FA Community Shield player ratings: Dean Henderson stars at Wembley again, Mohamed Salah falters as Eagles win entertaining curtain raiser

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Crystal Palace kicked off the new season as they started the last one - lifting silverware in front of their adoring supporters at Wembley. The Eagles produced a fabulous fightback in the second half to peg back Premier League champions Liverpool and then held their nerve to win the penalty shoot-out with Dean Henderson the main man again. TNT Sports brings you the player ratings from Wembley.

'These emotions are fantastic' - Henderson reflects on Community Shield triumph

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The new season is back with a bang on TNT Sports and discovery+ after Crystal Palace and Liverpool thrilled the Wembley crowd with an entertaining match in the 2025 FA Community Shield on Sunday afternoon.

Both Premier League sides played out an enthralling 2-2 draw during normal time, and it was Palace who came away victorious after a penalty shoot-out.

Liverpool supporters had urged Arne Slot to start summer recruits Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong in the match. The Dutchman duly obliged, and the players delivered with both scoring goals in the first half.

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However, it was Palace's stars from last season who stepped up for them, with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr getting on the scoresheet, while goalkeeper Dean Henderson was the hero of the shoot-out.

But who else put on a fine performance during English football's curtain raiser at the national stadium?

TNT Sports brings you the player ratings from Wembley Stadium.

Crystal Palace

Dean Henderson - 9 - This man just loves playing at Wembley. The England shot-stopper was the hero for a great penalty save in May when Palace saw off Manchester City in the FA Cup final and he was the star once again. Although there is an argument that he could have done better for Liverpool's second goal, he delivered in the shoot-out with two fine saves and even tipped his hat to the Palace fans afterwards. Aura-farming much Hendo...

Daniel Munoz - 8 - One of the best players on the pitch. He was one of Palace's biggest threats throughout the afternoon and the only time he was stopped was when referee Chris Kavanagh accidentally brought him down. What a top player.

Chris Richards 6 - Endured a tough time early on and continued to frustrate the Palace fans in the second half with his misplaced passes. However, Liverpool seemed to take their foot off the gas as the game wore on and the forwards did not give the defender too many problems.

Maxence Lacroix 6 - Hard-working as ever and won a number of duels even though he struggled to contain Liverpool in the first half. Similar to his team-mates, seemed to grow into the game and played much better after the break.

Crystal Palace lift Community Shield trophy after beating Liverpool at Wembley

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Marc Guehi 7 - Another battling performance from the Palace captain. Ran himself into the ground and started to impose his authority at the back much more in the second half.

Tyrick Mitchell - 7 - Not as threatening as Munoz on the other side but did a fine job of handling Mohamed Salah defensively and was unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet.

Adam Wharton - 8 - Started the game off slowly but managed to impose himself more in the second half and won the midfield battle. It was his fine pass that led to Sarr's equaliser late on and if the game had gone into extra time, he would have had the legs to run all day.

Daichi Kamada – N/A after coming off injured after 29 minutes.

Eberechi Eze - 7 - He was Palace's biggest threat in the first half but seemed to fade as the game continued. He had a great chance in the second half, but he was denied by a fine save from Alisson. The forward was also denied by the Liverpool goalkeeper in the shoot-out and he will be disappointed with that but it did not matter in the end.

Ismaila Sarr - 9 - Another man for the big occasion for Palace. His goals against Aston Villa in the FA semi-finals set the club on their way to cup glory last season and he was vital here. Sarr won the penalty in the first half and scored the crucial equaliser late on to send the game to penalties. The forward also stepped up to score a vital spot-kick in the shoot-out at a time when the momentum could have swung Liverpool's way. He was awarded the Player of the Match award at the end, and it was fully deserved.

'Lovely pass, lovely touch, lovely finish!' - Sarr strikes to bring Palace level

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Jean-Philippe Mateta - 8 - The French forward was a handful all game and it was his cool penalty that got Palace back into the game in the first half. Although he was unfortunate not to get on the end of some misplaced passes from his team-mates, he still provided energy and worried the Liverpool backline. He also stepped up to score Palace's first penalty after Salah blazed his one over the bar.

Subs:

Will Hughes - 8 - The substitute was one of the standout players on the pitch after coming on in the first half. He was a colossus in the midfield for Palace and delivered some thundering challenges which got the Palace fans cheering his name during the game. Class act.

Justin Devenny – 8 - This would have been an 'N/A' but we thought we would give him a high score after producing the best spot kick of the shoot-out, and it was the one to win the Community Shield.

Borna Sosa – N/A

Jefferson Lerma – N/A

Liverpool

Alisson Becker - 7 - One of Liverpool's best players on the day. The goalkeeper could not do much for both goals but he did make a fine stop to deny Eze in normal time, and he also produced a great save from the same player's spot-kick in the shoot-out.

Jeremie Frimpong - 8 - Only he knows if he meant his goal or not, but he will take it all day long. The goal came at a poignant moment as Liverpool fans were paying tribute to Diogo Jota at the time. The new recruit was lively at both ends but faded.

Liverpool go ahead with bizarre goal at poignant moment from Frimpong

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Ibrahima Konate - 8 -The Frenchman was one of Liverpool’s best players in the first half. He made a number of timely interceptions and read the game really well. Also battled hard against Mateta.

Virgil Van Dijk – 6 - Tough afternoon for the Dutchman as he did not really seem to recover from giving away the penalty in the first half. As always, he still provided some fine defensive actions but was not at his brilliant best.

Milos Kerkez – 7 - Another solid competitive debut from one of Liverpool’s new players. Kerkez was lively at both ends and produced a stunning block to deny Palace scoring a third just moments after their second goal.

Dominik Szoboszlai - 5 - Similar to his fellow midfield partner, he never really got going in this game, although he did notch up an assist for Frimpong's goal. He also had a long-range effort saved, and although he appeared to drive the ball forward in good positions, it never really ended with a chance for The Reds.

Curtis Jones – 5 - The midfielder had a very quiet game and was rarely able to impose his authority on the match. He will need to perform much better than that across the new campaign if he wants to get a regular spot in Slot's starting XI.

Florian Wirtz - 7 - The new signing was lively in the first half and he came up with the assist for Liverpool's opener. Although he had a few nice touches and runs in the game, he did not prove much of a threat and blazed over a good chance in the second half.

'That's how you announce your arrival!' - Ekitike fires Liverpool ahead inside four minutes

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Mohamed Salah – 5 - The best player in the Premier League last season endured a disappointing afternoon. He had a couple of nice touches but never really posed a threat, and his first big chance came in the 83rd minute. The missed penalty in the shoot-out summed up his day.

Hugo Ekitike - 8 - What a start to his Liverpool career. The summer signing produced the first bit of magic of the game with a clinical finish to put The Reds in the lead in the fourth minute. He might have had a second early after the break, but his header went wide, although there is a possibility he would have been offside. Solid start for Liverpool’s new frontman.

Cody Gakpo - 5 - Not his best game. He fluffed his lines in the first half when Liverpool had a chance on the break with five players against two Palace defenders, but he managed not to find a team-mate. It was also Gakpo who was muscled off the ball in the build-up to Palace's equaliser.

Subs:

Wataru Endo – N/A

Alexis Mac Allister – N/A

Harvey Elliott – N/A

Andy Robertson – N/A

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