Arsenal began their Premier League title defence in impressive fashion with a 3-0 victory over newly promoted Coventry at the Emirates Stadium on Friday.
Mikel Arteta’s side dominated the match, with Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard getting on the scoresheet to give the champions a comfortable opening-day win.
Havertz opened the scoring in the 15th minute after Riccardo Calafiori won possession and delivered a cross into the box, which the German forward converted with a low finish.
Arsenal doubled their advantage eight minutes later when Saka reacted quickly to a rebound from goalkeeper Carl Rushworth following Christos Tzolis’ cross.
Ødegaard completed the scoring shortly after the restart, finding the net in the 49th minute after combining with Saka and Ben White to break through Coventry’s defence.
The victory marked a strong start to Arsenal’s attempt to retain the Premier League title, something the club has not achieved since the 1930s.
Coventry, who returned to the Premier League for the first time since 2001 after winning the Championship last season, struggled to match Arsenal’s intensity throughout the game.
Arsenal’s new signing Christos Tzolis also impressed on his first league start, following his move from Club Brugge, while the club’s £51 million signing Ezri Konsa was introduced to supporters before kick-off.
Speaking after the match, Ødegaard said Arsenal remained composed after Coventry initially gave them a strong challenge.
“The first game is always a bit nervy. They played well from the start,” the Arsenal captain said.
He added that the team controlled the game well but could have created and scored more chances.
Arsenal will now turn their attention to their next league fixture away to Aston Villa on August 31.
