Doku, Nunes and Marmoush all leave injured as City suffer 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal

Manchester City suffered a chastening 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, with the result compounded by injury scares involving Jeremy Doku, Matheus Nunes and Omar Marmoush ahead of the Premier League season opener against Bournemouth.

Arsenal were ahead inside 24 seconds when Riccardo Calafiori slotted home following Myles Lewis-Skelly’s through ball, and City never recovered. Martin Odegaard’s cross to the back post was headed back across goal by Christos Tzolis for Kai Havertz to convert before the half-hour mark, and Odegaard himself added a third shortly after the interval to settle the contest.

City manager Enzo Maresca had raised eyebrows before kick-off by starting several players — including Erling Haaland, Elliot Anderson and Nico O’Reilly — who had only returned from their summer breaks days earlier. Maresca explained the reasoning post-match: “We decide to start with four with just two or three sessions. The reason why was also because sometimes players prefer to start doing the proper warm-up and start from the beginning. The plan was to change all of them after 45 minutes or one hour maximum, so it’s a decision that you take before the game.”

The injury concerns added a further layer of anxiety to an already difficult afternoon. Matheus Nunes was named on the bench but withdrew from the squad moments before kick-off, with the 27-year-old right-back seen being consoled by physios as he left the pitch. Maresca offered no update on the nature or severity of the injury in his post-match press conference.

Doku started and showed flashes of his usual directness in the first half before being replaced at the break by Jack Grealish. As the second half got under way, Doku was spotted on the bench with ice strapped to his calf. Again, Maresca did not elaborate on the extent of the problem.

Marmoush, meanwhile, landed awkwardly following a challenge late in the game and appeared to be in discomfort, calling over Grealish to take a free kick he had been awarded. Maresca was cautiously optimistic about the Egyptian forward, saying: “He looks okay after the game, we’ll see now.” Return dates for all three players remain unknown.

With the Premier League campaign set to begin next week, City face a nervous wait on the fitness of three key squad members before their opening fixture against Bournemouth.