Arsenal beat Coventry City FC 3-0 at Emirates Stadium to open the Premier League season, with Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard scoring. The result gave Arsenal a fifth-straight opening day victory and sent them to the top of the Premier League table at the start of the campaign.
Emirates Stadium start
Havertz scored after 14 minutes, then Saka added a second midway through the first half. Arsenal were 2-0 up after 23 minutes, and that early gap left Coventry chasing the game before the break.
Christos Tzolis created early chances for Arsenal and was involved in the move that led to Havertz’s goal. Bobby Thomas cleared a Tzolis effort off the line in the first 25 minutes, but Carl Rushworth could not stop Havertz’s finish from just inside the box.
Odegaard after the restart
Martin Odegaard scored straight after the restart, lifting Arsenal to 3-0 within three minutes of the second half. Declan Rice, Odegaard and Tzolis combined in the move that led to Saka’s goal, giving Arsenal three different scorers before Coventry could settle.
Frank Lampard’s Coventry side were making their top-flight return after 25 years away. They had reached the match as Championship champions, but the scoreline was already beyond reach before the hour, with Arsenal’s first-half control carrying straight into the second half.
Coventry City response
How Coventry City respond in their next league match is left for another day, but this defeat gives Frank Lampard a clear early marker on the gap his side must close. Carl Rushworth was making his fourth start in a row, and the clean finish from Havertz set the tone for a long afternoon for the visitors.
