Enzo Maresca began his era with Manchester City disastrously, as his team fell to Arsenal 3-0, crowning the Gunners with the Community Shield title in the match held at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
Arsenal needed only a few seconds to expose the defensive issues in Maresca’s squad before imposing their dominance on the match, adding two more goals, and claiming the first title of the new English season.
Riccardo Calafiori opened the scoring just 24 seconds after the starting whistle, netting the fastest goal in the history of the Community Shield and giving Mikel Arteta’s team the best possible start.
Kai Havertz doubled the Gunners’ lead in the 28th minute, capitalizing on a pass from newcomer Christos Tzolis, ending the first half with Arsenal ahead by two unanswered goals.
The Premier League champions continued their dominance at the start of the second half, with captain Martin Ødegaard scoring the third goal in the 48th minute, following another assist from Tzolis, who made his mark in his first official match by setting up two goals.
The Greek winger quickly proved his credentials to the Arsenal fans after joining the team from Club Brugge, providing Arteta with a new attacking option on the left flank.
Conversely, Manchester City appeared lackluster in their first official match following the departure of Pep Guardiola. Maresca’s team failed to cope with the speed and movements of the Arsenal players and did not succeed in creating any real danger that would allow them to get back into the game.
Arsenal raised their tally to 18 Community Shield titles, consolidating their position in second place on the tournament’s all-time winners list, behind record-holders Manchester United with 21 titles.
Arsenal will begin their Premier League title defense by hosting Coventry City on Friday, August 21, at the Emirates Stadium, while Manchester City will welcome Bournemouth on Sunday, August 23, at the Etihad Stadium, marking Maresca’s first test after his shocking start.
