Did Premier League champions Arsenal show just how far ahead of Manchester City they are with their dominant Community Shield win? Goals from Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard helped the Gunners to a 3-0 victory in Cardiff. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he was "a bit surprised" by his side's convincing performance, telling TNT Sports that "to play in the manner we did is extremely impressive".
New City manager Enzo Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola over the summer, could say no such thing. Yet Maresca played down the importance of the result, saying: "It's a defeat that hurts us, but it's just the beginning." So, is this result a sign of things to come for both sides, or just a pre-season match that is unlikely to tell us much about the new campaign? Arsenal took the lead after just 23 seconds, doubled their advantage thanks to some static City defending in the 23rd minute, and then added a third three minutes into the second half.
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown told TNT Sports at the end of the game: "The gap was really quite stunning. "Arsenal really let the handbrake off, but Manchester City looked lifeless. Arsenal have made a real statement of intent.
Their biggest problem is who does Arteta pick? Man City have a lot more problems." Manchester City received "a bit of a schooling", according to former Scotland striker Ally McCoist, who added: "I know it's early days and but it is concerning for Manchester City." The underlying numbers showed how Arsenal dominated. The Gunners created 2.19 expected goals (xG) compared to City's 0.77 and, intriguingly for Arsenal, none of their xG came from set-pieces.
That metric gauges how likely chances are to result in goals, taking into account a range of variables, and Arsenal finished with almost three times the xG total of City. This was Arsenal's biggest victory to nil against Manchester City since August 2014 (also 3-0 in the Community Shield), while it was City's heaviest defeat to nil against an English side since a 4-0 defeat in November 2024 against Tottenham. "We played some brilliant football.
Great performance and a great way to start the season," Arsenal captain Odegaard told TNT Sports. "We showed our level today. We're showed we're ready.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
