Arsenal opened their bid to defend the Premier League title with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Coventry City at the Emirates Stadium.

Kai Havertz set the champions on their way inside 15 minutes before Bukayo Saka doubled the hosts' lead midway through the first half. Martin Ødegaard added a third for Arsenal four minutes after the interval.

There will of course be far sterner tests to come for Mikel Arteta's side -- with Frank Lampard's Coventry delivered an unenviable opening rubber on their Premier League comeback after 25 years away. But Arsenal's one-sided opening-night win cements their status as the bookmakers' preseason favourites.

Arsenal's home matches last season were riddled with anxiety as the Gunners attempted to end a grisly streak of near-misses and land their first title in two decades.

But with the Premier League now safely tucked away in the trophy cabinet, Arsenal will hope to play with more freedom this term as they attempt to retain their crown. And there were certainly signs of that on Friday night, albeit against opposition who are tipped to go straight back down.

Havertz scored only twice in the league last season after he was sidelined for almost five months with a knee injury sustained on the opening weekend.

But after he started, and scored, in Arsenal's crushing 3-0 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield five days ago, Havertz was again retained in the lineup - in favour of former Coventry striker Viktor Gyökeres - and back on the scoresheet.

Christos Tzolis, Arsenal's sole debutant with Bruno Guimarães absent through injury, impressed, and, after smothering right-back Milan van Ewijk, Riccardo Calafiori's drag back was expertly converted by Havertz.

There were question marks over the fitness of both Declan Rice and Saka during England's run to the semifinals of the World Cup. And both were, perhaps tellingly, withdrawn after the hour mark here.

But it was Rice's drive to the edge of the penalty area - assisted by a neat one-two with Ødegaard -- that sparked Arsenal's second in the 23rd minute.

Rice played in Tzolis and his cross was only clawed away by goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, with Saka on hand to covert the rebound.

Rice's curling effort then shaved Rushworth's post on the stroke of half-time before he was involved for the Gunners' next goal when he delivered a line-breaking pass to Ødegaard.

The visiting defence afforded Odegaard the freedom of the Emirates and he found Saka, who played in the overlapping Ben White. The full-back's pass landed back at Ødegaard's feet, with his miscued finish bamboozling Rushworth.

With just 49 minutes on the clock, Lampard might have feared the worst, and Rushworth was required to stop Tzolis' fizzing drive moments later.

But Coventry kept the score to a respectable figure even as Arsenal cruised to all three points, starting the new season where they finished the last -- at the summit of the league.