Arsenal supporters have taken to social media to celebrate the performance of summer signing Christos Tzolis following the club's 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the FA Community Shield final. The match, held at the Principality Stadium on Sunday, August 16, saw the Gunners make a strong statement ahead of the new Premier League season.
Riccardo Calafiori opened the scoring for Arsenal just 23 seconds into the game. Kai Havertz extended the lead with a header in the 28th minute, and captain Martin Odegaard finalized the 3-0 scoreline in the 48th minute. Arsenal secured the win despite recording 41 percent possession, landing nine shots with five on target and an expected goals (xG) value of 2.19. In contrast, Manchester City managed 12 shots with five on target but only recorded an xG of 0.77.
Tzolis, a 24-year-old left-winger signed from Club Brugge last month for a reported fee of £34 million, played the full 90 minutes. He proved instrumental in the attack, creating the most chances of any player in the game with three and providing two assists. Fans were quick to praise his impact, with some labeling him an "upgrade" over Leandro Trossard and others describing him as an "output machine" and a "moments player."
Following the triumph, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard expressed satisfaction with his team's performance, stating that they demonstrated their true level and ambition to compete for further silverware this season. Odegaard noted that the squad was eager to start with a trophy and emphasized the need to maintain their momentum. Arsenal is scheduled to face Coventry in their next Premier League fixture on August 21.
Odegaard also admitted that they aim to win more trophies this season, months after they won the Premier League title and reached the Champions League final.Following the game, the Norway international told TNT Sports (h/t afcstuff):"It’s what we wanted, we wanted to start here with the first trophy & we did.
Apart from the win, we played some brilliant football.
