Arsenal began the 2026/27 season with a commanding 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, securing an early piece of silverware ahead of the Premier League campaign, Softfootball reports.
The Gunners made the perfect start when Riccardo Calafiori was played through by Myles Lewis-Skelly inside the opening minute. The Italian kept his composure to fire past Gianluigi Donnarumma from close range and put Arsenal ahead after just 23 seconds.
City responded positively, with Erling Haaland unable to connect with Elliot Anderson’s cross and Phil Foden forcing a save from David Raya. Arsenal, however, doubled their advantage approaching the half-hour mark. Martin Odegaard delivered from the right and Christos Tzolis nodded the ball into the path of Kai Havertz, who headed home from six yards.
Haaland missed a chance to reduce the deficit before Raya denied him again, while Josko Gvardiol cleared an Arsenal effort off the line before the interval.
Arsenal struck again shortly after the restart. Captain Martin Odegaard calmly slotted past Donnarumma to make it 3-0 and put the game beyond City.
City will now turn their attention to their Premier League opener against AFC Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium next Sunday.
Player Ratings
Arsenal
| Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| David Raya | 8.0 |
| Ben White | 8.2 |
| Cristhian Mosquera | 6.8 |
| Gabriel Magalhaes | 7.1 |
| Riccardo Calafiori | 7.6 |
| Martin Odegaard | 8.6 |
| Myles Lewis-Skelly | 7.5 |
| Bruno Guimaraes | 6.7 |
| Noni Madueke | 6.7 |
| Kai Havertz | 7.7 |
| Christos Tzolis | 8.8 |
Manchester City
| Player | Rating |
|---|---|
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | 5.5 |
| Abdukodir Khusanov | 6.9 |
| Josko Gvardiol | 6.7 |
| Rúben Dias | 6.5 |
| Nico O’Reilly | 5.5 |
| Elliot Anderson | 6.4 |
| Mateo Kovacic | 6.3 |
| Jeremy Doku | 6.2 |
| Phil Foden | 6.2 |
| Antoine Semenyo | 6.4 |
| Erling Haaland | 5.9 |
Match Statistics
| Statistic | Arsenal | Man City |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 3 | 0 |
| Possession | 41% | 59% |
| Expected Goals | 2.19 | 0.77 |
| Shots | 9 | 12 |
| Shots on Target | 5 | 5 |
| Goalkeeper Saves | 4 | 2 |
| Big Chances | 4 | 1 |
| Corners | 2 | 4 |
| Total Passes | 413 | 582 |
| Pass Accuracy | 85% | 89% |
| Tackles | 16 | 11 |
| Clearances | 16 | 15 |
| Yellow Cards | 2 | 2 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
