Pep Guardiola was left fuming with new stoppage time rules after Manchester City lost to Arsenal in the Community Shield.
- Arsenal win Community Shield on penalties
- Guardiola unhappy with amount of added-time
- Trossard equalised in the 111th minute
WHAT HAPPENED? Arsenal won 4-1 on penalties at Wembley after Leandro Trossard’s deflected 111th minute strike denied City a 1-0 win. Eight minutes of added-time had been added on, but – under new rules to combate time-wasting – referee Stuart Atwell allowed 14 minutes after Kyle Walker and Thomas Partey required treatment for a clash of heads.
WHAT THEY SAID: After the game, Guardiola expressed his frustration with the new rules: “It is not annoying, we have to get used to it. I had the feeling, not because we were winning 1-0, it was just the fact I had a feeling that much didn’t happen to extend by eight minutes. But it is a good question for the international board [rule-making body the International Football Association Board] and all the people because they don’t consult the managers, they don’t consult the players.
“What is their opinion, we have to accept it. Now the games will be 100 minutes, that’s for sure. It never happened today and it was eight minutes, imagine if they extend for goals and every time you score a goal in a game [that is] 4-3. You put 30 seconds, 45 seconds on for seven goals, tomorrow morning 9 a.m. I am here playing.”
Perhaps not surprisingly, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta saw the other side of the argument. “It’s about effective time,” he said. “I think it’s really good to do that, because it was going too far I think and now teams are going to have to think twice. Now we have to be prepared to play 100 minutes because it’s going to happen every single week.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: City took the lead through Cole Palmer’s stunning effort in the 77th minute, and didn’t look threatened until Trossard’s stoppage time strike took a huge deflection off Manuel Akanji.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
WHAT NEXT FOR GUARDIOLA AND CITY? Guardiola and his players would of course liked to have won – City have now lost three consecutive Community Shields. However, they will take solace in the fact that in the seasons following the two previous defeats, they went on to be crowned Premier League champions.
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