In a move that will surprise absolutely no one who has been paying attention, Arsenal have won the Community Shield, beating Manchester City 3-0 in a match that was less a contest and more a public demonstration of why the post-Pep era might require a bit more than a new manager and a prayer.

Enzo Maresca’s first competitive game in charge of City began with Arsenal seizing the lead after 24.5 seconds, which is roughly the time it takes to say 'well, here we go again.' Riccardo Calafiori’s smart opener, set up by Myles Lewis-Skelly’s brilliant pass, left City with irrecoverable damage - or at least that's how it felt. Kai Havertz doubled the lead on 28 minutes, and Martin Ødegaard sealed the win three minutes into the second half, fooling Gianluigi Donnarumma in the City goal with a finish so smooth it should come with a parental advisory.

'We wanted to start with a trophy and we did,' said Arteta, presumably while trying not to smirk. 'We played some brilliant football… I want to score more goals and it’s a good way to start.'

Arsenal controlled the game from the moment Calafiori scored, with Havertz and Ødegaard adding the others, both made by the impressive Christos Tzolis. Ødegaard’s one-on-one finish was a delight, the kind of moment that makes you forget he’s paid to do this for a living.

City’s defending was, to put it mildly, a concern. But let's not get carried away - that’s what the next nine months are for. As Nick Parmenter noted, there's a parallel with the Charity Shield of 1998, when Arsenal hammered Manchester United 3-0, and United went on to do the Treble. So there's hope for City yet, unless you're an Arsenal fan, in which case you're probably already booking the open-top bus parade.

Arsenal’s opening Premier League games are against Coventry (H) and Aston Villa (A), while City face Bournemouth (H) and Crystal Palace (A). These should tell us more, though if you're looking for a definitive answer, you might be waiting a while.

Ødegaard was booked for a late tackle on Jack Grealish before being replaced by Eberechi Eze, but not before he scored that delightful goal just after half-time. David Raya made a fine save from Semenyo, and Saka screwed a shot over the bar from Hincapie’s cross, because why not.

Substitutions came and went: Gyokeres and Zubimendi replaced Havertz and Lewis-Skelly; Saka and Hincapie came on for Madueke and Calafiori; City brought on Lewis and Cherki for Anderson and Foden, and later Marmoush and Guehi for Haaland and O’Reilly. None of it mattered. Arsenal had already made their point.

There were moments of note: Gvardiol went down holding his face after a barge from White, which was snide but not VAR-worthy. Anderson was penalised for a challenge that wasn't quite enough for VAR, and Calafiori was booked for diving, which is a bit rich considering the sport's history. But the real story was Arsenal's relentless intensity, their 'olé football' as the fans sang, and the fact that they look like they could win the league by 10 points if they feel like it.

As for City, well, there's always next year. Or the year after that. Or the year after that. The post-Pep era might be trickier than widely envisaged, but at least they have a new manager to blame. Maresca's first competitive game was a miserable affair, but it's just one game. The next nine months will tell us more, and we'll be here, watching, with a wry smile and a raised eyebrow.