Arsenal 3-0 Coventry City: result and report

Report

Arsenal won 3-0, and the performance matched the scoreline. They went into the game expected to win comfortably. Despite that expectation, nothing in the match suggested Coventry City were close to an upset.

The game was effectively decided inside the first half-hour, because Arsenal scored twice in eight minutes. Kai Havertz opened the scoring on 15 minutes from Riccardo Calafiori's pass. Bukayo Saka doubled the lead on 23 minutes.

Coventry City still had the second half to respond, but Martin Ødegaard ended any doubt four minutes after the restart. He finished on 49 minutes from Ben White's assist and was named player of the match.

Chances at both ends

This was not a flattering scoreline, because the chance numbers point the same direction. Arsenal finished with 2.10 xG to Coventry City's 0.19. Arsenal had six shots, all on target, and also hit the woodwork.

Arsenal's 17 key passes to Coventry City's three show how often they found an opening. They also had 64% of the ball, while their pressure readings stayed well above Coventry City's for most of the evening.

There is one caveat, though. Six shots is a modest total. Arsenal won comfortably because they turned a small number of attempts into goals, rather than because they buried Coventry City under a flood of chances.

Coventry City's evening

Coventry City managed one shot, and it came from their only big chance of the game. They missed it. That was the one opening that might have made the second half more uncomfortable for Arsenal. Even so, a single attempt across the match tells you how little the visitors were able to build.