Arsenal set down a Community Shield marker for the new season by beating Manchester City 3-0 in Cardiff.

Mikel Arteta’s champions resumed where the last Premier League campaign finished in May, holding silverware aloft as the Gunners suggested they remain the team to beat in England.

Riccardo Calafiori – who took just 24 seconds to become the quickest Community Shield scorer since 1968 – Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard rewarded a dominant Gunners performance.

Although no league points were at stake this was a difficult day for Enzo Maresca after succeeding Pep Guardiola in the City dugout.

City were comfortably second best, new £116million midfielder Elliot Anderson failed to make an impact, and Erling Haaland trudged off early in the second half with the game up.

This was the first Community Shield in Cardiff since 2006 when the fixture was held in the Welsh capital for five years with Wembley Stadium being rebuilt.

Ruben Dias was handed the City armband following the summer departure of Bernardo Silva and the Arsenal captain Odegaard was hugged by his Norway teammate Haaland before kick-off.

The smoke from the pre-match fireworks had barely cleared before Arsenal were ahead.

Myles Lewis-Skelly punctured a crooked City backline and Calafiori was rewarded for taking an immediate advanced position from full-back by beating Gianluigi Donnarumma with the minimum of fuss.

One ball flashed across the City box beyond the reach of Haaland and Phil Foden was then invited to shoot from 20 yards.

Foden’s drive was pushed out by David Raya into an area of danger but Ben White was on hand to clear.

It was to prove a key moment as Arsenal doubled their lead after 28 minutes when Odegaard drifted a cross to the far post.

City responded with two gilt-edged chances in a matter of seconds, first Raya pushing out a shot that the well-placed Haaland failed to truly get hold of before Jeremy Doku’s close-range effort was deflected over by White.

But City were fortunate just before the break as Donnarumma failed to collect a cross and Josko Gvardiol rescued him with a goal-line clearance from Odegaard.

The Norwegian was not to be denied three minutes after the break as Tzolis set up him from the left.

Odegaard took a lovely touch past Gvardiol and sat Donnarumma down with a dummy before rolling the ball home for his first goal since December.

Arsenal fans were lapping it up in the Cardiff sunshine with cries of ‘Ole, Ole’ as Arteta’s side fizzed the ball through the lines.

Substitute Bukayo Saka rippled the side netting and Donnarumma had to leave his line quickly to stop the Gunners profiting again.

Rayan Cherki warmed Raya’s hands from distance, but there was almost more pain for City as Saka scooped over eight yards out.

Further proof that it was not to be City’s day came when Raya made an excellent save from Antoine Semenyo to deny them the smallest of consolations.