Arsenal cruised to 3-0 victory in the 2026 Community Shield over Manchester City in Cardiff to get their season off to an ideal start.
Some new talent was on show for both sides, who have had to juggle different workload levels after the preseason and the World Cup.
But it was Mikel Arteta's men who looked well oiled and confident as they outplayed their biggest recent rivals.
Here's how ESPN rated the players after the clash in Wales.
Arsenal
Manager rating (out of 10)
Mikel Arteta 8 - Set up to play expansive, attacking football which was a cut above that of City the whole game, the two first-half goals afforded him the chance to use plenty of his squad.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, 5 = average)
GK David Raya 7 -- Made strong saves from both Haaland and Foden before an excellent stop to deny Semenyo late on.
RB Ben White 8 -- Marshalled Doku and then Grealish superbly at right-back, including an excellent block shortly before the interval to deny Doku from close range.
CB Cristhian Mosquera 7 -- Called into question after his mistake in the Champions League final, Mosquera looked strong both aerially and in his tackling, with only some indecision on the ball against him in the second half.
CB Gabriel 7 -- Composed, strong and a leadership presence at the back, he kept Haaland quiet -- save for one shot saved by Raya -- and commanded his area with confidence.
LB Riccardo Calafiori 7 -- After opening the scoring with just 25 seconds on the clock with a clever run in behind and finish, he had Semenyo's beating before being taken off just before the hour mark.
CM Bruno Guimarães 5 - A somewhat laboured 45 minutes, but hardly a cause for concern. Got into the game with some good passes forward, but lost possession a couple of times in his first-half spell. Still building into life at his new club.
CM Myles Lewis-Skelly 8 -- One of his best showings in an Arsenal shirt. Confident both in and out of possession, his assist for Arsenal's first-minute opener took Anderson and Dias both out of the equation with a delicious turn and through pass.
AM Martin Ødegaard 9 -- Practically everything he tried came off. Set up his side's second with a weighted ball across goal to Tzolis, before getting his goal with a terrific touch and low finish to wrap up proceedings.
RW Noni Madueke 5 -- Will be disappointed not to have got more from an electric Arsenal first half. His first touch wasn't ideal in the final third, and wanted a bit more time than was available in the box.
CF Kai Havertz 7 -- His movement was excellent to score Arsenal's second, unbothered by the presence of Dias to time his run inside the six-yard box to head home -- he hardly had to jump.
LW Christos Tzolis 8 -- A superb outing to round off plenty of promising signs during preseason. He headed back across goal excellently to assist Havertz for his side's second, before playing in Ødegaard for the third.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes = no rating)
CM Declan Rice (Guimaraes, 45') 6 -- Composed as ever in midfield in the second half as he helped snuff out most of City's central threat.
RW Bukayo Saka (Madueke, 60') 6 -- A purring half-hour off the bench which caused City even more problems, and should have scored late on from Hincapie's cut-back.
LB Piero Hincapié (Calafiori, 60') 6 -- Played a good ball into Saka which should have been scored late in the second half.
CM Martín Zubimendi (Lewis-Skelly 75') N/R -- A composed presence in midfield for the closing spell.
CF Viktor Gyökeres (Havertz 75') N/R -- Operated up front for the final 15 minutes. Will have noted Havertz's superb performance ahead of him today.
AM Eberechi Eze (Odegaard 85') N/R -- Saw out the rest of the game from the bench.
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Manchester City
Manager rating (out of 10)
Enzo Maresca 5 -- This is a fixture that Maresca will have to get used to quickly if he wants to win the Premier League. He picked a strong side but Khusanov struggled at full-back, with Rodri's absence a marked one in midfield.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, 5 = average)
GK Gianluigi Donnarumma 5 -- Little he could do to stop Arsenal's first which superbly worked, though he may feel he could have got across quicker for Havertz's header, and was sat down by Odegaard for the third. His distribution was beneath his own lofty standards.
RB Abdukodir Khusanov 5 -- Not in his preferred position at right-back, Khusanov struggled in the first half -- losing sight of Calafiori for the opener -- but found his footing in the second.
CB Rúben Dias 4 -- Caught ball-watching for the opener, Dias shared the responsibility for the opener before being beaten by Havertz from a lofted cutback as Arsenal made it two.
CB Josko Gvardiol 4 -- An afternoon to forget for the Croatian, who was beaten for pace by Arsenal's front line and lost sight of his man for their third.
LB Nico O'Reilly 5 -- Looked somewhat unsure of his role today, not committing to the marauding runs forward from which he can be very dangerous. Replaced by Guehi minutes into the second half.
DM Elliot Anderson 4 -- A tough outing for the Englishman, who didn't see much of the ball as he would have liked and was taken off shortly before the hour mark. Looked for Haaland directly in the first half, but it didn't come off.
DM Mateo Kovacic 5 -- Looked to work a few passes the direct route from midfield in the second half, but found himself outdone by Ødegaard who had his number in the first. Blasted an effort over from distance before the break.
AM Phil Foden 5 -- Quiet in midfield. Looked to play direct to Haaland on a couple of occasions and was calm in possession, but couldn't influence attack the way he would have hoped.
RW Antoine Semenyo 5 -- A frustrating day for the 26-year-old who found himself coming further inside throughout the match, unable to get much of a clear sight on goal.
CF Erling Haaland 4 -- The Norwegian striker has been known to make the difference in a game after a quiet outing, but that wasn't to be on Sunday. He took seven touches and had a low effort denied by Raya, taken off before the hour mark.
LW Jérémy Doku 4 -- Beaten firmly by Gabriel in the first half and was denied by White on the cutback. Taken off for the second half.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes = no rating)
LW Jack Grealish (Doku 46') 5 -- Just didn't stick for him after his half-time introduction, unable to work space inside the area with White comfortable.
CB Marc Guéhi 6 (O'Reilly 53') 5 -- A more composed figure at the back after coming on, but struggled against Saka after his introduction.
CF Omar Marmoush (Haaland 53') 5 -- Little he could do after coming on in the second half, with little service coming to feet.
AM Rayan Cherki (Foden 60') 5 -- Brought on to try and make things happen for City, his effort from range on 73 minutes was City's first on goal in the second half.
LB Rico Lewis (Anderson 60') 5 -- Struggled particularly against Saka after his introduction.
CM Nico González (Kovacic 79') N/R -- On in midfield for the closing minutes.