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Arsenal Beats Manchester City 3-0 to Win Community Shield

Sunday, August 16, 2026

Arsenal opened the new football season with a comfortable 3-0 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield, played at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. The result gave the Gunners their second trophy of the year and marked their 18th Community Shield title.

Arsenal scored early and controlled the match from start to finish. Riccardo Calafiori put the team ahead within the first minute, finishing off a move started by Myles Lewis-Skelly and Christos Tzolis. Kai Havertz added a second goal in the 28th minute with a header, again set up by Tzolis. Just after halftime, captain Martin Odegaard scored the third goal, faking out City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma before slotting the ball into an open net.

Odegaard was named man of the match. He earned a rating of 8.5 and completed 55 of his 58 passes. He also made nine ball recoveries and won five of six duels, showing he was strong on both ends of the pitch.

Manchester City held more of the ball throughout the game, finishing with 59 percent possession compared to Arsenal's 41 percent. But City could not turn that control into goals. The team managed only one big scoring chance and failed to convert it, while Arsenal scored three goals from four big chances created.

Sunday's match was also the first competitive game for new City manager Enzo Maresca, who took over after Pep Guardiola's long spell in charge ended. Maresca gave new signing Elliot Anderson his debut and started Phil Foden, who had featured less often under Guardiola last season. Jack Grealish also returned to the City lineup, coming on as a second-half substitute after 15 months away from the team.

City did test Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya several times, with shots from Foden and Antoine Semenyo among the closer efforts. But Raya held firm, and Arsenal's defense limited City to low-quality chances for most of the match. Striker Erling Haaland, only recently back in training following the World Cup, was substituted in the 53rd minute after touching the ball just seven times.

It was City's heaviest defeat in the Community Shield since 2014, when Arsenal also won 3-0 against a City team managed by Manuel Pellegrini.

Speaking after the match, Odegaard said Arsenal had shown they were ready for the season ahead. Arsenal will begin its Premier League title defense on Friday at home against Coventry City. Manchester City hosts Bournemouth on Sunday in its first league match under Maresca.

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