Champions. Twenty-two years since the last time we started a season as the team everyone else is chasing. Friday night at the Emirates, Frank Lampard's newly promoted Coventry City in the away end, and a 3-0 win that never looked like being anything else.
The New Boy
Christos Tzolis made his debut and spent the first half tormenting Milan van Ewijk. Tzolis smothered the right-back to win the ball back on 15 minutes, Riccardo Calafiori dragged it across, and Kai Havertz swept it into the bottom corner. Havertz kept his place ahead of Viktor Gyökeres, who spent the night on the bench against his old club.
Eight minutes later the second arrived from the same source. Declan Rice drove into the area and found Tzolis, whose cross Carl Rushworth could only palm out, and Bukayo Saka was waiting to finish.
Ødegaard Seals It
Four minutes after the break the captain got the third. Rice broke the line to find Martin Ødegaard, Ødegaard found Saka, Ben White overlapped and gave it back, and Ødegaard's finish was miscued enough that Rushworth went the wrong way. They all count.
Rushworth denied Tzolis a debut goal early in the second half. Rice and Saka came off just after the hour with a World Cup summer behind them, and Coventry had the ball at times without ever troubling David Raya.
The Arteta Insight
The boss was as pleased with the manner as the margin:
"There was a lot to like. Obviously it was a great result, but the manner we started the game, the domination, clarity, understanding and growth in the game was really impressive."
He also made a point of not patronising the visitors:
"They are a really good side, really well-coached and clear in the way they want to hurt you. We didn't give them chances until the last minutes."
Man of the Match: Christos Tzolis 🇬🇷
He won the ball for the first and crossed for the second, in his first competitive half for the club. Aston Villa away next Saturday.