Arsenal gained an early psychological edge over old foes Manchester City by battering them in a one-sided affair to claim victory and the Community Shield.
In the first meeting between the two sides most heavily fancied to contest another gruelling title race, it was the Premier League champions who struck first - and within 30 seconds. Riccardo Calafiori finished with aplomb after rampaging forward from left-back after sterling work from Myles Lewis-Skelly, catching City cold.
Kai Havertz then made it two in the 28th minute, nodding the ball underneath the hapless Gianluigi Donnarumma after a smart blindside run and header back across goal from Christos Tzolis. Arsenal did need David Raya to be at his best to keep City at bay, while only a phenomenal block from Ben White prevented Jeremy Doku from halving the deficit despite the Gunners' dominance.
Three minutes after the restart, Mikel Arteta's put the game beyond City with Martin Odegaard showing excellent composure to sit down Donnarumma after being picked out by Tzolis.
