Liverpool picked up the first piece of silverware on offer as they triumphed 3-1 over Manchester City courtesy of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohammed Salah and Darwin Nunez.
The Reds burst out of the blocks and were too hot for City to handle. In the 21st minute they finally got their reward. Salah cut a ball back to Alexander-Arnold on the edge of the box whose curling effort flew past Ederson.
The Citizens replied in the 70th minute through new boy Julian Alvarez, who capitalised on an Adrian mistake.
Salah then put the Reds back ahead from the penalty spot after Nunez' glancing header was blocked by Ruben Dias' arm.
A few minutes later, the substitute sealed the win through a close range header, capping off an excellent cameo.
Here are the four takeaways from the match:
- Salah is back
Towards the end of last season there was a belief amongst many that Salah's powers were starting to fade, with the dragging contact discussions perhaps impacting his performance.
But after finally penning down the lucrative new deal, he looks refreshed and better than ever.
He relentlessly terrorised Joao Cancelo for 90 minutes whose life was made miserable by the Egyptian.
As soon as the referee pointed to the spot there was only ever going to be one outcome.
The 30-year-old calmly buried it into the bottom corner to put Liverpool ahead for the second time. He looks rejuvenated after a well deserved break with the new contract lifting a huge weight off his shoulders.
- Darwin Delivers
It is safe to say he significantly out-performed his rival counterpart. After the endless Nunez vs Erling Haaland hype from the media, it was the Uruguayan who came out on top.
The minute he stepped onto the pitch, he instantly unsettled City's backline with his presence alone making him an intimidating force. A force which would have been useful in Liverpool's last three finals as the Reds fired blanks in the Carabao Cup Final, FA Cup Final and the Champions League Final.
It's hard to argue that he would not have got on the scoresheet of any of the three games, with the forward offering a completely different threat to Sadio Mane.
He rounded off his performance by heading home in the dying minutes sending the Red section of the King Power into raptures.
A complete performance which will silence his critics.
- Big Money Signings Fail To Impress
Jack Grealish has never really got going since his £100m transfer from Aston Villa. With only three goals and three assists in the League last season, his performance today mirrored those of the past year.
He was locked down by Alexander-Arnold and failed to create any openings. He was isolated to the extent where he was unable to even get a shot off as well as completing 0 key passes, 0 crosses and 0 chances created. It was certainly a night to forget for the Englishman after being hooked early on in the second half, indicating Pep Guardiola starting to lose faith in his record transfer.
He will have to start pulling his weight if he is to establish himself as a regular starter for the English champions.
Speaking of big money signings, Haaland couldn't get a sniff as he was completely nullified by Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip. His stats were underwhelming to say the least - he only recorded 16 touches as well as winning zero headers, completing zero dribbles and only making seven passes.
The Norwegian's game ended with him blazing the ball over the bar from only six yards out, encapsulating his afternoon. It remains to be seen if Haaland actually hinders Guardiola's team rather than taking it to another level.
Alvarez was the one shining light that Guardiola could take from the Community Shield as he netted his first goal for the English champions.
He slotted home from close range to put City back on level terms and spark new life into the game. All the attention had been on Haaland beforehand, allowing the Argentine to go under the radar and allow him more freedom. He is arguably more suited to Guardiola's system than Haaland and could prove a shrewd piece of business.