Arsenal Thrash Manchester City 3-0 to Lift Community Shield

Arsenal have made a strong statement ahead of the new Premier League season after defeating Manchester City 3-0 to win the 2026 Community Shield at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. Riccardo Calafiori opened the scoring just 23 seconds into the match after being played through by Myles Lewis-Skelly. Kai Havertz doubled Arsenal’s advantage in the 28th minute with a header following good work from new signing Christos Tzolis. Martin Ødegaard then sealed the victory three minutes into the second half, finishing calmly after Tzolis created another opportunity. The victory gives Arsenal their 18th

Arsenal have made a strong statement ahead of the new Premier League season after defeating Manchester City 3-0 to win the 2026 Community Shield at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. Riccardo Calafiori opened the scoring just 23 seconds into the match after being played through by Myles Lewis-Skelly. Kai Havertz doubled Arsenal’s advantage in the 28th minute with a header following good work from new signing Christos Tzolis. Martin Ødegaard then sealed the victory three minutes into the second half, finishing calmly after Tzolis created another opportunity. The victory gives Arsenal their 18th Community Shield title and their second trophy in four months after winning the Premier League. New signing Tzolis was one of the standout performers, providing two assists on his competitive debut for Arsenal. The £34m summer arrival from Club Brugge immediately showed why Mikel Arteta wanted him, having contributed 40 goals in the league last season. For Manchester City, the defeat marked a difficult start to the post-Pep Guardiola era. It was their first competitive match without Guardiola in more than a decade, with Enzo Maresca taking charge. City struggled to match Arsenal's intensity and physicality, although David Raya made several important saves to deny Phil Foden and Antoine Semenyo. The result also gives Arsenal early psychological momentum ahead of the Premier League campaign. Arsenal will open their league season at home against Coventry City on Friday, while Manchester City will host Bournemouth on Sunday.