By Divine Eleeh
Arsenal opened the new campaign with a dominant display, sweeping aside Manchester City 3-0 to win the 2026 FA Community Shield at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
The Gunners wasted no time taking control of the contest, finding the breakthrough just 23 seconds into the match—the quickest goal scored under manager Mikel Arteta. Myles Lewis-Skelly released Riccardo Calafiori, who kept his composure to beat Gianluigi Donnarumma and give Arsenal an immediate advantage.
Manchester City struggled to respond as Arsenal continued to dictate play. The Gunners’ pressure paid off again in the 28th minute when Kai Havertz doubled the lead with a downward header. The goal followed good work from summer arrival Christos Tzolis, who redirected Martin Ødegaard’s delivery across the face of goal into Havertz’s path.
Arsenal effectively put the contest beyond City three minutes after the restart. Tzolis was again involved, setting up Ødegaard inside the penalty area. The Norwegian midfielder sent Donnarumma to the turf with a clever feint before calmly placing the ball into the opposite corner.
The result means Premier League champions Arsenal have now collected two trophies within four months, while their latest success takes their total number of Community Shield victories to 18. The match was hosted at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff while Wembley Stadium hosted concerts for Canadian singer The Weeknd’s tour.
Much of the post-match attention focused on Tzolis, who made an immediate impact following his £34 million move from Club Brugge. Operating on Arsenal’s left wing, the Greek forward registered two assists and became the first player to assist two goals in a Community Shield match since David Beckham in 1996.
His impressive debut builds on a standout 2025–26 campaign in Belgium, where he contributed to 40 league goals (scoring 17 and assisting 23). Tzolis is no stranger to English football, having previously featured 30 times for Norwich City between 2021 and 2024.
Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimarães also made his Arsenal debut in the victory, operating in a quieter role at the base of the midfield. Meanwhile, Lewis-Skelly produced another standout performance in midfield, setting up the opening goal amid continued transfer speculation linking him with Chelsea and Manchester United.
Arsenal could have added even more to their tally. Ødegaard saw a first-half effort cleared off the line by Joško Gvardiol, while substitute Bukayo Saka missed a late opportunity by firing over the crossbar.
The victory provides Arsenal with an early psychological boost ahead of the Premier League season as they prepare for their opener against Coventry City.
