Arsenal begin title defence with comfortable win over Coventry | OneFootball

Arsenal made a flying start to their Premier League title defence with a comfortable 3-0 victory over newly promoted Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium.

Mikel Arteta’s side controlled the match from the outset and needed just 15 minutes to break the deadlock. Christos Tzolis impressed on his Arsenal debut, cutting inside before helping create the opening for Kai Havertz, who calmly converted Riccardo Calafiori’s low cross.

The hosts doubled their advantage eight minutes later. Tzolis’ low delivery was only partially stopped by Coventry goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, allowing Bukayo Saka to pounce on the rebound and finish into an empty net.

Arsenal continued to dominate after the break and added a third four minutes into the second half. Martin Odegaard’s effort took a deflection and wrong-footed Rushworth, leaving the Coventry goalkeeper unable to prevent the ball from crossing the line.

Coventry struggled to create opportunities throughout the contest, managing only one shot on target.

The result gives the reigning champions the perfect start, while Frank Lampard’s side face an early reminder of the challenge that awaits them after returning to the top flight following a 25-year absence.

Incidents: The story of the match

Arsenal Official Line-ups:

David Raya, Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Gabriel Magalhães, Riccardo Calafiori, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Christos Tzolis

Coventry City Official Line-ups:

Carl Rushworth, Milan van Ewijk, Bobby Thomas, Aurèle Amenda, Jay Dasilva, Matt Grimes, Frank Onyeka, Caleb Yirenkyi, Loum Tchaouna, Ellis Simms, Brandon Thomas-Asante

1':

The match begins

The score is now 1-0.

15':

GOAL Arsenal: Kai Havertz (Arsenal) scores!

Kai Havertz scores goal number 1 in the competition (1 matches) Kai Havertz scores goal number 39 for his team (114 matches)

The score is now 2-0.

23':

GOAL Arsenal: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) scores!

Bukayo Saka scores goal number 1 in the competition (1 matches) Bukayo Saka scores goal number 83 for his team (315 matches)

Martin Odegaard scores to make it 3-0, assisted by Benjamin William White.

49':

GOAL Arsenal: Martin Odegaard (Arsenal) scores!

Martin Odegaard scores goal number 1 in the competition (1 matches) Martin Odegaard scores goal number 45 for his team (237 matches)

998':

The referee whistles for the end of the match