Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was eight years old when Gilberto Silva won the World Cup. It was an irrelevant detail about Arsenal midfielders present and past until the 24th minute at Wembley when Englishman powered a shot into the Chelsea net.
For the first time since Gilberto struck in 2007, Arsene Wenger had seen one of his players score against Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea. For the first time ever, they beat them.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has become the belated trailblazer. After 14 meetings spread over 11 years, Wenger has finally got off the mark against Mourinho.
It offered the promise that a one-sided managerial rivalry will prove more balanced in the future.
Read more:
– Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain goal lifts Arsenal past Chelsea for Community Shield at Whembley
– Arsenal too focused on ‘selfies and six packs’ to win league, claims ex-Man United captain Roy Keane
Previous games had suggested Arsenal harboured an inferiority complex. This did not; FA Cup winners deservedly defeated Premier League winners in the Community Shield. Arsenal may have bolstered their back line with a serial medal winner from Chelsea but Petr Cech was so well protected his presence scarcely mattered.
His appearance was more notable for his fist bumps – instead of the conventional handshakes – with his former team-mates before kick-off than any of his saves. His best stop, from Oscar’s free kick, was one a goalkeeper of his stature would expect to make comfortably.
Chelsea were muted. Eden Hazard skied his best chance, created beautifully by Cesc Fabregas, another to have represented both of these bitter enemies. Arsenal made Alexis Sanchez’s absence an irrelevance, but Chelsea missed Diego Costa. The substitute Radamel Falcao’s debut was an undistinguished affair.
If his team scarcely looked at their sharpest, neither did a tracksuited Mourinho. He had two selection dilemmas and the fact that Loic Remy and Ramires, the two men he picked, had been removed by the 55th minute, is a sign neither succeeded. In contrast, and although Theo Walcott failed to hold the ball up, Wenger is entitled to believe his striking choice succeeded.
There are philosophical differences between these managers.
The Frenchman’s focus is invariably forward thinking. Mourinho’s thinking was entirely typical: he looked to stifle and subdue.
The Portuguese likes to purport to be the underdog. It suits a man instilling a siege mentality. He changes his team because of the opposition.
Photo gallery:
– Chelsea succomb to Arsenal in FA Community Shield at Wembley
Ramires, a bit-part player last season, was installed in the centre of the midfield. Such is football’s contradictory nature that Ramires twice came close to scoring but his brief was primarily defensive. His athleticism was pitted against Arsenal’s technicians. The slighter Mesut Ozil could testify to the Brazilian’s bruising approach. Mourinho’s Chelsea are the Blues with the blue-collar work ethic. Wenger’s Arsenal have long been deemed too aristocratic in their attitudes. If the criticism is not entirely fair, their goal showed evidence of high levels of class.
Yet its genesis suggested it was the indirect, almost inadvertent, result of Wenger’s attempts to expose supposed weaknesses in the Chelsea ranks.
Olivier Giroud, who has never scored against them, was benched so Walcott could start in attack. If the plan was to subject the slower John Terry to trial by pace, it worked better in theory than in practice.
Chelsea’s defence were so deep that Walcott’s pace was negated. Instead, he headed in the other direction, wandering into the No. 10 position to pick out the overlapping Oxlade-Chamberlain, who finished emphatically.
The winger’s personal history with Chelsea had been notable for a goalkeeper-style save, prompting a red card for his team-mate Kieran Gibbs, in an embarrassing case of mistaken identity, in a 6-0 thrashing. That was Wenger’s 1,000th game at the helm and one of his lowest points. Match number 1,067 was altogether happier and brought a novel feeling: beating Mourinho.
The Chelsea manager’s reaction was typically intriguing. He waited for the winners to shake hands with all the Arsenal players but not Wenger and threw his medal away. A 10-year-old fan, Bobby Gill, was the grateful recipient, just as other supporters have benefited from Mourinho’s willingness to send previous medals flying into the crowd. He has not needed the physical embodiment of his success as proof of his exploits.
But while he may have blanked a victorious Wenger on the day, it will be harder for him, and the champions Chelsea, to ignore the Frenchman and Arsenal this season.
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dolittle
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen
One-and-a-half out of five stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Results
- Brock Lesnar retained the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns
- Braun Strowman and Nicolas won the Raw Tag Team titles against Sheamus and Cesaro
- AJ Styles retained the WWE World Heavyweight title against Shinsuke Nakamura
- Nia Jax won the Raw Women’s title against Alexa Bliss
- Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon beat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
- The Undertaker beat John Cena
- The Bludgeon Brothers won the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos and New Day
- Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle beat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
- Jinder Mahal won the United States title against Randy Orton, Rusev and Bobby Roode
- Charlotte retained the SmackDown Women’s title against Asuka
- Seth Rollins won the Intercontinental title against The Miz and Finn Balor
- Naomi won the first WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
- Cedric Alexander won the vacant Cruiserweight title against Mustafa Ali
- Matt Hardy won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Abu Dhabi card
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,400m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 2,200m
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
The National selections:
5pm: Valcartier
5.30pm: AF Taraha
6pm: Dhafra
6.30pm: Maqam
7pm: AF Mekhbat
7.30pm: Ezz Al Rawasi
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
LIVERPOOL SQUAD
Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Joe Gomez, Adrian, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Andy Lonergan, Xherdan Shaqiri, Andy Robertson, Divock Origi, Curtis Jones, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Neco Williams
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
