Shrewsbury, Wolves and Farnborough are the Giant Killers as Everton, Newcastle and Darlington fall victims... Saints take Spurs... Liverpool the best of a bad bunch... Arsenal comfortably through... Bolton and Sunderland reach stalemate... Fulham worthy victors over Birmingham... West Ham finally win at home... Bristol City denied by Leicester... Portsmouth taught a lesson by Man Utd... Boro poor away show continues against Chelsea...

Arsenal and Liverpool locked horns in the traditional curtain raiser to the new football season, The Community Shield. Traditional in every sense apart from the name change and the sponsorship deal with McDonalds. Gilberto wins more Silva' ware for Arsenal on his Gunners debut.

FA Community Shield
Sun 11 Aug 2002
Arsenal 1-0 Liverpool

Tony Adams legacy as an Arsenal player has come to an end. Indeed, he has taken the decison to retire from the game as a player alll together, favouring a University course in Sport Science. So Arsenal must now begin the 2002/03 Campaign without their old master, and instead must look to their now permanent Captain (and hopefully for some years to come), Patrick Vieira who took to the field of play at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff like a Collosus, as he was there time and time again, wiining every defensive header, and aiding his team as they broke from the traps.

Much is said about the Charity (Community) Shield, as being just another friendly. The players on the pitch obviously didn't hold this sentiment, as it was a rough and sometimes ugly affair. Steven Gerrard was booked in the first five minutes for a lunge at Vieira, and was then lucky to stay on the pitch when he followed it up with s bite at Henry. Henry, Vieira, and Gilberto Silva were all booked for Arsenal.

Arsenal for the most part, were the better side, only denied by Jerzy Dudek in the Liverpool goal, who pulled off a terrific treble save, denying Henry and Bergkamp twice in quick succession. Henry was denied again just after the break when his power driver was turned out off the post by Dudek.

Houllier experimented with playing his new £10m+ signing, El Hadji Diouf just behind Heskey and Owen, to not great effect. And Diouf failed to endeer himself by diving in the box. Owen himself, may have a slightly better case when his shirt was pulled by Parlour during a set piece.