Kathmandu— Arsenal secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the annual Community Shield match held at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on Sunday. The win serves as a strong statement of intent from Mikel Arteta’s side as they begin the defense of their Premier League title and introduces new manager Enzo Maresca to the challenges he faces with Manchester City. Goals from Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz, and Martin Odegaard sealed a dominant performance for Arsenal, showcasing both established stars and recent signings.

Fast Start Sets the Tone

Arsenal wasted no time asserting their dominance, scoring within 24 seconds of kickoff. A deft pass from teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly split the City defense, allowing Riccardo Calafiori to surge forward and slot home a composed finish past Gianluigi Donnarumma. The goal was the quickest ever scored in the Community Shield since 1968, immediately putting pressure on Manchester City and setting the tone for the remainder of the match.

Clinical Finishing Seals Victory

Building on their early lead, Arsenal continued to overwhelm a sluggish City side with their trademark intensity. Kai Havertz doubled the advantage before halftime, heading home from a Martin Odegaard cross after being left unmarked by Abdukodir Khusanov. After the interval, Martin Odegaard added a third goal, skillfully weaving through the City defense and leaving Donnarumma stranded with a clever dummy before finishing at close range. "We wanted to start with a trophy, and we did," said Odegaard, adding that his team had shown “their level” on Sunday.

New Signings Impress

The match also provided an opportunity for Arsenal to showcase their summer recruits. Bruno Guimaraes, signed from Newcastle for 75 million pounds, seamlessly integrated into midfield, while Christos Tzolis, a 34 million pound arrival from Club Brugge, delivered two assists and displayed a lively performance. The Gunners’ new additions appeared comfortable within the team's established system, suggesting a promising future for Arteta’s squad.

Maresca Faces Early Test

The defeat marks a humbling start to Enzo Maresca’s tenure as Manchester City manager. He will have been disappointed with his team’s disjointed performance and the significant gap in quality displayed by Arsenal. City talisman Erling Haaland was largely ineffective, while new signing Elliot Anderson struggled to make an impact. The result serves as a wake-up call for Maresca, who now faces the challenge of quickly addressing the issues within his squad before their Premier League opener against Bournemouth.

Arsenal will begin their Premier League campaign as champions for the first time since 2004-05, hosting promoted Coventry on August 21st. Manchester City will look to rebound from this defeat when they host Bournemouth on August 23rd.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.