Arsenal Beats Man City To Lift Community Shield

By The Rainbow
Arsenal Beats Man City To Lift Community Shield
Arsenal Beats Man City To Lift Community Shield

Arsenal, who went nine years without a trophy before winning the FA Cup in May, collected their second piece of silverware in three months when they crushed champions Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday.

Arsenal thoroughly deserved their emphatic win in the traditional curtain-raiser to the new English season with goals from Santi Cazorla after 21 minutes, Aaron Ramsey after 42 and a stunning long-range third from Olivier Giroud just past the hour.

City were without seven players who played in the World Cup while Arsenal were missing their three German World Cup winners Mesut Ozil, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski.

But the Gunners, fielding three debutants including £35.0 million striker Alexis Sanchez, were far sharper than City who look like they have plenty of work to do before the start of the new Premier League campaign next weekend.

Arsenal deservedly went ahead when a neat move on the edge of the box involving Jack Wilshere ended with Cazorla shimmying to his left and scoring with a low angled shot that eluded City debutant goalie Willy Caballero.

Cazorla, who went 19 matches without a goal last season before scoring Arsenal's first in their 3-2 FA Cup final win over Hull City, made it two goals in two matches at Wembley with an unerring touch and he combined well with Wilshere before going off in the second half.

Arsenal never loosened their grip and Yaya Sanogo, their 21-year-old French striker who failed to score in 14 appearances last season, should have made it 2-0 four minutes later but wasted an opportunity by dragging his shot wide.