Arsenal began the new campaign in emphatic fashion, beating Manchester City 3-0 to win the Community Shield at the Principality Stadium on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta’s side needed just 23 seconds to take the lead, with Riccardo Calafiori calmly finding the bottom-left corner after a well-worked Arsenal move.

The early goal set the tone as Arsenal continued to dominate, with Noni Madueke and Martin Odegaard repeatedly troubling the City defence.

The Gunners doubled their advantage in the 28th minute after Christos Tzolis delivered a deep cross to the back post. The Belgian knocked the ball on for Kai Havertz, who rose to head past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Manchester City struggled to produce a sustained response, although Erling Haaland and Phil Foden tested David Raya before the break. The Arsenal goalkeeper stood firm, making crucial interventions to deny Haaland in the 36th and 40th minutes.

Arsenal extended their lead three minutes after the restart.

Tzolis picked out Odegaard inside the penalty area in the 48th minute, and the Arsenal captain calmly finished into the bottom-left corner after dribbling past a defender and goalkeeper. The goal was Odegaard’s first since last December.

City manager Enzo Maresca attempted to change the momentum with a series of substitutions, including Jack Grealish at half-time and later Rayan Cherki and Marc Guehi, but Arsenal remained in control.

Cherki came closest to reducing the deficit when Raya produced an excellent save to deny him in the 74th minute, while Antoine Semenyo also tested the Arsenal goalkeeper eight minutes later.

The defeat marked Manchester City’s first competitive match without Pep Guardiola, who left the club during the summer after 10 years in charge. Maresca handed record signing Elliot Anderson his debut in midfield but was unable to prevent a heavy loss.

The result also marked Arsenal’s third Community Shield triumph since 2020 and their first since 2023, when they defeated City on penalties.

Arteta’s side remained disciplined defensively and comfortably protected their three-goal advantage until the final whistle, securing an early trophy and a significant confidence boost ahead of the new season.