Arsenal thrash Manchester City to clinch Community Shield in season curtain-raiser

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lewis-skelly-myles/bDeyKrHT/"]Myles Lewis-Skelly[/a] had been linked with a move away from the Emirates in the build-up to kick-off at the Principality Stadium, but he wasted no time in making his point to Mikel Arteta, [b]picking out [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/calafiori-riccardo/CEwq7x7l/"]Calafiori[/a] for the opener with a delightful reverse pass to give the Londoners the perfect start.[/b][/p][p]That left Enzo Maresca an uphill task in his first competitive fixture since replacing the legendary Pep Guardiola, and things went from bad to worse before the half-hour mark.[/p][p][b]New [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Arsenal[/a] signing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tzolis-christos/484Acu9H/"]Christos Tzolis[/a] nodded the ball smartly back across goal from a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/odegaard-martin/ID32TGhp/"]Martin Odegaard[/a] cross, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/havertz-kai/rH8BZWiI/"]Kai Havertz[/a] was on hand to squirm his header beyond an unconvincing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/donnarumma-gianluigi/WScbdXmL/"]Gianluigi Donnarumma[/a].[/b][/p][image alt="Key match stats" id="dd6b6994-cadf-41ea-a0a2-66bfb17e8711" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="5bb51fe7-b09f-416d-8cc8-a942164660d9" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]The Cityzens belatedly threatened to click into gear as the half drew to a close, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/haaland-erling/UmV9iQmE/"]Erling Haaland[/a] drawing a good save from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/raya-david/nkVV0IXb/"]David Raya[/a] before a great block from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/white-ben/pvGdJANj/"]Ben White[/a] to deny [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/doku-jeremy/lMHcYK4f/"]Jeremy Doku[/a].[/p][p]But there was still time before the break for Arteta’s men to come again, and only a goal-line clearance prevented Odegaard from making it 3-0.[/p][p]This reprieve for Maresca’s side proved short-lived, as they remarkably allowed themselves to be caught cold for a second time after the restart.[/p][p][b]Some simple but incisive passing sliced the Etihad outfit apart once more, and Odegaard sat down Donnarumma with a cool finish to put the contest beyond any doubt at the second attempt. [/b][/p][embed guid="d3c49213-a31b-4cf4-81fa-90f8ef537e3c" url="https://x.com/Arsenal/status/2089009877100183986" social-type="twitter" /][p]Substitute [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saka-bukayo/08NLEo06/"]Bukayo Saka[/a] then almost applied the finishing touch to a delightfully crafted move, but could only find the side netting after shrugging off [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gvardiol-josko/86K1f1fd/"]Josko Gvardiol[/a].[/p][p]He then put an even bigger chance over the crossbar, but the miss could hardly make a dent in Arsenal’s jubilant mood as the final whistle formally confirmed a statement victory.[/p][p]The win means Arteta has now tasted success in all of his Community Shield appearances as both a player (W2) and manager (W3).[/p][p]For Maresca, this was a tough reminder of the scale of the task ahead, although he will waste no time in turning his attention to the Premier League opener against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bournemouth/OtpNdwrc/"]Bournemouth[/a] next Sunday.[/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tzolis-christos/484Acu9H/"]Christos Tzolis[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Arsenal[/a])[/b][/p][embed guid="2af5c1b5-645d-4949-b459-4a3af8efc623" url="https://x.com/Flashscorecom/status/2089018375976391121" social-type="twitter" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/arsenal-hA1Zm19f/manchester-city-Wtn9Stg0/?mid=jNXdfeGb"]Check out all the key match stats here.[/a][/b][/p]