Odegaard fires warning after Arsenal demolish Man City 3-0 to lift Community Shield

Martin Odegaard capped a commanding Arsenal performance with a goal and a pointed message to the rest of the Premier League, as Mikel Arteta’s side demolished Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield in Cardiff. Goals from Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz and Odegaard — his first of 2026 — gave Arsenal a dominant victory and a second piece of silverware in four months.

Odegaard, who captained the side throughout, was unambiguous about Arsenal’s ambitions for the season ahead. “We played some brilliant football. We showed our level. We showed we’re ready, serious and want to do it again,” he said. “We want to attack it. When you get a taste of how nice it is, you want to do it again. We want to win everything.”

Arteta was equally bullish after the final whistle, crediting the squad’s preparation and growing belief. “I’m extremely happy with the performance. We talked about the desire we have — and to show how much we want it,” he said. “There is more belief. How to do it, and what it means. It makes a difference. I want to live those moments again. But we know it’s going to demand something special.”

For Enzo Maresca, who took over from Pep Guardiola at City, it was the worst possible beginning to his tenure — equalling his joint heaviest defeat as a manager in England. He pointed to the opening goal as the turning point. “The big part of the game was the first goal we conceded. Then the second one made it more difficult,” he said. “We were not switched on. We will re-set, analyse the game and start thinking about the next one.”

City captain Ruben Dias acknowledged the scale of the task facing his side. “It’s obviously not good enough. It is a final that we all wanted to win,” he said. “If there is a lesson to be learnt in the final, let it be this one. You need to push through and make things work between us. We need to keep on working.”

The result underlines the gulf in momentum between the two clubs heading into the new season, with Arsenal arriving as reigning Premier League champions and showing no signs of easing off.