team B alternate spot-kicks in an ABAB pattern, the ABBA format follows an 'AB BA AB BA' order. ==Pre-match==

Chelsea were making their twelfth appearance in the Community Shield; prior to this they had won four (1970, 2000, 2005, 2009) and lost six, most recently in 2015 against their present-day opponents. By contrast, Arsenal made their 22nd Community Shield appearance, and won 13, including one shared in 1991. Both clubs were meeting for the third time in the Shield; their first encounter 12 years ago ended 2–1 in Chelsea's favour. He spoke of the importance of winning the fixture as it presented the first trophy of the season and hoped the spectators would see a "good game" against Arsenal. Wenger told reporters that he saw the Community Shield as "...a good opportunity to repeat the performance from the [FA Cup] final and give competition to players who need it." When assessing his opponents Chelsea, he noted they had kept the "basis of the squad", and felt Bakayoko was a solid addition. Bobby Madley was selected as the referee for the Shield match; he had been the fourth official of the Cup final between the two sides. Ticket prices were advertised at a cost of between £20 and £45 – juniors and seniors received concessions of up to £10. Proceeds from the match went to those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire in June; families of the victims, survivors, and emergency services personnel were invited to the event as guests. ==Match==

Team selection The teamsheets showed both clubs lined-up with a three-man defence. Michy Batshuayi led the Chelsea attack, either side of Pedro and Willian. Forward Alexandre Lacazette made his competitive debut for Arsenal, alongside Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi. Chelsea got the match underway in their home strip of blue, but found their time on the ball limited as Arsenal dictated play. By the midway point of the first half, Chelsea had enjoyed bouts of possession with Pedro and Batshuayi testing their opponents. Arsenal created the first real chance of the game in the 22nd minute; Lacazette spearheaded a counter-attack and his curling shot went around Cahill and against the post. The referee, Madley, however booked the midfielder for simulation. Moses, rushing in, used his chest to control the ball, before shooting past Čech. Arsenal found it difficult to create clear-cut chances, as Chelsea controlled possession. Mohamed Elneny’s effort just before the hour mark was well-handled by Courtois, while Welbeck minutes later had his opportunity snuffed out by Luiz. Wenger brought on Giroud and Walcott for Lacazette and Iwobi in the last 30 minutes. Conte also made an attacking substitution, replacing Batshuayi for Morata. The turning point of the match came in the 80th minute; a late challenge by Pedro on Elneny resulted in the Chelsea attacker being shown a red card. Arsenal were awarded a free-kick and from that they scored the equaliser. Xhaka’s delivery met Kolašinac, whose header went across Courtois and into the net. No further goals meant the game was decided by a penalty shoot-out. The first three penalties were scored – Cahill for Chelsea, and Walcott and Nacho Monreal for Arsenal, before Courtois kicked his over the bar and Morata saw his go wide. Oxlade-Chamberlain converted his and Giroud scored the winning penalty to give Arsenal a 4–1 win in the shoot-out. Details Statistics showed four yellow cards in the match. ==Post-match==

The result marked the first time Arsenal had won a penalty shoot-out in the Community Shield; they had lost their previous two in 1993 and 2003. Wenger was heartened by Arsenal's performance, describing the victory as "...an encouragement. Not more than that." He was unsure whether Pedro deserved to be dismissed, but felt his team were growing in the second half and "always looked dangerous." The Community Shield marked Wenger's 17th title with Arsenal. However it would turn out to be the final title Arsenal achieved under Wenger as Wenger would leave the club at the end of the 2017-18 season. ==See also==