Arsenal begin title defence in style as Mikel Arteta’s side sweep Coventry City aside

Arsenal began their Premier League campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory. (Image credits – CommonsWikipedia, License Details) 

Arsenal couldn't have asked for a better start to their Premier League title defence. Mikel Arteta's side opened the new Premier League season with a comprehensive 3-0 win over newly promoted side Coventry City at the Emirates, showcasing their ambition to win back-to-back league titles.

The defending champions dominated possession from the beginning, forcing Frank Lampard’s side into their own box. The Gunners had 64% of the ball and 36 touches in the opposition box, while Coventry could manage only 3 touches inside the Arsenal box.

Coventry’s resistance to Arsenal could only last 15 minutes, and it came after pressure from Arsenal forced a horrendous error from Coventry.

Riccardo Calafiori reacted quickly to a shocking pass from Milan van Ewijk before finding Kai Havertz unmarked, who finished first time with a cool and composed finish. Coventry had returned to the Premier League after an exile of 25 years.

Lampard's new signings also made their Premier League debuts, but Arsenal were operating on a completely different level.

The away side occasionally did threaten Mikel Arteta's side on the break but struggled to create any meaningful opportunity from those moments.

The most encouraging player from Arsenal was their new signing Christos Tzolis, who made his Premier League debut for the Gunners. He provided a brilliant assist for Saka’s second goal and made his presence felt throughout the game.

Tzolis was a constant threat from the left and offered a whole new dimension in attack to Arteta's side. 

Odegaard was impressed by the new arrival's display.

"Amazing, he played a brilliant game," said Odegaard. (sic)

He added, “He's so lively; it's hard to defend him. He's a really intelligent player; he always looks up and finds the right pass.” (sic)

The third goal arrived in the second half with the skipper Martin Odegaard scoring his first of the campaign.

The Norwegian was instrumental yet again in controlling the tempo and creating chances. He was named the player of the match, and his performance earned widespread praise as well.

Arsenal managed the game well after going 3-0 up, and most importantly, they've earned 3 important points, which gives them a good start to the season, which promises to be a challenging title defence.

The Gunners have shown promise in the opening weeks of the new season as they beat Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield final.

While the Community Shield is of less competitive significance, the back-to-back 3-0 results will boost the team's confidence and morale heading further into the season, which is a long way to go.

Coventry were always likely to face a huge challenge from Arsenal, the reigning champions. The Gunners will face further difficult challenges as the season progresses, and it'll take the true measure of Mikel Arteta's side.

For now, the defending champions have done exactly what they needed to do by beginning their title defence with a commanding win and a clean sheet. 

"There was a lot to like in the performance, and obviously it's a great result," Arteta said in the post-match interview. (sic)

He added, "The manner in which we started with such a domination, clarity, understanding and flow in the game was really impressive.” (sic)