Arsenal thump City to lift Community Shield
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E-mail Xinhua, August 11, 2014
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Arsenal outclass City to lay down early marker. |
FA Cup winners Arsenal defeated English champions Manchester City 3-0 to win their first Community Shield in 10 years and 13th in total at Wembley here on Sunday.
Santi Cazorla opened the scoring with a low shot in the 21st minute and Aaron Ramsey added a second three minutes before the break.
Second half substitute Olivier Giroud sealed the victory with a thunderous effort from 25 meters.
It is a morale-boosting victory for manager Arsene Wenger before their first Premier League match of the new season against Crystal Palace next weekend.
Wenger fielded three of their four summer signings as forward Alexis Sanchez, right-back Mathieu Debuchy and defender Calum Chambers started. The Gunners took command in the first half against a under-strength Manchester City, which missed eight key players.
City manager Manuel Pellegrini rested captain Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta, Fernandinho, Sergio Aguero, Martin Demichelis, Frank Lampard, Bacary Sagna and Alvaro Negredo to prepare for their Premier League season opener against Newcastle United next Sunday.
Arsenal were without World Cup winning members of Per Mertesacker, Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski, who will return to the camp on Monday.
Wenger said after the match, "I felt we had a complete performance in the first half as long as we had the legs to sustain what we wanted to do. In the second half our togetherness and the third goal got us through. We defended well, we lost a bit more of the ball than in the first half and our movements were less fluent but we kept the spirit and organisation. The first half was very exciting.
"To win today gives us a positive platform to prepare but now the Premier League starts and we have to start well at home because it's a derby. It will be a different kind of game as well. Let's be on our toes and prepare well but it was important to win today."
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