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Arsenal 3-0 Man City: Gunners stun Premier League rivals to win Community Shield
16th August, 2026 07:38 PM
Arsenal have laid their hands on the first piece of silverware of the season, defeating rivals Manchester City 3–0 to win the FA Community Shield on Sunday, August 16, 2026.
Goals from Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz, and skipper Martin Odegaard sealed a comfortable win for the reigning Premier League champions. The defeat marked a tough start for Enzo Maresca in his debut match since replacing Pep Guardiola at the helm of the former English champions.
Calafiori stunned the Citizens inside the opening minute as the Gunners got off to a flying start at the Principality Stadium in Wales.
Arsenal’s fast start
The early goal set the tone for an Arsenal-dominated first half, though City looked dangerous on the counter with Jérémy Doku and Erling Haaland coming close. Doku had City’s best chance, but right-back Ben White did well to block his goalbound effort for a corner.
The incident came moments after Haaland was played through, only for David Raya to deny his low shot with a brilliant save to prevent an equaliser.
Arsenal then doubled their lead before halftime. Christos Tzolis was the chief provider, and tormentor-in-chief from the flanks, supplying twin assists on his competitive debut to leave Maresca’s side in trouble.
The winger, who finished last season with 29 assists for Club Brugge in Belgium, laid the ball off for Havertz to score Arsenal’s second goal in the 28th minute. The strike triggered wild celebrations among the Gunners fans, who turned their backs to the pitch to taunt their opponents with the “Poznan” celebration traditionally associated with Manchester City.
Tzolis impresses
Mikel Arteta’s side, who were missing a number of key first-team players through injury, shifted into another gear in the second half. Tzolis was again at the centre of the action, setting up Odegaard, who sublimely sat down goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma before slotting home to make it 3–0.
The emphatic scoreline highlighted Arsenal’s depth and dominance, even in the absence of regular starters Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, and defender William Saliba.
Speaking after being named Player of the Match, Ødegaard laid down the victory as a marker of Arsenal’s intent for the upcoming campaign:
“It’s for everyone to see our level. We showed what we are capable of and that we are ready and serious to go again. We will attack the league. It is an unbelievable achievement, and once you taste winning the championship, you want to do it again. That is the mindset. Now we look forward to starting the league well on Friday.”
