Arsenal start like Champions but must learn from Manchester United’s mistake

On Friday night, Arsenal kicked off their 2026/27 Premier League season with a 3-0 walk in the park over newly promoted Coventry City.

The victory reinstated Arsenal’s reputation and image as the Champions of England, which they’ve commenced the season with already.

This is paramount. The win was more than just a win versus a team who hadn’t been in the top flight of English football for a generation. The show-stopper showed that Arsenal’s fifth consecutive opening-day win, for only the second time in history, proved the Gunners are serious about further silverware this season and that back-to-back Premier League titles aren’t impossible.

Had Arsenal slipped up versus Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues, they would’ve looked vulnerable after only the first 90 minutes of the season and shown that they can be easily knocked by sides that they should be beating on paper.

Arsenal have moved on from those difficult days

The Gunners have moved past the early days of the 2019/20 season, when they finished eighth in the table and lost to the so-called “lesser teams” at times with ease. A win certainly wasn’t a guarantee, let alone any real consistency.

Since those challenging-to-watch days, Mikel Arteta has converted the finest team in North London into FA Cup winners, Premier League heroes for the first time in 22 years, Champions League finalists and two-time Community Shield winners over Manchester City, who have beaten us multiple times in the title race.

If Arsenal had started this season poorly, with anything but a win versus Coventry City, it would’ve set an uncomfortable and unwanted start to the campaign, which us Gooners certainly wouldn’t like to see at all.

Some readers might think I’m overexaggerating here. However, yesterday newly promoted Hull City beat Manchester United 2-0, who some were somehow favouring to lift the Premier League for the first time in over 13 years before the season started.

Arsenal cannot afford to underestimate anyone

Considering Hull weren’t afraid of the Red Devils and beat them with ease, there’s no reason why this couldn’t have happened to Arsenal, further highlighting how significant dismantling Coventry was on Friday night.

Anything can happen in football, and what we saw with Manchester United’s shock defeat was proof of that. We shouldn’t be brushing off sides because of their latest Premier League positions or experience.

Arsenal need to keep their eyes open this season and not be naïve against all 19 Premier League opponents and more.

Let’s keep this momentum rolling, COYG!

Liam Harding

Do you agree that Arsenal’s convincing opening-day victory sent an important message, and how important will avoiding complacency against the so-called lesser teams be in another title challenge? Let us know in the comments.

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