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Arsenal continued their impressive form from last season with a dominant 3–0 victory over Manchester City to claim the 2026 Community Shield on Sunday.
New City boss Enzo Maresca, tasked with filling the enormous gap left by Pep Guardiola, watched on in frustration as his team suffered a flat, labored loss against an Arsenal side that appears primed to retain their Premier League crown.
The Gunners made the perfect start, breaking the deadlock after just 24 seconds. Myles Lewis-Skelly, eager to stake his claim in a competitive midfield, threaded a brilliant pass into the path of the advancing Riccardo Calafiori, who finished calmly at close range.
It set the tone for a commanding first-half display from Arsenal, who looked a class above their opponents even without Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, both absent due to fitness concerns.
City, by contrast, looked alarmingly uncertain under Maresca. They held the lion's share of possession but created very little going forward, and had no grounds for complaint when Kai Havertz's header crept past Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 28th minute.
Havertz's goal was set up by debutant Christos Tzolis, who impressed throughout with a well-rounded performance at both ends of the pitch, playing a key role in inspiring Arsenal's triumph.
Such was Arsenal's stranglehold on the match that City failed to threaten seriously until the 40th minute, though it required a superb Ben White block to stop Jérémy Doku from halving the deficit before the interval.
Instead, just three minutes after the break, City found themselves three goals down. Martin Ødegaard showed remarkable composure to wrong-foot Donnarumma and roll the ball into an empty net without hesitation.
"Are you Tottenham in disguise?" chanted the Arsenal supporters as the party got underway early. Maresca responded with a flurry of substitutions, bringing on Jack Grealish and withdrawing Erling Haaland in the 53rd minute.
The changes made little difference, however, as Arsenal remained firmly in the driver's seat, never looking threatened as they cruised to their first piece of silverware of the new campaign.
There is little time for Arsenal to savour the moment, though, with Coventry City visiting on Friday to open their Premier League season.
As for City, Maresca has a full week to find answers to this deeply disappointing start to his reign before Bournemouth arrive at the Etihad.