A sports psychologist has spotted a genius plan from Arsenal during their penalty shootout win over Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday.
The Gunners lifted their first piece of silverware since the 2020 FA Cup by defeating their Premier League rivals in the shootout at Wembley.
Mikel Arteta's side needed every minute of the 11 minutes added on in the second half, with Leandro Trossard striking late on to equalise and deny City the perfect start to the 2023/24 season.
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With no extra time, the game went straight to penalties - and Pep Guardiola's side suffered something of a nightmare.
Gunners captain Martin Odegaard gave his side the lead at Wembley, before Kevin De Bruyne smashed his effort off the crossbar for City.
Bernardo Silva did score for City, but Rodri saw his effort saved by Aaron Ramsdale.
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Arsenal, meanwhile, were faultless, and Fabio Vieira tucked away his penalty into the top corner to give them an unassailable 4-1 advantage.
The Gunners were left to celebrate victory over their closest Premier League rivals last season - and the match could be a prelude to another thrilling title battle.
And an expert believes they utilised a psychological edge to their advantage.
Expert analyses Arsenal penalty shootout
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Norwegian sports psychologist Geir Jordet took to Twitter during the penalty shootout to analyse one key area in which Arsenal succeeded.
He spotted that, prior to each penalty, the Arsenal player taking the spot kick stopped for over five seconds after the referee blew their whistle.
He tweeted: "Rare to see a team approach penalties so deliberately, controlled and composed as Arsenal did in the Community Shield today.
"Every player paused >5 seconds after the whistle. This never guarantees success, but it suggests a collective plan to ACTIVELY control oneself under stress."
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The technique certainly made the difference for Arsenal, and Arteta explained that another plan had been devised in his post-match interview.
He told the club's official website: "We've done it [taken part in a shootout] three times in pre-season.
"It was part of the plan to get ready just in case we had to do it today, that it wasn't the first time to do that, and I think that it paid off."
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@GeirJordetTopics: Arsenal, Premier League, Community Shield, Manchester City, Wembley Stadium
