Myles Lewis-Skelly had been linked with a move away from the Emirates in the build-up to kick-off at the Principality Stadium, but he wasted no time in making his point to Mikel Arteta, picking out Calafiori for the opener with a delightful reverse pass to give the Londoners the perfect start.
That left Enzo Maresca an uphill task in his first competitive fixture since replacing the legendary Pep Guardiola, and things went from bad to worse before the half-hour mark.
New Arsenal signing Christos Tzolis nodded the ball smartly back across goal from a Martin Odegaard cross, and Kai Havertz was on hand to squirm his header beyond an unconvincing Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The Cityzens belatedly threatened to click into gear as the half drew to a close, with Erling Haaland drawing a good save from David Raya before a great block from Ben White to deny Jeremy Doku.
But there was still time before the break for Arteta’s men to come again, and only a goal-line clearance prevented Odegaard from making it 3-0.
This reprieve for Maresca’s side proved short-lived, as they remarkably allowed themselves to be caught cold for a second time after the restart.
Some simple but incisive passing sliced the Etihad outfit apart once more, and Odegaard sat down Donnarumma with a cool finish to put the contest beyond any doubt at the second attempt.
Substitute Bukayo Saka then almost applied the finishing touch to a delightfully crafted move, but could only find the side netting after shrugging off Josko Gvardiol.
He then put an even bigger chance over the crossbar, but the miss could hardly make a dent in Arsenal’s jubilant mood as the final whistle formally confirmed a statement victory.
The win means Arteta has now tasted success in all of his Community Shield appearances as both a player (W2) and manager (W3).
For Maresca, this was a tough reminder of the scale of the task ahead, although he will waste no time in turning his attention to the Premier League opener against Bournemouth next Sunday.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Christos Tzolis (Arsenal)