Arsenal beat Coventry 3-0, and the Premier League title defence is already on the board
Havertz, Saka and Odegaard scored. Coventry's first top-flight game since 2001 ended without a shot on target.
Arsenal beat newly promoted Coventry City 3-0 at the Emirates on Friday night and opened the defence of their Premier League title in the same place they finished last season: at the top of the table. Kick-off was 12.30am IST. Kai Havertz scored in the 15th minute, Bukayo Saka in the 23rd, and captain Martin Odegaard four minutes after half-time.
The first goal came after Riccardo Calafiori found Havertz, who steered a first-time finish into the far corner. Christos Tzolis, the only debutant in the side with Bruno Guimaraes out injured, then put in a low cross that Carl Rushworth could only palm into Saka's path. Odegaard's third was scuffed, after Saka and Ben White combined, but it was enough to wrong-foot the goalkeeper. ESPN had Arsenal at 1.8 expected goals and Coventry at 0.28. BBC Sport said Coventry did not manage a shot on target. It was the Sky Blues' first Premier League match since 2001, and Frank Lampard's first night back in the division as their manager.
Havertz had started, and scored, in the 3-0 Community Shield win over Manchester City five days earlier, and kept his place ahead of Viktor Gyokeres, who used to play for Coventry. Declan Rice and Saka were both taken off after the hour. Arsenal.com called it a fifth straight opening-day win. Mikel Arteta's side had ended a 22-year wait for the title last season.
Arsenal's next league game is at Aston Villa on Monday, 31 August. Coventry play Plymouth Argyle in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, then host Hull City next Saturday in their first home Premier League fixture.
Yesterday's piece was about the season starting, and about referees being told to stop the wrestling at corners. The result is the new fact. A 3-0 against a side that has been away for 25 years will not tell you whether Arsenal can retain the thing. It will tell you they can put a game away before anyone has had breakfast in India, and that Coventry's first problem in this league is a simple one: they could not shoot. Maybe that is all opening night is supposed to do. The harder nights start at Villa Park.
Ten days off, then Villa away. Coventry have a cup tie and then Hull at home, which is the first real test of whether Friday was a mismatch or a warning.