Liam Duckstein
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Riccardo Calafiori scored the fastest goal in FA Community Shield history — finding the net in under 25 seconds — to set Arsenal on their way to an emphatic 3-0 win against Manchester City at the Principality Stadium. The Gunners are just the third reigning Premier League champions to beat the FA Cup holders in this fixture across the last 11 such meetings.
Myles Lewis-Skelly had been linked with a move away from the Emirates in the build-up to kick-off, but he wasted no time making his point to Mikel Arteta, picking out Calafiori with a precise reverse pass to give the Londoners the perfect start. That left Enzo Maresca with an immediate uphill task in his first competitive fixture since replacing Pep Guardiola, and things deteriorated further before the half-hour mark.
New Arsenal signing Christos Tzolis nodded the ball back across goal from a Martin Odegaard cross, and Kai Havertz was on hand to squirm his header beyond an unconvincing Gianluigi Donnarumma.
City belatedly showed signs of life as the half drew to a close. Erling Haaland drew a save from David Raya, and a goal-line block from Ben White denied Jeremy Doku. Arsenal still had time before the break to threaten a third, with only a goal-line clearance stopping Odegaard from converting.
That reprieve proved brief. Maresca’s side were caught cold for a second time after the restart, as incisive passing sliced them open once more. Odegaard sat down Donnarumma with a composed finish to put the contest beyond doubt at the second attempt.
Substitute Bukayo Saka then came close to adding a fourth, finding only the side netting after shrugging off Josko Gvardiol, and put an even bigger chance over the crossbar. Neither miss dampened Arsenal’s mood as the final whistle confirmed a statement victory.
The result means Arteta has now won every Community Shield appearance as both a player (W2) and manager (W3). For Maresca, the defeat is a pointed reminder of the scale of the rebuild ahead, with attention now turning to City’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth next Sunday.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Christos Tzolis (Arsenal)
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