'You're getting sacked in the morning' - Arsenal fans ruthlessly mock Enzo Maresca as Riccardo Calafiori makes history

Arsenal supporters ruthlessly mocked new Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca as their side delivered a dominant 3-0 Community Shield victory in Cardiff, with Riccardo Calafiori making history by scoring the fastest goal in the competition's history just 24 seconds after kick-off. The emphatic performance, which saw further goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard, left Maresca enduring a humiliating hostile reception from the jubilant travelling crowd.

A Record-Breaking Start

Riccardo Calafiori opened the scoring after 24 seconds, the fastest goal in the Community Shield competition since Bobby Owen's strike for City in 1968. The effort, which came after Myles Lewis-Skelly's brilliant pass, set the tone for Arsenal's commanding display at the Principality Stadium and marked the fourth-fastest strike in Arsenal's entire history. This lightning-fast opening gave Arsenal an early psychological edge in what would become an increasingly lopsided contest.

Arsenal continued to dominate possession and pressed their advantage, culminating in a second goal in the 28th minute when Martin Odegaard delivered a dangerous inswinging cross from the right wing that bypassed the defence. Christos Tzolis, the debutant, smartly nodded the ball down at the back post, allowing Havertz to confidently head home from six yards out. Odegaard then sealed the victory three minutes into the second half, fooling Gianluigi Donnarumma before finishing. The City goalkeeper was particularly unconvincing throughout, at fault for Arsenal's second goal after making a hash of his attempt to keep out Havertz's header and embarrassed for the third when Odegaard delighted in feinting to shoot, sending the goalkeeper seesawing to his left before promptly firing in a simple finish to his right.

Complete Dominance

The statistics underlined Arsenal's superiority. The Gunners created 2.19 expected goals compared to City's 0.77, showcasing the gulf between the two sides. The London club maintained complete control of the match from start to finish, with the midfield bolstered by 75 million pound signing Bruno Guimaraes completely overwhelming their rivals. Christos Tzolis, another debutant, shone on the left flank and was involved in almost all of Arsenal's good work.

This was Arsenal's biggest victory to nil against Manchester City since August 2014, also a 3-0 triumph in the Community Shield, while it represented City's heaviest defeat to nil against an English side since a 4-0 defeat against Tottenham in November 2024.

City, without key absent figures including World Cup winner Rodri amid doubts over his future, lacked any semblance of control. The visible struggles of the Manchester side did not go unnoticed by the jubilant Arsenal supporters inside the stadium. As the game slipped further away from Maresca's men, the travelling fans began to mercilessly mock the opposing dugout, with chants echoing around the venue directly targeting the new City manager.

The Mockery

Arsenal's supporters were relentless in their taunts throughout the afternoon. At one point, the crowd chanted "Can we play you every week" at City, a barb that reflected the overwhelming dominance of Arsenal. For a City side that looked like a shadow of their former selves, struggling to string passes together or threaten David Raya, Maresca was left to endure the hostile reception. Erling Haaland, City's talismanic striker, provided little threat, with his only real chance of the first half ending with a wayward shot wide of Raya's goal.

A Difficult Beginning

For Maresca, a miserable first competitive game in charge represented a significant setback. The 3-0 defeat was the joint-heaviest loss for a City manager in their first game in charge, matching Harry Newbould's experience in 1906. It was also Maresca's joint-heaviest defeat as a manager in England. Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown told TNT Sports: "The gap was really quite stunning," while former Scotland striker Ally McCoist said: "I know it's early days and but it is concerning for Manchester City."

Despite the drubbing, Maresca played down the importance of the result, saying: "It's a defeat that hurts us but it's just the beginning." The City manager acknowledged that new arrivals would be welcomed before their Premier League opener at home to Bournemouth on Sunday, stating: "Any new signing the sooner they arrive the better because we are starting the Premier League in one week and if they start to work with us as soon as possible it's better that they can also understand the way we want to play."

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, meanwhile, begin their Premier League title defence at home to Coventry on Friday following their impressive Community Shield display. Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard told TNT Sports: "We played some brilliant football Great performance and a great way to start the season... We showed our level today We re showed we re ready We re serious and we want to do it again." The victory gave the Gunners an impressive marker as they look to build on last season's success, having ended a 22-year wait for the title and now seeking to win back-to-back top-flight titles for the first time since 1934-35.