The Community Shield may not be considered a major trophy by many, but in the context of how last season ended for Arsenal, the psychological impact of their win against Manchester City should not be underestimated.

Kevin de Bruyne and Rodri missed spot-kicks in the shootout, but Arsenal converted all of theirs to win the first trophy of the season after Cole Palmer’s stunning goal.

The Gunners led the Premier League for 248 days last season – the longest period any side has spent at the top without winning it – but as Arteta’s team capitulated, City surged to victory.

Also, they didn’t appear to have any answers for City last season. A total of eight goals were scored against them in all three matches – twice in the Premier League and once in the FA Cup.

As a matter of fact, the Gunners had lost nine of their last ten games against the champions.

Having one over their rivals, no matter the competition, is critical for Arsenal to ensure they are not mentally beaten before taking to the pitch against Guardiola’s side.

ITV quoted Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale as saying: “It’s a statement.”. Ramsdale explained: “This shows we are capable of beating Manchester City in a big game.”.

The mental block has gone. We’re ready to push forward now.”

It was an encouraging result for Arteta as well.

In an interview with BBC Radio 5 live, he said: “We proved that we are capable of competing against an incredible team.”.

The road ahead is full of problems and challenges, but we did a great job.”

‘Big brains’ didn’t consult Guardiola during injury time

The Community Shield was won by Arsenal over Man City in a shootout

The Gunners spent big in the months following last season’s title challenge due to injuries and fatigue.

Declan Rice joined West Ham for £100 million, Kai Havertz joined Chelsea for £65 million, and Jurrien Timber was acquired from Ajax for a fee that could rise to £38.5 million.

There is no doubt that those arrivals have improved Arsenal’s core, and Guardiola acknowledged before Sunday’s game that they have taken the club to another level.

In the first half, Rice got the biggest cheers from the Arsenal fans when his name was read out before kick-off, but he did not really stand out, while Havertz missed two very good chances.

The trio’s arrival adds some important depth to last season’s squad as Timber was deployed at left-back.

On ITV, Chelsea women’s manager Emma Hayes praised Timber for his ability to play both at defender and midfield. “He looked a great signing,” Hayes said.

Rice, Timber, and Havertz will be crucial to Arsenal’s success in their second season competing at the top.

According to Hayes, Arsenal has learned that they must be more physical and decisive.

As a result of the learnings, fans have higher expectations.”

As a key member of West Ham’s Europa Conference League win, Rice showed his quality, but former Manchester United captain Roy Keane believes the pressure will be on him at Arsenal to replicate that success.

The players around Rice are now better, he told ITV. Obviously, they overpaid for him. His value is not over £100 million.

Declan’s quality will be revealed. Does he have the ability to see a pass and score nine, ten goals? We’ll find out.

For Manchester City fans, the trip was once again long and without reward.

They lost their third successive Community Shield game, but it’s unlikely to raise any alarm bells.

As a result of a slow start to last season, they went on to win the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup, and because of their success, they finished their campaign later than Arsenal, which led them to begin preparing for the coming season later than them.

There were signs of rustiness as last year’s Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland, who scored 52 goals in all competitions, had only 13 touches of the ball before he was replaced by Palmer.

Manchester City is a good team, but sometimes you lose,” Guardiola confessed.

“In the end, we couldn’t do it, their penalty takers were better than ours.”

Keane does not believe it will have any impact on Arsenal’s title quest this season, as it was a game that was perhaps more important for Arsenal than it was for City.

ITV quoted him as saying: “Winning this game means more to Arsenal than it does to Manchester City.”.

“City’s desire won’t be in question. We know their quality, but they will need a bit of luck to succeed.”