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It may be described as a champions’ performance, although in truth this was more a reminder of Arsenal from before they became champions, while also hinting at something even bigger.

That final point may be the most intriguing takeaway from an opening-night Premier League victory that was otherwise routine; a showcase win that never really became a contest.

Can Arsenal genuinely move up yet another level, even without Vinicius Junior or a similar type of forward? Can Mikel Arteta at last completely unleash this team?

Many inside Arsenal would argue that this display itself was the perfect answer to older criticisms. The 3-0 win over Coventry City to begin the season was arguably their most expansive performance of 2026, with the only real rival in the Premier League being another 3-0 victory against Fulham during the run-in.

It is also no coincidence that this came in only the second match this year — and, remarkably, just the second since December 2024 — in which Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz were all on the pitch together. All three scored, and all three goals came from open play, underlining the point emphatically.

Adding another layer to it all was the player who created two of those goals. Christos Tzolis arrived from Club Brugge for a relatively modest £34m and was easy enough to overlook, but he was impossible to ignore here. He was electric and brought a directness Arsenal have often lacked. Tzolis simply attacked. There was no sluggishness, no surrender to “horseshoe” possession, and no constant cutting back inside.

Havertz’s opener came from his hunger in the press, while Saka’s goal followed Tzolis’s willingness to drive straight at defenders. Greeks bearing gifts, indeed.

What will have pleased Arteta was that Tzolis offered all the hard work associated with Leandro Trossard while also showing signs of greater incision. Trossard, of course, scored many vital goals for Arsenal and earned a genuinely historic standing at the club, and Tzolis clearly still has to improve his finishing before he can even begin to think in those terms. Even so, there was plenty to like here.

All of this is despite Arteta still being keen to recruit another left-sided attacker. The question raised by this match is whether Arsenal even need one, particularly with the unfortunate Gabriel Martinelli now pushed out of the squad. It was difficult not to sense that this carried a message for the Brazilian as Arsenal weigh up a move for Juventus’s Kenan Yildiz.

Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka put Arsenal firmly in control within the opening quarter of the match.

To ask whether any more is needed, though, may also underestimate Arteta’s ruthless drive. He does not simply want to assemble a title-winning side. He wants to strengthen this squad further so it can repeatedly go the distance in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

That is why Ezri Konsa was presented before the game. Plenty outside the club had questioned whether another centre-half was necessary, but Arteta viewed it as a priority because he knows a single injury could leave Arsenal short in a campaign crowded with relentless midweek fixtures. The demands of the game are different now.

As for this particular contest, the display must of course be judged in the context of Arsenal facing a Coventry City side playing their first Premier League match in 25 years. It was a brutal return, even if 3-0 at least sounds respectable. Before the interval, it looked as though the scoreline might become far heavier.

There were, however, some encouraging signs amid the constant pressure. You could see how Jay Silva and Ellis Simms may make their mark at this level, particularly with the way Simms kept trying to force Gabriel into a duel for every ball. One possible criticism is that Coventry appear a little too physically heavy. We will still need to see more from the rest of the side before judging their prospects properly.

Martin Odegaard and Arsenal were full of smiles as they opened their title defence with a comfortable victory.

The reality for Arsenal, though, is that they had similar — and perhaps even easier — matches last season and made much harder work of them. The two games against Wolves, for example, ended in a 2-2 draw and a 2-1 win, with the latter only secured through a frantic late own goal. There was nothing like the control and certainty shown here.

Of course, that is another thing that comes with being champions. Arsenal have been freed from a suffocating tension. A major reason was simply that they were able to field the three players who most enjoy that freedom.

Arsenal attacked with a fluency this crowd has largely been denied over the last two seasons. It is an ominous sign for the rest of a league that already feels uncertain, especially when the conversation beforehand had already centred on Arsenal keeping the title.

To retain the trophy, however, the bigger issue is whether they can keep these players fit. That remains their great unknown in a wider Premier League season filled with uncertainties.

There were positive signs for Frank Lampard’s Coventry despite the defeat.

Odegaard looked mentally refreshed as much as physically sharp, almost as if Norway’s World Cup success has had the same personal effect on him as winning the title has had on the team. On the subject of the World Cup, a slick Saka revived the questions over why Thomas Tuchel did not use him against Argentina. Deeper in midfield, Declan Rice looked as though he had greatly benefited from a full three weeks of rest. And all of this came without Bruno Guimaraes in the side.

There was plenty for Arsenal to enjoy, even if recent memory will make this crowd expect sterner tests very soon. Their next two fixtures are difficult: away to Aston Villa and then at home to Chelsea.

It was just as well, then, that they began with a display like this. Back near their best, at least for now, and making a serious statement that they may finally be capable of going back to back.