The new Premier League season has not even begun, yet the order of things has already been established. This Sunday, 16 August, at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, Arsenal left no doubt about their intentions for the next twelve months: a 3-0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City, with the opening goal scored after exactly 24 seconds, the second-fastest in the competition's history. A nightmare for Enzo Maresca, who was taking charge of City from the bench in his very first competitive match.
Goal by goal: how Arsenal killed the match in two decisive sequences
The sound recording was still in the introductions when the ball was already in Gianluigi Donnarumma's net. Myles Lewis-Skelly, on the left, sent a long ball toward the far post. Calafiori, charging onto the cross like a rocket, got ahead of N'O'Reilly and curled it in with his left foot off the base of the post. 24 seconds. The Principality Stadium had not yet finished settling into its stands. Enzo Maresca, frozen on the touchline, had probably not yet found his bearings in the technical area.
After 28 minutes, City had failed to create a single clear-cut chance. Christos Tzolis, Arsenal's summer signing, crossed from the right. Ødegaard moved to draw Kovacic away and freed Havertz in the center. The German headed the ball, Donnarumma came to claim it but let it slip through his hands and under his body. 2-0. The Milan goalkeeper, beginning his first season at City after leaving OM, produced a missed save that summed up his team's first half all by itself.
Three minutes after the restart. City came out of the dressing room determined to reduce the deficit. It was Arsenal who scored the third. Ødegaard received the ball on the left side of the box, held off Gvardiol with his first touch, then cut inside with a shot feint that froze Donnarumma on his line. The Norwegian captain then rolled the ball into the empty net, as calmly as a player who has known for a long time that the match was over. 3-0. Ødegaard was named man of the match.
The figures that tell the story of the dominance
Maresca faces an immediate challenge in the post-Guardiola era
For Enzo Maresca, this Community Shield was a difficult introduction in an already demanding context. Succeeding Pep Guardiola, who left Manchester City after nine seasons and six Premier League titles, is probably the most difficult job in the recent history of English football.
Maresca had shown at Leicester what he was capable of doing with a Championship team: a high press, a structured setup, and progressing the ball through the lines. But transferring this philosophy of play to a group of players usually coached to manage tempo and space differently takes time. This Community Shield gave him none.
The City team fielded in Cardiff was also new in terms of its line-up. Donnarumma started in goal instead of Ederson, who left in July. Elliot Anderson, signed from Nottingham Forest, started in midfield. Omar Marmoush, who arrived in January but was never truly integrated tactically under Guardiola, was given a broader role. This is still a team searching for its identity, and Arsenal did not give it time to find it.
We showed what we are capable of when we play our football. We did it from the very first second.
Mikel Arteta, post-match press conferenceThe match line-ups
- Raya
- Calafiori, Gabriel, Mosquera, B. White
- Lewis-Skelly, Bruno Guimarães
- Tzolis, Ødegaard, Madueke
- Havertz
- Donnarumma
- N'O'Reilly, Gvardiol, Días, Khusanov
- Kovacic, E. Anderson
- Doku, Foden, Semenyo
- Haaland
What this result says about the season ahead
A Community Shield has never predicted a league title. Manchester City had lost this same trophy in 2023 to Arsenal (on penalties), yet still ended the following season with another Premier League title. The conclusions must therefore be nuanced.
But the way Arsenal won says something important. This was not a victory built on a counterattack, a penalty, or a fortunate set piece. It was a collective domination, built over 90 minutes, with an extremely high press from the very first second (literally), fluid ball movement, and a defense that was almost never troubled. Raya conceded just one shot on target throughout the match.
For Mikel Arteta, this victory is an answer to those who worried about Myles Lewis-Skelly's potential departure, the subject of rumors all summer. The 18-year-old left-back provided the assist for the first goal after just 24 seconds, seemingly putting the debate to rest once and for all before the league campaign had even kicked off.
For City and Maresca, the work starts now, away from the cameras and results, on the training pitches of the Etihad Campus. The season is long, and teams like City have often managed to turn opening defeats into energy for what follows. Guardiola himself lost his first Community Shield in 2016 against Liverpool. He then won two in a row.
Tzolis, the match's unexpected revelation
Although Ødegaard was named man of the match, it was Christos Tzolis who caught observers' attention as the real surprise of this Community Shield. The 24-year-old Greek, quietly signed from Bruges in July for around €30 million, established himself as a starter in place of Bukayo Saka, who remained on the bench for the first 70 minutes. He provided the assist for the second goal, won two penalties that were overturned by VAR, and constantly troubled City's defense with his runs inside.
Saka came on in the 70th minute and missed his only one-on-one with Donnarumma, sending the ball over the crossbar. But he appears to have had a solid preseason, and his first 20 minutes on the pitch leave no doubt about his fitness ahead of the start of the season.
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