As league champions, Arsenal contested the 1991 FA Charity Shield against local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who had beaten Nottingham Forest to win the 1991 FA Cup Final. Anders Limpar was absent for Arsenal, as he had sustained a knee injury while on duty for Sweden. David O'Leary started in place of the injured Steve Bould and midfielder David Hillier was picked ahead of Michael Thomas in midfield. In spite of dominating territorial advantage, Arsenal were held to a 0–0 draw, meaning each team held the trophy for six months. Graham commentated that Arsenal played below their usual standard and accepted that his team needed to work on their finishing, in order to make use of their possession.