Arsenal began their title defence in style with a 3-0 rout of newly-promoted Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium.
Kai Havertz opened the scoring for the Gunners with a clinical finish before Bukayo Saka tapped in from close range to put the Gunners in control early in the first half.
Captain Martin Ødegaard scored soon after the break to further the party atmosphere in N7 as the Gunners underlined their credentials as title favourites.
Here’s how they fared in their Premier League opener.
Manager rating (out of 10)
Mikel Arteta, 8 — The Gunners picked up where they left off in the Community Shield with their full-throttled attacking approach. Arteta has turned off the handbrake and given his forwards greater freedom. The speed of their passing was reminscent of what we saw from Arsenal in the 2022-23 season and the scoreline allowed Arteta to rotate his squad for the latter stages of the game.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, 5 = average)
GK David Raya, 7 — The Spaniard wasn’t tested in goal with Coventry registering a singular shot on target. His distribution from the back was tidy.
RB Ben White, 8 — Looks back to full fitness and his overlapping runs were a constant threat for Coventry. His instinctive relationship with Saka on the right wing was evident in the buildup for Arsenal’s third goal.
CB Cristhian Mosquera, 7 — Solid enough at the back and wasn’t overly troubled by the little that Coventry forwards threw at him.
CB Gabriel Magalhães, 6 — Booked early on after being spun by Simms, and took a while to find his rhythm.
LB Riccardo Calafiori, 8 — Lovely spin and pass for Havertz’s opener. His prowess up front was again on display and in the first half he was almost an auxillary left winger.
CM Martin Ødegaard, 9 — Got lucky for his goal but deserved to get on the scoresheet for his performance. He was the conduit for everything Arsenal did going forward and looks back to his audacious best.
CM Declan Rice, 7 — A surprise selection given he has only just returned after a grueling summer, but was tireless as per usual. Made a key intervention early on and his driving run from deep led to Arsenal’s second goal.
CM Myles Lewis-Skelly, 8 — A performance where his defensive discipline shone more than his attacking qualities. Nimble in tight spaces and again showed his ability to play line-breaking passes.
RW Bukayo Saka, 7 — Like Rice, a surprise starter. Looked bright on the right and finished instinctively for his goal.
ST Kai Havertz, 8 – Stunning first-time finish for Arsenal’s opener. Fitness and confidence levels look sky-high for the German, who has five goal contributions in his last five appearances for the club.
LW Christos Tzolis, 9 — A hugely impressive Premier League debut and had a role to play in Arsenal’s first two goals. Didn’t shy away from taking a shot and his first instinct was to always take on his defender.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes = no rating)
Noni Madueke, 7 — Was direct in his approach and combined well down the right.
MartÃn Zubimendi, 7 — Got around the pitch well and ensured Arsenal’s tempo didn’t drop in the second half.
Mikel Merino, N/A — Had a couple of chances after coming on and his movement was sharp.
Eberechi Eze, N/A — Had a couple of nice touches after coming on.
Piero Hincapié, N/A — Came on for Calafiori towards the end to close out the game.
