For Enzo Maresca, a miserable first meaningful game in charge of Manchester City that began with Arsenal seizing the lead after 24 seconds ended with Mikel Arteta’s side lifting the Community Shield. Arsenal eviscerated City, Riccardo Calafiori’s smart early opener after Myles Lewis-Skelly’s brilliant pass seemingly leaving their opponents with irrecoverable damage. Kai Havertz doubled Arsenal’s lead on 28 minutes and Martin Ødegaard in effect sealed the win three minutes into the second half, taking great pleasure in fooling Gianluigi Donnarumma in the City goal before finishing. On this evidence, the post-Pep Guardiola era could be trickier than widely envisaged.
Christos Tzolis shone on the left, playing the whole game in Cardiff. He was involved in all three goals, assisting two. No Arsenal player played more passes into the final third. It was Tzolis’s cross to switch play to Noni Madueke, one of 10 passes before Calafiori rippled the City net. Between Lewis-Skelly rolling the ball to Martin Ødegaard at kick-off and Calafiori peeling off Abdukodir Khusanov to finish, City had a single touch of the ball; Elliot Anderson intercepted Calafiori’s pass aimed at Ødegaard in the City 18-yard box. But then Madueke cushioned a header for Ben White, who tucked into midfield, and Lewis-Skelly rolled Phil Foden before releasing Calafiori goal-side of Rúben Dias with a sumptuous reverse ball.
Just like that, Arsenal were away. Calafiori was mobbed by his teammates but wagged his finger in the direction of Lewis-Skelly, highlighting the teenager’s part in the goal. Lewis-Skelly has been offered to clubs this summer but played a central role before being replaced by Martín Zubimendi.
Bruno Guimarães, wearing the No 39 shirt, a nod to his father’s taxi number in Rio de Janeiro while growing up, but this time in Arsenal red, was busy on his debut before being replaced by Declan Rice in a planned half-time departure. Tzolis, though, was the undoubted pick of the new faces on show. Anderson was unusually overwhelmed on his first appearance since the World Cup.
Arsenal were game but City seemed to treat the contest as an inconvenience. Maresca felt the reaction to Calafiori’s goal was encouraging and they did carve out a couple of chances. David Raya got a strong right palm to an Erling Haaland shot from distance and then White made a magnificent block to prevent Haaland a simple finish after Antoine Semenyo’s cross took a kind deflection. Gabriel Magalhães celebrated wildly after a clean tackle on Jérémy Doku. As Arsenal cavorted around the pitch presenting their latest trophy to their supporters, squiggles of confetti in the sky, Haaland trudged down the tunnel, hands clasped behind his back.
Calafiori’s early strike provided the perfect tonic for Arsenal to continue the party atmosphere that electrified their Premier League title parade across north London at the end of May. The importance of this victory will be debated, but by winning this competition, back at the Principality Stadium for the first time since 2006 owing to The Weeknd’s gig at Wembley, they put down an impressive marker as they look to build on last season’s success. City, without Rodri amid doubts over his future, with Barcelona pushing to sign the midfielder, lacked any semblance of control.
City had been lightly raced in comparison to their opponents – they played the first of their three pre-season matches this month in Hong Kong, while this represented Arsenal’s sixth outing since the World Cup – and how it showed. Arsenal were crisp in possession, clever in the way they pulled an ominously open City apart. Maresca’s side were exposed across the pitch but Donnarumma was particularly unconvincing in goal, at fault for Arsenal’s second, making a hash of his attempt to keep out Havertz’s header, and embarrassed for the third. Ødegaard delighted in feinting to shoot, sending Donnarumma seesawing to his left, and then promptly firing in a simple finish. “Can we play you every week?” came the chant from the Arsenal support.
For Arsenal, who begin their Premier League title defence at home to Coventry in Friday’s curtain-raiser, this impressive display will only heighten hopes of another blockbuster season. They seem well-equipped to fight on several fronts, though remain in the market for a centre-back, with Jarell Quansah and Ezri Konsa of interest. For City, who host Bournemouth next Sunday, there was little to whet the appetite. Semenyo was muted. Haaland’s only real sight of goal, towards the end of the first half, ended with the Norway striker sending a wayward shot wide of Raya’s net after the ball bobbled.
It was not supposed to be this easy for Arsenal. The previous three Community Shield matches had gone the distance, penalties deciding the winners. That was never on the agenda this time. Instead, Arsenal cruised to the biggest win in the competition since they beat City in 2014, when Arteta captained the side from midfield. “We want to build on what we achieved and continue to have the ambition to win major trophies,” Arteta said before the game. “That starts today.”
