Premier League champions Arsenal made an emphatic start to the new campaign by beating Manchester City 3-0 to lift the 2026 Community Shield at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s side needed only 23 seconds to take control. Myles Lewis-Skelly released Riccardo Calafiori, who kept his composure to finish beyond City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Arsenal doubled their advantage in the 28th minute. Summer signing Christos Tzolis headed Martin Odegaard’s cross back into the danger area, allowing Kai Havertz to score with a downward header.
Odegaard almost added a third before the interval, but Josko Gvardiol cleared his effort off the line.
There was no escape for City shortly after the restart. Three minutes into the second half, Tzolis found Odegaard inside the penalty area. The Arsenal captain sent Donnarumma to the ground with a clever fake shot before calmly rolling the ball into the opposite corner.
Tzolis was one of Arsenal’s standout performers, providing two assists from the left side of the attack. The 24-year-old Greek international joined the Gunners for £34m this summer after directly contributing to a league-high 40 goals for Club Brugge last season, scoring 17 and setting up 23.
The forward is returning to English football after making 30 appearances for Norwich between 2021 and 2024.
Fellow new arrival Bruno Guimaraes started at the base of Arsenal’s midfield but had a quieter afternoon, while Lewis-Skelly impressed amid reported transfer interest from Chelsea and Manchester United. Substitute Bukayo Saka later fired over from a promising position.
City, meanwhile, were playing their first competitive match without Pep Guardiola in charge for more than a decade. New manager Enzo Maresca handed £116m signing Elliot Anderson his competitive debut and brought Phil Foden back into the starting side. Jack Grealish also appeared as a substitute for his first City outing in 15 months.
City struggled with Arsenal’s physical approach, although David Raya was required to save low efforts from Foden and Antoine Semenyo.
The 3-0 result was the biggest Community Shield defeat since Arsenal beat City by the same scoreline in 2014. It also secured Arsenal’s second trophy in four months and their 18th Community Shield.
The match was staged in Cardiff because Wembley is hosting The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours til Dawn’ tour.
Arsenal begin their Premier League season at home to Coventry City on Friday at 20:00 BST, while City host Bournemouth on Sunday at 14:00 BST.
