Crystal Palace have, by manager Oliver Glasner's own admission, had a pretty quiet transfer window. Certainly, the Austrian hasn't got the reinforcements he'd hoped for following their FA Cup final triumph earlier in the year.
But the Eagles soared on Sunday, producing an impressive performance to beat Liverpool on penalties after a 2-2 draw and claim the first trophy of the new campaign in the form of the Community Shield.
Many had expected Liverpool to blow their rivals aside following a summer of huge investment. Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Hugo Ekitike have all arrived for big fees - with the quartet all handed debuts at Wembley on Sunday.
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Yet while the Reds looked strong going forward, they were vulnerably at the back. And Palace, in the end, were able to capitalise with a deserved victory as they wrote another chapter in the Glasner fairytale.
Crystal Palace beat Liverpool on penalties to win the Community Shield, with Dean Henderson making two saves in the shootout
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Liverpool's day had started brilliantly, with new striker Ekitike scoring after just four minutes.
The forward, who turned down Newcastle in favour of the Reds following his decision to leave Eintracht Frankfurt behind, linked up superbly with Florian Wirtz before placing his effort into the bottom corner.
Minutes later, Liverpool should have doubled their lead.
Cody Gakpo, who is likely to play a big role this term as things stand following the departure of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich, saw his effort brilliantly saved from Dean Henderson.
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Just as Liverpool were starting to dominate, with Wirtz's intelligent movement in the middle of the park causing problems, Palace found themselves with a glorious chance to draw level.
Virgil van Dijk, so flawless last season, was uncharacteristically slow in a tackle on Ismaila Sarr - leaving referree Chris Kavanagh with no choice but to point to the penalty spot.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, who opted to stay with the Eagles this summer despite being linked with a move away, kept his cool from 12 yards to spark wild celebrations among the Palace fans.
In the 21st minute of the match, however, Liverpool regained the lead.
Liverpool took the lead twice against Crystal Palace but ended losing the Community Shield on penalties
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This time it was Frimpong, with the Netherlands international's attempted cross sailing over Dean Henderson and into the net.
The former Bayer Leverkusen star celebrated giddily, dancing and skipping as he basked in the glory of his goal. Given his task is to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, the defender certainly doesn't appear fazed by the challenge.
At the start of the second half, Ekitike spurned a glorious opportunity to double Liverpool's lead.
The Frenchman headed over after a fine cross from Kerkez and Palace, knowing they needed to up the ante, then started to up the heat on their rivals.
Sarr saw a headed effort sail wide, with Mateta nodding on a cross from Marc Guehi. It was a frustating miss for Sarr, who looked annoyed by his failure to score.
Chris Richards also went close with his head, only for his attempt on goal to be easily held by Alisson Becker in the Liverpool goal.
Alisson was called into action again when Eberechi Eze, the star of Palace's FA Cup triumph at this same ground earlier in the year, looked as though he'd draw the Eagles level.
But Sarr was able to do exactly that to force penalties, with the former Watford star finally beating Alisson from close range with 13 minutes left on the clock.
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Crystal Palace players celebrate their Community Shield win over Liverpool at Wembley on Sunday
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In the shootout, Dean Henderson emerged as the hero for Palace.
The England international saved from Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliot, with Mohamed Salah also missing, to ensure they claim the first trophy of the new season.
Whether they can add to their trophy cabinet in 2026 remains to be seen, with the Eagles flying higher and higher under Glasner's guidance.