Arsenal pick up exactly where they left off: 3-0 against a Coventry side that never arrived
Havertz at 15, Saka at 23, Ødegaard at 49. But the number that defines opening night is a different one: Coventry did not make a single tackle until the 69th minute, by which point they were already three down.
A week after taking Manchester City apart in the Community Shield, Arsenal opened the defence of their title with a performance that asked no questions of anybody. 3-0 against Coventry City, and it could have been more.
Kai Havertz got the first at 15, Bukayo Saka the second at 23, and Martin Ødegaard added a third four minutes into the second half. The Emirates barely had to raise its voice.
New signing Christos Tzolis was involved in the build-up to both opening goals. Down the right, Ben White, Saka and Ødegaard picked Coventry apart in the channel they have been picking teams apart in for three seasons now. Nothing here was improvised.
The number that tells the whole story
Coventry became the first side in a Premier League match since Opta began collecting the data in 2007 to record no touches in the opposition box and no tackles in the first half. Their first tackle of the night came at 69 minutes — 3-0 down.
That is not a defensive plan. That is a team that spent 45 minutes chasing a ball it was never close to. Carl Rushworth, in the Coventry goal, was comfortably their best player, which on a promoted side's first night in the division is rarely a good sign.
Match facts
- 15' — Kai Havertz (Arsenal)
- 23' — Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
- 49' — Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal)
- 69' — Coventry's first tackle of the match
| Stat | Arsenal | Coventry City |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 64.1% | 35.9% |
| Total shots | 20 | 4 |
| Shots on target | 6 | 1 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 1.80 | 0.28 |
| Pass accuracy | 91.7% | 78.1% |
| Corners | 8 | 2 |
| Fouls conceded | 10 | 13 |
| Offsides | 5 | 0 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 1 |
How it unfolded
Arsenal did not need a fast start, but they took one anyway. Havertz finished the first real opening at 15, and eight minutes later Saka made it two from the right-hand side that has become the club's default route to goal.
The third came early in the second half, Ødegaard's finish taking a scuff on the way in — the only untidy thing Arsenal did all evening. After that the game simply stopped. Twenty shots to four, and Coventry's single effort on target flattered them.
Arsenal's perfect start held up
Three matchweeks on, that opening night at the Emirates reads like the start of a run rather than a one-off. Bukayo Saka struck again to win 1-0 away at Aston Villa, and Kai Havertz and Martin Ødegaard turned an early Chelsea lead into a 2-1 comeback at home. Nine points from three games, six goals scored and only one conceded — Arsenal are unbeaten, level with Manchester City on points and goal difference, with only City's extra goal scored keeping the champions off top spot.
Coventry's evening in north London was no one-off
It got harder from there, not easier. Frank Lampard's side lost 0-1 at home to Hull City next, despite having 69% of the possession and the better expected-goals numbers on the day. A 0-1 defeat away at Manchester City followed, Coventry creating three real openings of their own without converting any of them. Three matches into the club's return to the top flight after 25 years, they have lost every one, scored no goals and conceded five — one of only three Premier League clubs, along with Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, yet to find the net this season.
What's next
Arsenal sit 2nd on 9 points, inside the Champions League places, and travel to Sunderland on Saturday 12 September. Coventry remain bottom of the table without a point and host Brighton & Hove Albion the same afternoon.
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