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Aug 17, 2026, 9:31 AM·1 views

Odegaard's importance, Anderson and Foden struggle - how the players rated

Riccardo Calafiori scored his first goal for Arsenal since finding the target against Manchester United on 17 August 2025 [Getty Images] Arsenal dominated Manchester City as they beat Enzo Maresca s side 3-0 in the…

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PolicyDriftOdegaard's importance, Anderson and Foden struggle - how the players rated

Riccardo Calafiori scored his first goal for Arsenal since finding the target against Manchester United on 17 August 2025 [Getty Images] Arsenal dominated Manchester City as they beat.

Riccardo Calafiori celebrates scoring for Arsenal with his finger raised in the air
Riccardo Calafiori scored his first goal for Arsenal since finding the target against Manchester United on 17 August 2025 [Getty Images]

Arsenal dominated Manchester City as they beat Enzo Maresca's side 3-0 in the Community Shield in the Principality Stadium.

Riccardo Calafiori opened the scoring inside 30 seconds for the Premier League champions before Kai Havertz added a second with a close range header.

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard then wrapped up the win with a clever finish just three minutes after the break.

Here's how the players rated as the first piece of silverware of the season was lifted.

  • Strong favourites or tougher task - will Arsenal defend their title?
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Arsenal starting XI

David Raya: A good save from Phil Foden and an excellent take from a corner in the first half. The Arsenal keeper is so good on the ball and played one memorable pass to Christos Tzolis to spark a counter-attack. 7

Ben White: It goes under the radar how valuable a fit Ben White is to Arsenal. He's an experienced member of this team and dealt with the threat of Jeremy Doku while providing back up to Noni Madueke in attack. He produced a massive block to deny Doku when the winger was well placed to shoot in the second half. 7

Cristhian Mosquera: A good recovery run and pass back to Raya when under pressure from Erling Haaland. Looked comfortable all game. 7

Gabriel Magalhaes: Produced a big block as Doku tried to cross the ball. Gabriel celebrated it towards the winger and with the rest of the Arsenal back four. Kept Haaland extremely quiet. 8

Riccardo Calafiori (off 60, Hincapie): The Italy international scored the opener with the first meaningful attack of the match. The left-back is so important to how Arsenal attack and his ability to roam all over the pitch makes him so unpredictable. Could be set for a huge season. 8

Myles Lewis-Skelly (off 75, Zubimendi): Continued his excellent pre-season form as he slid Calafiori through to score the opening goal and set the tone for the match. Broke up play and produced a mature performance to make any thought of him leaving the club more difficult. 8

Bruno Guimaraes (off 46, Rice): Looked like he is exactly the plug and play option that Arsenal wanted. The Brazilian was always available to take the ball and looked play forward quickly when he got it. Taken off at half-time. 7

Martin Odegaard (off 84, Eze): The Arsenal captain has shown that he is back to full fitness this pre-season and displayed in this game why he is so important to Arsenal. It felt like Odegaard played a lot more forward passes during this match than he tried last season and it was his curling ball that led to Arsenal's second goal. Scored Arsenal's third with a clever finish. 9

Noni Madueke (off 60, Saka): Some bright moments and his pace offers Arsenal a constant threat down the wing but still occasions when he could have done better with his final ball. 6

Christos Tzolis: A great start in his first competitive game for Arsenal. The winger recorded two assists in this comfortable win and looks a bright addition to the Gunners attack. 8

Kai Havertz (off 75, Gyokores): Led the line and provided Arsenal their focal point. The Gunners look better with him in attack and the German scored the second of the game. 7

Christos Tzolis fights for the ball under pressure from Manchester City duo Abdukodir Khusanov and Rico Lewis
Christos Tzolis became the first Arsenal player to assist two or more goals on his debut since Willian in September 2020 [Getty Images]

Arsenal substitutes

Declan Rice (on 46, Guimaraes): Came on at half-time in his first minutes since returning from the World Cup with England. Looked very comfortable as Arsenal continued to dominate. 7

Bukayo Saka (on 60, Madueke): One bright burst down the wing but shot from a narrow angle with team-mates well placed. 6

Piero Hincapie (on 60, Calafiori): A reliable option for Arsenal and an extremely aggressive defender. Picked up where Calafiori left off. 7

Viktor Gyokeres (on 75, Havertz): Introduced with 15 minutes to play when the game was already won. 6

Martin Zubimendi (on 75, Lewis-Skelly): The Spain international replaced Myles Lewis-Skelly as Mikel Arteta showed the incredible depth he has at his disposal in this squad. 6

Eberechi Eze (on 84, Odegaard): Brought on in the closing moments with not much time to make an impact. 6

Subs not used: Kepa, Dowman, Merino

  • How important is Community Shield to a team's season?
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Manchester City starting XI

Gianluigi Donnarumma: Not a good day for the City keeper who conceded three and did not look comfortable with the ball at his feet. 5

Abdukodir Khusanov: A solid defender but two of the Arsenal goals were created down his side. 6

Ruben Dias: Was troubled in the air by Kai Havertz and part of a City backline that conceded three goals. 6

Josko Gvardiol: Drifted into midfield when he could to try and receive the ball but like his team-mates was part of a back four that never looked settled. 6

Nico O'Reilly (off 54, Guehi): The England left-back was taken off for Marc Guehi under 10 minutes into the second half. He tried to link with Doku but the partnership never got going. 6

Mateo Kovacic (off 79, Gonzalez): Named alongside Elliot Anderson in midfield but was completely overrun and dominated by the excellent Arsenal trio on the opposite side. 6

Elliot Anderson (off 60, Lewis): Not a good day for the England international in the heart of City's midfield. Still settling at his new club and building up match fitness after the World Cup. 5

Phil Foden (off 60, Cherki): The number 10 struggled to make anything happen for his side going forward and was taken off in the second half. 5

Antoine Semenyo: A hard-working performance from Semenyo but one that lacked his usual quality. He was kept quiet by Calafiori before Hincapie came on to finish the job. 6

Jeremy Doku (off 46, Grealish): A poor performance by the Belgian's standards and he was taken off at half-time. 5

Erling Haaland (off 53, Marmoush): A surprisingly quiet game from Haaland who only registered one shot on target before being taken off when City were 3-0 down. 5

Elliot Anderson grapples with Arsenal defender Gabriel
Elliot Anderson lasted 60 minutes before he was replaced by Rico Lewis [Getty Images]

Manchester City substitutes

Jack Grealish (on Doku, 46): Introduced on the left wing in place of Jeremy Doku. Grealish had a couple of moments which could have resulted in a City chance but unfortunately for him, nothing came off. 6

Marc Guehi (on 53, O'Reilly): One smart recovery tackle after being brought on. 6

Omar Marmoush (on 53, Haaland): The forward replaced Haaland and always looked to run in behind the Arsenal defence but was kept quiet. 6

Rayan Cherki (on 60, Foden): The Frenchman was brought on as part of a flurry of changes but had minimal impact. Forced Raya into a smart save. 6

Rico Lewis (on 60, Anderson): Brought on in midfield with the game already lost. Lewis always comfortable in possession but not much he could do in this match. 5

Nico Gonzalez (on 79, Kovacic): Played the final 11 minutes of the match as it drifted to a close. 5

Subs not used: Rulli, Ait-Nouri, Reis

How did you rate the players?

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