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Arsenal delivered a statement performance to start the new season, dismantling Manchester City 3-0 to win the 2026 Community Shield in Cardiff.
The Premier League champions needed just 23 seconds to take the lead when Myles Lewis-Skelly’s brilliant through ball found Riccardo Calafiori, who finished calmly past Gianluigi Donnarumma. It was the fastest goal in Community Shield history.
Kai Havertz doubled the lead in the 28th minute, heading home after new signing Christos Tzolis nodded Martin Odegaard’s cross back across goal. Tzolis then turned provider again three minutes into the second half, finding Odegaard, who produced a clever fake shot to send Donnarumma the wrong way before slotting home to complete the 3-0 rout.
The victory hands Arsenal their 18th Community Shield title and their first since 2023. It was also the biggest Community Shield win since Arsenal beat City 3-0 in 2014 .
Arsenal could not have dreamed of a better start. From the kick-off, Lewis-Skelly slipped a perfectly weighted reverse pass to Calafiori, who raced through and slotted past Donnarumma.
City briefly responded through Phil Foden, whose long-range strike forced a strong save from David Raya. But Arsenal’s defence, marshalled by Gabriel Magalhaes and Cristhian Mosquera, kept Erling Haaland quiet throughout the half.
Arsenal’s second goal arrived in the 28th minute. Odegaard delivered a cross to Tzolis at the back post, and the Greek winger headed it back across goal for Havertz to nod past a fumbling Donnarumma. Odegaard had a deflected shot cleared off the line by Josko Gvardiol just before half-time .
Arsenal picked up where they left off. Three minutes into the second half, Tzolis found Odegaard on the edge of the box. The Norwegian captain dribbled into the area, produced a brilliant fake shot to send Donnarumma to the floor, and calmly passed the ball into the opposite corner.
Enzo Maresca, managing City in his first competitive match since replacing Pep Guardiola, introduced Jack Grealish and Rayan Cherki in an attempt to spark a comeback. But Arsenal’s defence remained resolute, with Ben White producing a crucial block to deny Jeremy Doku.
Bukayo Saka, returning from World Cup duty, came on as a substitute and forced Donnarumma into a save. Arsenal saw out the remainder of the match comfortably to lift the first silverware of the season.
