Just days after completing his move from Nottingham Forest, Taiwo Awoniyi got his first taste of Premier League action for Coventry, in a defeat at the Emirates.
Want our football coverage to show up first?
Add FootballInNigeria as a preferred source and our stories get a "Preferred" badge in your Google Top Stories, AI Overviews, and AI Mode results.
Nigeria internationals Frank Onyeka and Taiwo Awoniyi both featured as newly promoted Coventry City suffered a 3-0 opening day defeat away at champions Arsenal, Complete Sports reports, citing ESPN.
Onyeka played the full 90 minutes for Coventry, while Awoniyi, who completed his move from Nottingham Forest only days earlier, made his competitive debut for the club as a substitute with 20 minutes remaining.
Arsenal Send An Early Statement
Mikel Arteta’s side backed up their pre-season billing as title favourites, with Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka scoring in the 15th and 23rd minutes respectively before captain Martin Ødegaard added a third four minutes into the second half to put the result beyond doubt.
The win also took Arteta to 150 Premier League victories in 249 games in charge, a milestone only Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho, Jürgen Klopp and Sir Alex Ferguson have reached in fewer matches. Arsenal, who won their first league title in 22 years last season, are now chasing back to back championships for the first time since the 1930s.
A Reunion And A New Chapter
The match also fell on the day Arsenal confirmed the signing of England defender Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa, with Arteta naming new arrival Christos Tzolis as the only newcomer in his starting line-up. Big-money midfield signing Bruno Guimarães missed out through injury sustained in the Community Shield.
For Coventry, the defeat marks a tough start to life back in the Premier League after a 25 year absence, but Awoniyi’s introduction offers an early glimpse of what Frank Lampard hopes will be a productive partnership between the striker and the club’s promotion push. Coventry’s next test comes away at Aston Villa on Monday, 31 August, a ground where Arsenal themselves lost 2-1 on their last visit.
📌 Did You Know?
- Arsenal’s win took Mikel Arteta to 150 Premier League victories in just 249 games, a rate matched by only four managers in the competition’s history.
- Awoniyi’s debut arrived just days after he completed his move from Nottingham Forest, where he scored 23 goals in 103 appearances across four seasons.
- Frank Onyeka, who played the full match, previously featured in the Bundesliga before establishing himself in the Premier League.
- Arsenal have not won back to back English league titles since a run of three consecutive championships between 1932 and 1935.
- Coventry’s return to the Premier League ends a 25 year absence from English football’s top flight.
- Ezri Konsa’s move to Arsenal from Aston Villa was confirmed on the same day as this match, adding further depth to Arteta’s defensive options.
