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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.
Manchester 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 £35m forward Alexis Sanchez, were far sharper than City.
Show all 24 1 /24Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Arsenal: Wojciech Szczesny Fans’ favourite had surprisingly little to do. Dealt well with two efforts from Jovetic but was otherwise untested as Arsenal coasted to victory.6/10
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Mathieu Debuchy Could not have wished for easier “competitive” debut. Strong in the tackle – one important block on Nasri – and got forward at every opportunity.6
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Calum Chambers Another encouraging debut for the Gunners. Quiet but effective, he showed why Wenger was willing to allow Vermaelen to depart.6
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Laurent Koscielny Cool and calm but did not have much to worry about. Helped out Chambers in defence before being replaced by Monreal at the interval due to injury.6
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Kieran Gibbs Enjoyed numerous chances to get forward as Arsenal began with confidence and also dealt well with sporadic threats posed by Navas after the break.7
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Aaron Ramsey Fulcrum of Arsenal’s good work picked up where he left off last season with a goal at Wembley. A constant threat whenever he came forward.8
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Mikel Arteta Often divides opinion among fans but helped control game from middle of the park. Rarely lost possession and patrolled the area in front of defence.6
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Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Alexis Sanchez Multimillion-pound arrival showed pace and potential on right wing. Fine ball through to Sanogo led to second goal before he went off at interval. 7
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Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Jack Wilshere Seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time on the ground – one such incident leading to Cazorla’s opener. Good with the ball but could do so much more.7
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Santi Cazorla Afforded time and space to come inside and test City and he showed fine composure and footwork to make space to score the opening goal.7
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Yaya Sanogo Has won plaudits for pre-season form but still yet to convince on main stage. Dragged wide but held ball up well for Ramsey to steer in Arsenal’s second.6
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Olivier Giroud Much-maligned forward replaced Sanogo and made an instant impact with a fantastic finish from distance to remind people of his qualities.7
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Manchester City: Willy Caballero Argentinian debutant was given a chance to impress in place of Joe Hart but struggled to convince. Quick off his line to block an effort from Sanchez.5
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Gaël Clichy Looked uncomfortable in an unfamiliar right-back berth before a belated return to more familiar surroundings following the introduction of Richards.5
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Dedryck Boyata Sent off against the Gunners in 2010 and again struggled against the Londoners. Cumbersome, positionally poor and to blame for Arsenal’s second goal.5
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Matija Nastasic Has struggled to convince fully in sporadic appearances. Slight deflection for Giroud’s goal. His display will not have threatened Vincent Kompany’s place.5
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Aleksandar Kolarov Unable to get forward to any great effect as City were pinned back by Arsenal. Troubled Debuchy at times before being replaced by Richards.6
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Jesus Navas Spaniard displayed tricky feet and looked for openings but was largely ineffective. Provided a cross for Jovetic to hit the post but substituted late on.6
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Yaya Touré Ivorian powerhouse traditionally enjoys his Wembley outings but was lethargic and uninterested here. A disappointing display from such a sublime talent.5
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Fernando Has not threatened the place of his near-namesake Fernandinho. Had too much to do alongside a languid Touré. Dragged wide and brought down Ramsey.6
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Samir Nasri Delighted in belittling Arsenal fans pre-match but it was his former adorers who had the last laugh. The Frenchman made no impact and lasted just a half.5
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Stevan Jovetic Has sparkled in pre-season but was given little to work with here. Hit the post before blazing over and forced Szczesny into a fine save. City’s best, though.7
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings Edin Dzeko Gave Arsenal food for thought with his physicality and direct running, but only on occasion. Taken off for James Milner early in the second period.6
Arsenal 3 Manchester City 0 player ratings David Silva Replaced boo-boy Nasri at half-time and fizzed around with imagination. Was unable to engineer the great comeback City required, though.6
Manuel Pellegrini's side look like they have plenty of work to do before the start of the new Premier League campaign next weekend.
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