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Arsenal fans vote new star Christos Tzolis as Player of the Match in Community Shield victory
17th August, 2026 10:30 AM
Arsenal fans overwhelmingly voted new winger Christos Tzolis as their Player of the Match following a dominant 3-0 victory over Manchester City at the Principality Stadium in Wales, bypassing skipper Martin Ødegaard, who was named the official Player of the Match by competition organisers.
The Greek international, a summer arrival from Club Brugge, was at the heart of a brilliant performance as the Gunners claimed the first silverware of the 2026/27 season.
Tzolis played an influential role throughout the contest, providing two crucial assists. He first displayed remarkable composure and strength to hold off Abdukodir Khusanov and head a cross back into the danger area for Kai Havertz to make it 2-0 in the 38th minute.
He wasn’t done there. After the restart, as Arsenal hit top gear, Tzolis claimed his second assist of the afternoon by setting up Ødegaard to cap off the scoring with the club’s third goal.
Arteta praises ‘intelligent’ Tzolis
Following the resounding win over their Premier League rivals, manager Mikel Arteta singled out Tzolis for his composure and decision-making in the final third, highlighting how seamlessly the winger has integrated into the squad.
“I said last week that he has come into the team and fit in very organically,” Arteta told reporters after the match. “He is a really intelligent player. He has massive quality to finish his actions or pick people out, and he is very composed in the box. He has shown that three or four times now, and once again today he was solid.”
The winger garnered over 154,000 votes ahead of Odegaard’s 47,000 in the poll run by the London club. Martin Lewis Skelly, who provided the assist to Ricardo Calafiori’s early opener, came third and fourth, respectively.
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 the encounter, Ødegaard laid down the victory as a marker of Arsenal’s intent for the upcoming campaign:
“It is 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.”
