By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Arsenal made a commanding start to the new season after thrashing Manchester City 3-0 to lift the Community Shield at the Principality Stadium on Sunday.
The emphatic victory handed Mikel Arteta’s side an early piece of silverware and provided a statement of intent ahead of the new campaign.
Arsenal took control almost immediately, breaking the deadlock in the first minute when Riccardo Calafiori found the bottom-left corner with a composed finish following a neat team move.
Manchester City struggled to respond as Arsenal continued to create openings, with Noni Madueke and Martin Odegaard posing problems for the City defence.
The Gunners doubled their advantage in the 28th minute. Christos Tzolis delivered a delightful cross into the area, which Kai Havertz met with a header that beat goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
City attempted to find a route back into the contest, with Erling Haaland and Phil Foden both testing David Raya, but the Arsenal goalkeeper remained equal to the threat.
Haaland came close in the 36th and 40th minutes, but Raya dealt comfortably with his first effort before producing another save to deny the Norwegian striker.
Arsenal then delivered the decisive blow shortly after the restart.
In the 48th minute, Christos Tzolis produced a fine pass for Martin Odegaard inside the penalty area, and the Arsenal captain fired into the bottom-left corner to make it 3-0.
The goal effectively put the contest beyond Manchester City, despite manager Enzo Maresca making a series of changes in an attempt to alter the course of his first competitive match in charge of the club.
Maresca introduced Jack Grealish at half-time before making further changes, including bringing on Rayan Cherki and Marc Guehi. Arsenal also made several substitutions as Arteta managed his side’s comfortable advantage.
City created opportunities in the second half, with Rayan Cherki forcing a brilliant save from Raya in the 74th minute and Antoine Semenyo testing the Arsenal goalkeeper eight minutes later.
Arsenal, however, remained defensively disciplined and preserved their three-goal advantage until the final whistle.
The victory gives Arteta and his players an early boost and marks a spectacular beginning to their competitive campaign, while Maresca faces an immediate rebuilding task after his first competitive outing as Manchester City manager ended in a heavy defeat.
With the Community Shield now secured, Arsenal will head into the new season with confidence after sending a powerful warning to their domestic rivals.
