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Arsenal beat Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield. Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz, and Martin Odegaard scored. New signings Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis impressed.
Arsenal’s Norwegian midfielder #08 Martin Odegaard reacts after scoring their third goal during the English FA Community Shield football match between Arsenal and Manchester City at The Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, south Wales on August 16, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP)
Arsenal sent an emphatic warning to their Premier League rivals as they crushed Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Sunday, producing a dominant display full of flair and poise that underlined their ambitions of retaining the English title.
Mikel Arteta’s side needed just 24 seconds to take the lead through Riccardo Calafiori before Kai Havertz doubled the advantage in the 27th minute. Captain Martin Odegaard, who was in majestic form all evening, added a third only three minutes after half-time as Arsenal’s intensity, movement and attacking cohesion repeatedly exposed a disjointed City defence.
The result was particularly significant with Arsenal beginning a season as English champions for the first time since 2004-05. Arteta had spoken of his squad’s desire to keep winning after their painful Champions League final defeat by Paris Saint-Germain in May, and they showed that determination from the get-go.
18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly, playing the arduous role of the deepest-lying midfielder, produced the sharp turn-and-through-pass that unlocked City’s defence in the first minute. Calafiori raced onto it and calmly finished past new City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma from 12 yards.
The goal was the fastest in the Community Shield since 1968 and immediately put Enzo Maresca’s new-look City under pressure.
New signings make immediate impact
Arsenal’s close-season recruits also made an encouraging impression. Bruno Guimaraes, signed from Newcastle, looked comfortable in midfield, apart from a couple of expected moments of rustiness, while left-winger Christos Tzolis, who joined from Club Brugge, provided two assists, continuing his streak of having a goal or an assist in every Arsenal match so far.
The Greek headed Odegaard’s cross back across goal for Havertz to jump over Ruben Dias and score past Donnarumma, who was not strong enough to prevent it from rolling into the goal. Three minutes after the restart, Tzolis turned provider again, finding Odegaard, who weaved through the defence, sat down Donnarumma with a fake jab, before finishing at close range.
His tongue-in-cheek celebration with Havertz showed a swagger that Arsenal were expected to bring after losing the weight of the ‘no-trophy’ monkey.
For new City manager Enzo Maresca, the defeat was a sobering introduction to the scale of the task ahead. On paper, City had a much better attack than Arsenal, but Erling Haaland and Phil Foden looked anonymous, while even those with minutes in the tank from pre-season looked out of sorts.
Maresca brought the semblance of control he was renowned for at Chelsea, but also eked out the lack of energy in moments, which would worry the City hierarchy. The transfer window is still open, and Maresca might be making some calls to Abu Dhabi soon.
August 16, 2026, 22:31 IST
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