Arsenal win the Community Shield: Kai Havertz sets record vs. Man City as game leaves Mikel Arteta with key transfer question

Kai Havertz has now been involved in more goals against Manchester City (seven) than any other opponent in his career following Arsenal's win in the Community Shield.

The curtain raiser for the 2026-27 season concluded on Sunday, with the Gunners emerging as 3-0 victors over Manchester City in Cardiff.

Mikel Arteta's side opened the scoring within 30 seconds thanks to a composed strike from Riccardo Calafiori, before goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard secured the win.

Havertz manged to score against the Citizens in April for the Londoners, while he also found the back of the net against the club for Chelsea.

The German striker has in fact scored four goals and provided three assists against City, meaning he has been involved in more goals against them than any other opponent in his club career.

Kai Havertz finishes off a well-worked move to double Arsenal's lead ?

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Arsenal's attack: Does Mikel Arteta need to strengthen in the forward line?

Arsenal only scored 71 Premier League goals last season, the worst return of any title winner since Leicester City were crowned champions in 2015-16, but the club's extraordinary defence managed to get them over the line.

Relying on another historical campaign from their backline would be risky, especially as the Gunners will be missing William Saliba for months.

Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres will no doubt contribute in their own way across the coming season, but their performances in the final third have fluctuated drastically during their time at the Emirates.

New signing Christos Tzolis registered two assists against City, though asking the 24-year-old to take up the club's goalscoring burden would be unfair considering he played in Belgian's top flight for the past two seasons and will likely need an adjustment period.

Arsenal have been linked with the likes of Victor Osimhen in recent days, and perhaps he could be the missing piece for Arteta.

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Are Arsenal favourites for the Premier League title after Man City win?

After winning the 2025-26 Premier League title, the Gunners must be seen as the favourites for the title in 2026-27.

The comfortable nature of their Community Shield triumph will strengthen optimism amongst fans that the club can finish first in consecutive seasons, though it should be remembered that Sunday's match was classified as a friendly.

Arteta's side will face more difficult challenges in the weeks and months to come, and a clearer picture will emerge about whether Arsenal are capable of retaining their crown.