‘That’s the standard’: Mikel Arteta hails Arsenal’s desire on blue day for Maresca

• Champions delight manager by ‘winning the first trophy’

• Maresca wants Manchester City signings to arrive soon

Mikel Arteta said his Arsenal players demonstrated their hunger to defend the Premier League title in their https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/aug/16/arsenal-manchester-city-community-shield-match-report">Community Shield triumph over Manchester City.

Arsenal, who ended their 22-year wait last season and are seeking to win back-to-back top-flight titles for the first time since 1934-35, beat City 3-0 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff in Enzo Maresca’s first significant match in charge.

Riccardo Calafiori opened the scoring after 24 seconds, the fastest goal in the competition since Bobby Owen’s strike for City in 1968, before Kai Havertz doubled Arsenal’s lead and their captain, Martin Ødegaard, completed the scoring on 48 minutes.

The 3-0 defeat represented the joint-heaviest loss for a City manager in their first game in charge, with Harry Newbould the most recent to suffer a three-goal opening defeat – 4-1, also to Arsenal, in 1906.

It is also Maresca’s joint-heaviest defeat as a manager in England.