Premier League champions Arsenal opened the new season with a commanding 3-0 victory over Manchester City in Cardiff, securing the 2026 Community Shield and adding another trophy to Mikel Arteta’s collection.
The Gunners needed just 23 seconds to take control. Myles Lewis-Skelly released Riccardo Calafiori into space, and the Italian defender beat Gianluigi Donnarumma to give Arsenal an immediate advantage.
Arsenal doubled their lead in the 28th minute. New signing Christos Tzolis redirected Martin Odegaard’s delivery across goal, allowing Kai Havertz to finish with a downward header.
City’s hopes of a comeback were effectively ended three minutes after the restart. Tzolis supplied Odegaard inside the penalty area, where the Arsenal captain wrong-footed Donnarumma with a sharp feint before calmly placing the ball into the far corner.
Tzolis was one of Arsenal’s standout performers, recording two assists from the left wing. The 24-year-old joined from Club Brugge for £34 million after contributing 17 goals and 23 assists last season. His move also marks a return to English football following his earlier spell with Norwich City.
Bruno Guimaraes started at the base of Arsenal’s midfield, while Lewis-Skelly strengthened his case for a major role this season with an energetic display and an assist. Odegaard nearly added another goal before half-time, but Josko Gvardiol cleared his effort off the line. Bukayo Saka later fired over after coming on as a substitute.
The match also marked the beginning of a new era for Manchester City. Enzo Maresca took charge of his first competitive game following Pep Guardiola’s departure and handed £116 million signing Elliot Anderson his debut. Phil Foden returned to the starting line-up, while Jack Grealish appeared from the bench for his first City outing in 15 months.
City created several chances but struggled to match Arsenal’s intensity. David Raya denied low efforts from Foden and Antoine Semenyo to preserve the clean sheet.
The fixture was staged at Principality Stadium because Wembley was unavailable due to The Weeknd’s concert tour.
Arsenal’s victory delivered their second trophy in four months and their 18th Community Shield. City, meanwhile, suffered the competition’s heaviest defeat since Arsenal also beat them 3-0 in 2014.