Ferdinand and Keane aim subtle digs at Arsenal stars after Community Shield

06 August 2023 , 17:50

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Rio Ferdinand was not convinced by the celebrations at Wembley (Image: Vibe with Five)

Rio Ferdinand aimed a sly dig at Arsenal's celebrations following their Community Shield win over Manchester City at Wembley.

Mikel Arteta's men won the first trophy of the season on penalties after a last-gasp strike from Leandro Trossard deflected in off Manuel Akanji to cancel out Cole Palmer's opener.

Kevin de Bruyne missed from the spot for City before Aaron Ramsdale saved from Rodri, giving Fabio Vieira the opportunity to secure the win in the shootout. He duly delivered to spark wild celebrations among the Arsenal players as they got the upper hand over last season's Treble winners.

But Manchester United legend Ferdinand was not convinced by the celebrations ahead of next weekend's Premier League opener.

Ferdinand took to social media after full-time to write: "Couldn’t tell u how many community shields I won. Always enjoyed the day BUT..."

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The ex-England defender actually won the curtain-raiser fixture four times during his Old Trafford tenure and his comments were backed up by former teammate Roy Keane.

Speaking on ITV, Keane praised the Gunners for their performance but suggested it will have very little impact on the upcoming Premier League title race.

Arsenal's players celebrate after winning the shootout

"We have to give Arsenal some credit. You want to get into good habits of winning matches but you have to step back, it is a friendly match," Keane said.

"There will be good energy after that win in the Arsenal dressing room and they will take that into training this week. They will be in a better place going into the Forest game. It was more important for Arsenal to win than City today. I don't think it will have any bearing on the title race."

Arsenal had led the way for most of last season but came unstuck in the final weeks of the season as City pulled clear. The champions begin their title defence against newly-promoted Burnley on Friday night.

Goalkeeper Ramsdale was also asked what the result would mean for the season, admitting: "I'm not sure. City are a bit behind their pre-season. For us, it's a statement. It's a marker to know we can go and beat Man City in a big game when it matters.

"I'm not sure what it'll be like this season. But that mental block is gone. We're ready to push on now."

Liam Prenderville