Arsenal produced a statement win over Manchester City to lift the 2026 Community Shield in Cardiff, beating their title rivals 3-0. Mikel Arteta’s side made the perfect start, taking the lead after just 23 seconds when Myles Lewis-Skelly slipped in Riccardo Calafiori to slot past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
They doubled that lead in the 28th minute. Martin Odegaard’s cross found summer signing Christos Tzolis, who nodded the ball back across goal for Kai Havertz to head home. Three minutes into the second half, Tzolis turned provider again, releasing Odegaard inside the box. The captain sent Donnarumma to the floor with a composed fake shot before rolling the ball into the far corner.
The win handed Arsenal their second trophy in four months and an 18th Community Shield title overall. It also marked the heaviest defeat in the fixture since 2014, when Arsรจne Wenger’s side beat Manuel Pellegrini’s City by the same scoreline.
Tzolis was the game’s standout performer, setting up two of the three goals on his competitive debut. He arrived at the Emirates for ยฃ34m this summer having been directly involved in a league-high 40 goals for Club Brugge last season, and returns to English football having previously spent time at Norwich between 2021 and 2024.
Bruno Guimaraes also started in Arsenal’s midfield but had a quieter afternoon at the base of the team, while Lewis-Skelly again drew attention for his assist amid ongoing transfer speculation linking him with Chelsea and Manchester United. City did have chances of their own, with Ben White forced into a superb block to deny Jeremy Doku and David Raya saving well from Phil Foden and Antoine Semenyo.
It was a difficult start for City’s new era. This was their first competitive match without Pep Guardiola in charge for over a decade, since Manuel Pellegrini’s side drew 1-1 with Swansea in May 2016. Enzo Maresca handed a debut to ยฃ116m signing Elliot Anderson and recalled Foden to the starting line-up, while Jack Grealish came off the bench for his first appearance in 15 months.
Arsenal begin their Premier League title defence at home to Coventry City on Friday, kicking off at 20:00 BST. City host Bournemouth on Sunday at 14:00 BST.
Read more –ย Arteta pays moving tribute to Guardiola ahead of Community Shield
Also see –ย What Community Shield history says about title races
Follow Footy Times on Social Media:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
Discover more from Footy Times
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.