Dominant Arsenal thrash City in one-sided Shield win

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 £35.0 million ($58.71 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.

Image: Santi Cazorla of Arsenal holds up the trophy watched by Arsene Wenger, manager of Arsenal after the FA Community Shield match between Manchester City and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium

Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images