Arsenal opened the defence of their Premier League crown with an emphatic 3-0 victory over newly promoted Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium, giving Frank Lampard's side a harsh introduction to top-flight football after a 25-year absence.
Kai Havertz set the tone just 15 minutes in, sweeping home a first-time finish after Riccardo Calafiori picked out Christos Tzolis, whose energetic pressing forced the turnover that led to the goal. Havertz's clinical strike continued his knack for scoring important goals, having also netted the winner in Arsenal's final home game of last season against Burnley.
The hosts doubled their advantage shortly after through Bukayo Saka, who pounced on a save from goalkeeper Carl Rushworth following a driving move that began with Declan Rice combining with captain Martin Odegaard. Coventry's Caleb Yirenkyi was booked in the buildup for fouling Myles Lewis-Skelly as the visitors struggled to contain Arsenal's fluent attacking play.
Odegaard added a third four minutes after the restart, though his effort owed more to fortune than precision. Set up by Ben White, the Norwegian's scuffed shot still managed to squeeze past Rushworth, sealing the contest before the hour mark and prompting Mikel Arteta to make early substitutions, bringing on World Cup winners Martín Zubimendi and Mikel Merino for Rice and Odegaard respectively.
Tzolis, a modest £34m arrival from Club Brugge, was one of the standout performers on the night. Constantly direct and willing to run at defenders, the Greek forward was involved in both of Arsenal's opening goals and looked a persistent threat throughout, even if his own finishing let him down on a couple of early chances. His performance offered encouraging signs for Arteta, who is still weighing up whether to add another attacking option on the left, with Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz reportedly under consideration.
The victory marked Arteta's 150th Premier League win as Arsenal manager, achieved in just 249 matches – a mark bettered only by Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho, Jürgen Klopp and Alex Ferguson among Premier League bosses. It also extended Arsenal's remarkable unbeaten home record against newly promoted sides to 46 matches, a Premier League record, with 17 consecutive wins in that sequence carrying an aggregate score of 47-9.
Arsenal fielded new signing Ezri Konsa, presented to supporters before kick-off following his £51m move from Aston Villa, though the England defender did not feature in the win. The champions were without Bruno Guimarães, who picked up an injury during his debut in Sunday's Community Shield triumph over Manchester City.
For Coventry, several of their five summer signings featured in the starting lineup, but they offered little going forward beyond a couple of half-chances, including a speculative Loum Tchaouna lob that briefly troubled David Raya before half-time. Rushworth was left to reflect on a difficult full Premier League debut, having also parried the ball into Saka's path for the second goal.
Lampard's side will look to build on the experience quickly, with a home game against Hull up next – a fixture the manager will hope offers a clearer indication of where his side stands this season. Lampard has now won just one of his last 18 matches in the Premier League.
For Arsenal, the emphatic nature of the win – their best expansive attacking display in some time – raises hopes that they can maintain such fluency as they attempt to defend their title, with tougher tests away at Aston Villa and at home to Chelsea looming next in the fixture list.
Based on reporting from The Independent, The Guardian, BBC Sport, and Evening Standard.