Meknes – Arsenal claimed an early piece of silverware on Sunday with a commanding 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield.
The win gave Mikel Arteta a perfect start to the new campaign while handing Enzo Maresca a disappointing defeat in his first official match in charge of City.
The victory at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium preserved Arsenal’s perfect record against Manchester City in the Community Shield, marking their fourth straight win over them in the competition.
Strikes from Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz, and Martin Odegaard capped off a thoroughly dominant display from the Gunners.
After an uneven pre-season that sparked concerns among fans, Arsenal put all doubts to rest within seconds of the opening whistle.
First half
The Gunners made an immediate statement with a fast-paced start, opening the scoring in just 23 seconds to set a dominant tone for the match.
Operating from midfield, Myles Lewis-Skelly picked out Riccardo Calafiori with a precise through ball to open the scoring.
The Italian left-back made no mistake, finishing smoothly past Gianluigi Donnarumma to put Arsenal ahead against the reigning FA Cup winners right out of the gate.
Manchester City struggled to create early chances, with their first threat arriving in the 20th minute through a curling long-range effort from Phil Foden.
David Raya reacted quickly with a diving save to deny him, before later stopping a low strike from Erling Haaland to keep City off the scoresheet.
Arsenal extended their advantage through a well-worked aerial sequence started by Odegaard. The captain’s far-post cross was headed back across the face of goal by summer signing Christos Tzolis, allowing Kai Havertz to nod it past Gianluigi Donnarumma, who failed to handle the effort cleanly as it crossed the line.
Second half
The Gunners put the game out of reach just three minutes into the second half. Tzolis picked up his second assist of the match, feeding Odegaard, who bypassed Joško Gvardiol with a delicate first touch before wrong-footing Donnarumma to make it 3-0.
City offered only fleeting moments of danger throughout the match, which David Raya dealt with comfortably to keep a clean sheet.
At the other end of the pitch, Haaland was completely neutralized by the Arsenal defense and substituted before the 60-minute mark.
With the first trophy of the season secured, Arsenal head into the new campaign with real momentum and a clear statement of intent to defend their crown.
