Reviewed by Omotolani Ajileye
Photo: Steve Priest / Panoramio, CC BY 3.0
Arsenal beat newly-promoted Coventry City 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Friday to launch their Premier League title defence.
With goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard, Arsenal sealed a dominant opening-night victory. Mikel Arteta’s side, champions for the first time in 22 years after last season’s triumph, wasted little time reminding the division of their credentials.
Havertz broke the deadlock inside 15 minutes, Saka doubled the lead eight minutes later, and Odegaard added a third just four minutes into the second half to complete the rout.
Why did this result matter beyond the opening-night scoreline? Arsenal have now won five straight season openers, a run that speaks to Arteta’s ability to have his squad ready from the very first whistle. Coventry, meanwhile, were experiencing something entirely different.
Back in the top flight after a 25-year absence, Frank Lampard’s side found the step-up brutal, recording no touches in the opposition box and no tackles at all in the first half, a statistic Opta had never recorded from any Premier League team since it began collecting the data in 2007.
New signing Christos Tzolis provided the game’s standout individual moment. Making his Premier League debut following his move from Club Brugge, the Greek international was involved in both of Arsenal’s opening goals. He did so by first winning back possession to set up Havertz and then sending in the low cross that goalkeeper Carl Rushworth could only turn into Saka’s path.
“What a left-winger Arsenal have got,” Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher said on commentary. Off the back of two assists in the Community Shield win over Manchester City the previous weekend, Tzolis has now been directly involved in four…
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