Arsenal began their Premier League title defence with a convincing 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium. Goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard secured the win for Mikel Arteta's side.
Clinical first-half display
Arsenal took the lead in clinical fashion in the 15th minute. Summer signing Christos Tzolis pressed Van Ewijk into a mistake and found Calafiori, who rolled a low ball across the box for Havertz to sweep home past Rushworth.
The champions doubled their advantage in the 23rd minute. A marauding run from Declan Rice started the attack before he found Tzolis on the left wing. The Greek winger's low cross was pushed out by Rushworth, but only as far as Saka, who fired it into the empty net.
Coventry had a chance to pull one back in the 43rd minute when Tchaouna's acrobatic effort had Raya scrambling back with concern, but it landed just onto the roof of the net. The visitors were shown the first yellow card of the game after Yirenkyi bundled over Lewis-Skelly.
Odegaard seals the win
Arsenal continued their dominance after the break. In the 49th minute, White cut the ball back to Odegaard, who scuffed his effort into the back of the net past a helpless Rushworth to make it 3-0.
Coventry showed some positive signs, with Van Ewijk getting forward on the overlap in the 55th minute, but his clipped cross just evaded his teammates at the far post. A nice give-and-go between Havertz and Saka followed, but the latter's effort was tipped over the bar from Rushworth.
At half-time, Arsenal led 2-0 with goals from Havertz and Saka, leaving plenty for Frank Lampard and Coventry to ponder at the break. The Gunners had 71% possession over the last 15 minutes of the first half and were in total control.
Tzolis made his league debut for Arsenal, while Bruno Guimaraes was absent after picking up a minor knock in the Community Shield. William Saliba and Jurrien Timber were also missing in defence as they continue their comeback from longer-term injuries. Coventry midfielder Jack Rudon had recovered from his injury but was only fit enough for a spot on the bench in their first top-flight encounter since 2001.
