Arsenal beat Manchester City 3-0 in Community Shield as Odegaard and new signings shine in Cardiff

Match summary

Arsenal defeated Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Sunday, handing new City manager Enzo Maresca a defeat in his first match in charge. Arsenal opened the scoring after just 23 seconds when Riccardo Calafiori was put through on goal. The Premier League champions doubled their advantage in the 23rd minute when Kai Havertz headed past Gianluigi Donnarumma, who could not keep the ball out. Christos Tzolis, a £34m signing from Club Brugge, provided his second assist of the afternoon by setting up captain Martin Odegaard for the third goal three minutes into the second half.

New signings make instant impact

Two summer arrivals stood out for Arsenal. Bruno Guimaraes, signed from Newcastle for £75m, delivered a commanding 45-minute performance in midfield before being replaced by Declan Rice at half-time. Tzolis, the Greek international, created goals for both Havertz and Odegaard. Odegaard praised the immediate connection with his new teammates.

“Since the first day he came in, it has been such a natural thing. Although we had some big fights with him in the past, he has just come into the team as a real natural part of the team. He can win the ball, he's a fighter. But he also has so much quality and is calm on the ball. He always takes the right amount of time and he finds the pass.”

Maresca's difficult start

Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola over the summer, saw his side produce only flashes of attacking threat, with Phil Foden and Erling Haaland forcing saves from David Raya. The Italian coach expressed dissatisfaction with the first two goals his team conceded.

“The first two goals we conceded, I didn't like. The first one because it was after 25 seconds; the second one, I think there was no pressure on the ball. I don't know if it's for physical condition; we had more players at the World Cup. I don't know the reason why, but the first two goals that we conceded, I don't like.”

Maresca confirmed City intend to act before the transfer window closes, and news emerged that the club has accepted a £65.4m bid from Barcelona for Spain midfielder Rodri. City's underlying numbers reflected their struggles: they generated 0.77 expected goals compared to Arsenal's 2.19.

Arsenal2.19

Man City0.77

Arsenal

2.19 xG

Man City

0.77 xG

Data from the article text

Odegaard's resurgence

Odegaard's goal was his first for Arsenal since December, capping a performance that suggested a return to form after a season disrupted by seven shoulder, knee and muscle injuries. The Norwegian started only 16 Premier League games last season, scoring once, but found renewed confidence during Norway's run to the World Cup quarter-finals in the summer.

“Last year was really a big struggle with a lot of difficult moments. It is the worst thing for a footballer to not be able to be on the pitch and I had quite a lot of weird injuries, and bad luck.”

Looking ahead

Arsenal begin their Premier League title defence against promoted Coventry on Friday night at the Emirates Stadium. The club won its first league title in 22 years in May. Only three managers have won Premier League titles back-to-back in the last 34 years: Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola. Since the Premier League began in 1992-93, only eight of 34 Community Shield winners have gone on to win the league, with Manchester City in 2018-19 the last to do so.