Arsenal made an emphatic start to the 2026-27 campaign, beating Manchester City 3-0 on Sunday to win the Community Shield and hand new City manager Enzo Maresca a defeat in his first competitive match in charge.
Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz and captain Martin Ødegaard scored as Arsenal dominated at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, with the victory giving manager Mikel Arteta an early trophy ahead of the new Premier League season.
Arsenal needed only 23 seconds to take the lead. Myles Lewis-Skelly found Calafiori with a well-weighted pass, and the Italian defender calmly finished past Gianluigi Donnarumma. It was the fastest opening goal in the fixture in 58 years.
City struggled to respond, with goalkeeper David Raya denying Phil Foden from distance before later keeping out a shot from Erling Haaland.
Arsenal doubled its advantage in the 28th minute. Ødegaard delivered a cross toward the far post, where new signing Christos Tzolis headed the ball back across goal for Havertz, who finished to make it 2-0.
Ødegaard completed the scoring three minutes after halftime. Tzolis provided another assist, allowing the Arsenal captain to beat Josko Gvardiol before calmly finishing past Donnarumma.
The victory marked Arsenal’s 18th Community Shield triumph and their fourth win over Manchester City in the competition.
The result also marked the beginning of a new era at City following Pep Guardiola’s departure after a decade in charge. Maresca, who replaced Guardiola, now faces a difficult start as he prepares his squad for the Premier League campaign.
Arsenal will begin their league title defense against Coventry City on Friday, while Ødegaard said the team is determined to challenge for more trophies this season.
“We showed our level today, we showed that we’re ready,” Ødegaard said.
