Arsenal demolished Manchester City 3-0 to win their 18th Community Shield title with an incredible performance at the Millennium Stadium.
Mikel Arteta named a strong lineup for the clash, bringing David Raya back into the fold and also providing Christos Tzolis and Bruno Guimarães with their full competitive debuts following their respective moves this summer.
The Gunners made an incredible start as they pressed City instantly and were rewarded after just 24 seconds when Myles Lewis-Skelly played Riccardo Calafiori in with a sublime pass for the Italian to calmly slot past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
City struggled to get into the game in the opening stages, but their first chance came after 20 minutes through Phil Foden. The 26-year-old picked the ball up and fired from range, but Raya got down well to palm his effort away.
The Premier League champions held off their rivals' pressure to double their lead just before the half-hour mark. Martin Ødegaard found debutant Tzolis with a perfect cross for the Greek international to head across the face of goal for Kai Havertz to nod the ball through a fumbling Donnarumma.
Enzo Maresca's side looked to get back into the tie and were denied twice in quick succession by some great defending. Raya reacted quickly to keep out an effort from Haaland before Lewis-Skelly dove down to clear the rebound from Nico O'Reilly's feet.
The FA Cup holders kept the ball alive with Jérémy Doku meeting a cross to strike from close range, but Ben White threw himself in the way to block the attempt.
Arsenal saw out the remainder of the half to go into the break two goals to the good following a ruthless performance in the opening 45 minutes.
A ruthless first-half display ✊ pic.twitter.com/sUFc0PBzuK
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 16, 2026
Arteta's side returned from the halfway point with the introduction of Declan Rice, who replaced Guimarães to make his first appearance for the club since last season.
The Gunners replicated their first-half showing by finding the back of the net swiftly after the restart. Tzolis found Ødegaard on the edge of the box and the captain dribbled his way through to go one-on-one with Donnarumma, trick him with a fake shot and slot in his side's third of the afternoon.
The skipper's brilliance continued when he dummied a pass and worked his way up the pitch to start a move that ended in Bukayo Saka, fresh off the bench, receiving a pass on the right side for him to fire an effort at goal, but his strike hit the side netting.
Arsenal saw out the remainder of the game to seal the victory and lift the Community Shield for the 18th time in their history, and the first since 2023.
Here are the Arsenal player ratings from their 3-0 win over Man City.
Arsenal 3-0 Manchester City player ratings
Goalkeeper & Defenders
David Raya (GK) - 8.5/10 - Did well to get down and palm away Foden's long-range strike. Made another good save to keep out an attempt from Haaland. Outstanding in the air to deal with City's corners and crosses. Denied Semenyo late on to preserve his clean sheet.
Ben White (RB) - 7.5/10 - Made a great block when he threw himself at the ball to block Doku's attempt from close range. Looked to help out on the overlap when possible.
Cristhian Mosquera (CB) - 7.5/10 - Beat Haaland for pace in the first half to cut out a ball over the top. Dealt with Haaland well alongside his defensive partner. Showed he can cover for Saliba.
Gabriel Magalhães (CB) - 8/10 - Got across and timed a challenge to perfection to deny Doku a chance to cross. Really calm on the left side of defence in a performance where he didn't see much action at all.
Riccardo Calafiori (LB) - 7.5/10 - Opened the scoring with a great run and finish after less than 30 seconds. Picked up a yellow card for a dive in the box near half-time. Played high up the pitch, but defended when necessary. Brought off after 60 minutes.
Midfielders
Martin Ødegaard (CM) - 9.5/10 - Played a ball in for Tzolis to head across for Havertz to nod in the second goal. Saw a deflected shot cleared off the line near the halfway point. Got on the scoresheet when he did brilliantly to break through in the box and fake Donnarumma before converting calmly. Looked back to his absolute best after a long time. Replaced late on.
Bruno Guimarães (CM) - 7.5/10 - Really solid debut at the base of midfield. Showed his strength when winning the ball and helped his team dominate the first-half before being taken off at the break.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (CM) - 8.5/10 - Found Calafiori with a brilliant pass through for the opening goal. Showed his physicality to beat O'Reilly and get down to clear a rebounded effort. Solid in the midfield throughout. Withdrawn in the closing stages.
Forwards
Noni Madueke (RW) - 6.5/10 - Decision making was poor on the right flank in a mixed performance. Looked decent on the ball, but guilty of taking too long at times. Replaced on the hour mark.
Kai Havertz (ST) - 7.5/10 - Received Tzolis' headed ball at close range to head past Donnarumma and double his side's lead. Showed his class when up against defenders and on the ball. Subbed with 15 minutes to play.
Christos Tzolis (LW) - 8.5/10 - Met Ødegaard's cross to head across for Havertz for the second. Grabbed another assist when he set up his captain just after the break. Also got back to help defend when needed.
Substitutes
- Declan Rice (on 46' for Guimarães) - 7/10
- Piero Hincapié (on 60' for Calafiori) - 6.5/10
- Bukayo Saka (on 60' for Madueke) - 7/10
- Viktor Gyökeres (on 75' for Havertz) - N/A
- Martín Zubimendi (on 75' for Lewis-Skelly) - N/A
- Eberechi Eze (on 84' for Ødegaard) - N/A
