Plymouth Argyle 2-4 Coventry City: What Lampard saidpublished at 22:56 BST
22:56 BST
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Coventry City boss Frank Lampard speaking to BBC Radio CWR: "Great start to the game, obviously great goal. Taiwo's [Awoniyi] goal was brilliant. Great play from us, playing through them, getting his goal. Same with [Jack] Rudoni, great goal. It affected us a little bit after that, you should really put the game to bed, and we didn't.
"Both goals were our big mistakes. We have to take it on the chin, you can't make those mistakes at any level, Premier League, cup, Plymouth, so those are things that we need to improve on. Some stuff was really good, we came strong, made subs, Ephron [Mason-Clark] comes on and does what he does. Some good, some bits to get better.
"It's great to see Ephron looking like that because he's had a small hamstring issue that we needed to get right and it's a shame to miss bits of pre-season, but he looks fit, he looked strong and we know what a big player he is for us. And [Victor] Torpe is calm and technically really, really good player as we all know already here. Very, very happy with that."
You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Birmingham City v Brentford" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Nottingham Forest match", for example.
'Lampard won't allow a half-hearted display against League One opponents'published at 10:55 BST
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There's a valid argument to further that The Sky Blues don't need any sort of cup run to distract them from the primary business of staying in the Premier League, after enduring a 25-year wait to get there.
Equally, nearly 1,800 fans are making the eight-hour-plus round trip on a Tuesday night to Home Park to support them, and they're owed a "proper" performance, whatever personnel Frank Lampard chooses to field.
Lampard's standards are such that he won't allow a half-hearted, sub-standard display to suffice against their League One opponents, and to that end, the expected wholesale changes to his line-up will only benefit those players if they go at it full tilt; to either force their way into his thinking for a Premier League place, or to make themselves attractive to potential suitors elsewhere, in what remains of the summer transfer window.
After despatching Devon rivals Exeter City with two stoppage-time goals in the previous round, the Argyle faithful will be well up for this one, so an uncomfortable night could be in prospect, unless Coventry's attitude is spot on.
Plymouth should find it difficult to bridge the now two division gap, but avoiding that early season banana skin will be Lampard's top priority, so therefore an intriguing evening awaits in the south west.
🎧 'We need to make our home ground a fortress'published at 07:51 BST
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After losing at last season's champions Arsenal on Friday night, attention turns to more winnable fixtures, especially those in front of a home faithful who have waited 25 years to see their team play a top-flight fixture in Coventry.
BBC CWR's Will Oelrich spoke to some of the Sky Blue Army on the Fancast about their thoughts on the opening-day defeat and their perspective on how this season can be a success going forward.
"People are getting a bit ahead of themselves with the fact that Hull City won their first game against Manchester United, but they looked poor, and we witnessed that in the semi-final of the FA Cup a few years ago," said Coventry fan Ryan.
"We have to, as a club, realise that we're playing the two best teams in the league away from home in the first two away games of the season. The atmosphere will be electric in the CBS Arena [on Saturday]. We need to be realistic and make our home ground a fortress.
"Seven of them [the 10 opening-weekend Premier League games] have been won by the home team. It highlights the fact that Coventry need to win their home games, and I think that's what Coventry need to take into their home games.
"It's going to be buzzing at the CBS Arena. A win against Hull and we're going to be three points off the top of the table."
Coventry closing in on deal for Pinnockpublished at 17:48 BST 24 August
17:48 BST 24 August
Katie Stafford & Nizaar Kinsella BBC Sport
Image source, Getty Images
BBC Sport understands Coventry City are closing in on a deal for Brentford centre-back Ethan Pinnock.
The 33-year-old Jamaica international, who joined from Barnsley in 2019, is in the final year of his contract with the Bees.
He has made a total of 216 appearances for the West London club, scoring 12 times.
Pinnock played a vital role in Brentford's promotion to the Premier League but has since lost his place in their starting XI, featuring just eight times last season.
He would be the Sky Blues' ninth signing of the summer and second defensive reinforcement following the arrival of Aurele Amenda from Eintracht Frankfurt in July.
Coventry show interest as Chelsea seek other options for Leeds target Mudrykpublished at 12:25 BST 24 August
12:25 BST 24 August
Nizaar Kinsella Football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea are looking at alternative options to Leeds United for Mykhailo Mudryk, despite receiving a loan bid from the Elland Road club - and Coventry City are among those to have expressed an interest.
The Blues say they have ended talks with Leeds over the 25-year-old Ukraine international after negotiations continued throughout the weekend.
Other solutions include a move to sister club Strasbourg or to another Premier League side. The newly promoted Sky Blues, along with Italian sides Napoli, Atalanta and Roma have shown interest.
Chelsea are keen to guarantee playing time for the forward, who joined from Shakhtar Donetsk for an initial £61m in 2023, by including financial penalties if he is not involved.
However, a move to Leeds was believed to be Mudryk's favoured option, with Brentford also having had an approach turned down over attempts to include an option to buy.
Mudryk is keen to get his career back on track after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium and serving a 20-month ban.
He returned to action at the end of July and featured in Chelsea's pre-season tour of Asia.
A long road back to the Premier Leaguepublished at 07:19 BST 24 August
07:19 BST 24 August
Adwaidh Rajan BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Coventry's previous outing in the Premier League was a goalless draw against Bradford City on 19 May 2001.
That result brought to an end not only a disappointing 2000-01 campaign, but also a 34-year top-flight stay.
Coventry spent the next 11 years in the Championship before dropping down to League One in 2011-12. They also spent a season in League Two before promotion back in 2016-17.
They returned to the Championship in 2020 as League One champions and six years later, they are back among English football's finest.
Their journey since relegation in 2001 has been rarely straightforward as Coventry were forced to leave their historic home at Highfield Road, endured ownership disputes and spent spells playing home games in Northampton and Birmingham.
Their return - the longest gap between games by a side in Premier League history - and first assignment was chastening and a reminder that survival will be no easy task.
But Lampard remained optimistic after the opening 3-0 defeat at champions Arsenal, saying: "It's hard. Leeds United came here early last season and lost 5-0 and stayed in the Premier League.
"I'm not making any early judgements. We will have to acclimatise."
How Arsenal 'punished' newly promoted Coventrypublished at 13:04 BST 23 August
13:04 BST 23 August
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Match of the Day's Mark Chapman, Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney discuss Arsenal's quality against Coventry City, praising the hosts but stressing that Frank Lampard's side shouldn't be judged.
Sky Blues were given a harsh reminderpublished at 14:54 BST 22 August
14:54 BST 22 August
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After 25 years away, the dream finally became reality as Premier League football returned to Coventry, but the Sky Blues were given a harsh reminder of top flight standards by the reigning champions.
Arsenal was always going to be a formidable opening day test, and despite the defeat, Coventry showed enough positives to carry into the trip to Hull.
Conceding three will sting, but defenders Aurele Amenda and Bobby Thomas produced encouraging performances; as they rack up more minutes together, their partnership should only strengthen.
Up front, Ellis Simms led the line with real intent, and supporters got their first glimpse of Taiwo Awoniyi, whose hold-up play offered a different dimension.
It's not the start Coventry wanted, but it's certainly not one to be disheartened by. You don't face Arsenal every week.
Attention now shifts quickly to Plymouth in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, a chance for Frank Lampard to strike the right blend of rotation and rhythm. After that comes a must win against Hull City, where those early positives need to turn into points.
Hit play below to hear Friday's post-match reaction show on BBC CWR or listen on BBC Sounds here
Arsenal 3-0 Coventry - the fans' verdictpublished at 11:47 BST 22 August
11:47 BST 22 August
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We asked for your thoughts after Friday's Premier League opener between Arsenal and Coventry.
Here are some of your comments:
Arsenal fans
Rachel: The most confident football I have seen from this Arsenal team for many years. What a difference that makes. Plus the addition of a player like Christos Tzolis, so direct, so industrious, making quick and intelligent decisions and driving this team forwards. It looks so promising, can't wait for the next game.
Vince: Odegaard and Havertz look like new signings, exuding energy and grit that were missing when they were nursing injuries. Keep them fit and with a bench packed with class like World Cup Champions Merino and Zubi, with some luck, they can absolutely win all before them.
Harry: A thoroughly competent performance. Everyone did what was required of them. It was a total team performance from kick-off to final whistle. A great start to retaining thetitle, we need to avoid long-term injuries and unnecessary suspensions.
Sam: Perfect start to our title defence. We looked so incredibly fluid with the way we moved the ball around and were constantly attacking Coventry from various areas. Tzolis was absolutely brilliant, he gives Arsenal an outlet on the left which we haven't really had to that much effect over the last few seasons with his direct nature which is an absolute joy to watch. Odegaard looks back to his best as well he confidently controlled the game with the majority of attacks coming through his creativity. Great start but even tougher opponents to come but Arsenal are looking very strong!
Coventry fans
Peter: We need more time to bed in our new signings! It was a big ask for them. Silly mistakes made the score line look worse, but I am sure we'll get better.
Isaac: I don't think this was the worse result against a top quality side. Yes, there's a lot of work to be done but we were 2-0 down after 25 minutes and we only lost 3-0. Let's look on the bright side, that's our toughest test over and done with!
Larry: Coventry created little, and Rushworth looked like a rabbit in the headlights. They can take some relief that they only conceded three goals when it could have been five or sic.
Graham: Well, we at Coventry lost at Wrexham 3-0 last year. So no big deal!
Arsenal 3-0 Coventry: How the players ratedpublished at 23:03 BST 21 August
23:03 BST 21 August
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Coventry City starting XI:
Carl Rushworth: A confident take from an Arsenal corner in the first half, but will be disappointed in how he dealt with the second Arsenal goal on his Premier League debut. Rushworth was also beaten by a scuffed Martin Odegaard shot for the third. 5
Milan Van Ewijk: Lost the ball for the Arsenal opener and his team were up against it after going behind in the 15th minute. 4
Bobby Thomas: A tough night for the Coventry centre-back, but he did react well to clear when Rushworth parried a shot in the second half. 5
Aurele Amenda: A big block to deny Bukayo Saka from the edge of the six-yard box in the first half. Tried to battle physically with Kai Havertz but part of a back four that conceded three. 5
Jay Dasilva: Had a difficult night against Saka, who was on top of his game. One good dribble in the second half. 5
Matt Grimes: The Coventry captain tried to get on the ball when he could in midfield but was not given any time. 6
Frank Onyeka: A lot of hard work from Onyeka but unfortunately for him a lot of it was done without the ball. 5
Caleb Yirenkyi: Tried to give energy to the Coventry midfield but was overpowered by an impressive Arsenal side. Booked for a foul on Myles Lewis-Skelly. 6
Loum Tchaouna: The winger provided some threat for Coventry on the wing and his speculative acrobatic effort in the first half had David Raya panicking for a second. 6
Brandon Thomas-Asante: Coventry did not have much of the ball so the winger was not able to show much going forward. 5
Ellis Simms: The striker battled hard against Gabriel and beat him once with a nice piece of skill. 6
Coventry City substitutes:
Victor Torp (on 62, Yirenkyi): The game was over when the midfielder came on. 6
Taiwo Awoniyi (on 70, Simms): Given a thankless task of leading the line when his side were three goals behind. 5
Jack Rudoni (on 70, Thomas-Asante): Not any chance to make an impact. 5
Hamer (on 82, Tchaouna): 5
Subs not used: Wilson, Sakamoto, Kitching, Latibeaudiere, Eccles
Arsenal 3-0 Coventry: What Lampard saidpublished at 22:47 BST 21 August
22:47 BST 21 August
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Coventry boss Frank Lampard, speaking to Match of the Day: "It's a good learning curve for our players. You come here and want to do something but it's very difficult. It's a good experience to live. We hate defeats, but you can lose here and there is a lot to be done to do what we want to do this season, so we will take the learnings."
On Arsenal's calibre of players: "It's a club that has worked in a certain direction with a very good manager. Every game is not going to look like that. We had seven or eight Premier League debuts.
"When it's 2-0, you still feel you are in the game, when it's 3-0, it's hard. The boys kept going. They showed good courage as the game went on. They shouldn't be too down after this because these are the best in the league."
On the importance of getting points early: "With that start, we have to remain calm. We want to get rolling. We had a good feeling last year of winning games and it makes everything pretty easy. It won't be so easy this year, but we want to get those points for sure."
On being animated on the touchline: "I have to be the first animated positive person this year. Last year was easy to be animated and happy and smiley all the time. I want to help the players. When they have a tough night, be there for them I will be there for them in the game and after the game."
Coventry boss Frank Lampard has only won one of his last 18 games as a manager in the Premier League (drawn four, lost 13), while his side have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of the last 17.
Analysis: Hard work begins nowpublished at 22:24 BST 21 August
22:24 BST 21 August
Adwaidh Rajan BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
It was an occasion to savour for the thousands of Coventry supporters who flocked to Emirates Stadium for their club's first Premier League game since 2001.
But if they needed any reminder that the hard work only starts now, this was it.
Their manager Frank Lampard might be no stranger to the Premier League, having won three titles as a player and managed in the top flight too, but it is a newer experience for his players.
He started five of their summer arrivals at the Emirates, including club record signing Caleb Yirenkyi, who cost £23m out of their summer outlay of about £130m.
Yet the Championship winners were outplayed and outclassed.
A more realistic test for Coventry will come against fellow newcomers Hull City next week and the Sky Blues will look to inject early momentum into their campaign by opening their account at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
Lampard's side can draw inspiration from Sunderland and Leeds, who both avoided the drop last season, but seven of the past nine sides promoted have still gone straight back down to the Championship.
And it makes the meeting with Hull all the more important.
Three points will prove massive for Coventry, who have the toughest opening schedule of any team this season, according to Opta, with trips against Manchester City and Nottingham Forest to come next month.
Sutton's predictions: Arsenal v Coventry Citypublished at 13:56 BST 21 August
13:56 BST 21 August
I never read too much into the Community Shield, but to beat Manchester City as comprehensively as Arsenal did was hugely impressive and it shows where they are at.
Bruno Guimaraes is a good signing and while Christos Tzolis could not cut it at Norwich City - the jersey was too big for him - he looks the part too.
Joking aside, it was Daniel Farke who signed Tzolis for the Canaries in 2021 and called him one of the brightest young prospects in Europe, and he has been proven right about that.
This is all bad news for Coventry, though.
Speaking of Norwich, they haven't been in the top flight for a few years now but I always remember them getting stuffed in their opening-day fixture in 2019 when they played Liverpool away - and it is a nightmare for Sky Blues boss Frank Lampard to open with a game like this.
I suppose, on the flip-side, if Coventry can somehow go to the Emirates and get a draw against the champions then it would provide such a huge boost to their players.
But I can't see past an Arsenal win. The scoreline just depends on how much Mikel Arteta's side put their foot down.
After 25 years - the wait is overpublished at 13:29 BST 21 August
13:29 BST 21 August
Rob Gurney BBC CWR sports editor
Image source, Getty Images
The kid in a sweet shop, or not being able to sleep on Christmas Eve, is genuinely how gnarly old me feels about the Sky Blues being back in the Premier League after 25 long years away!
The landscape, particularly financially, has changed enormously in the intervening quarter of a century, which is why it's refreshing – and slightly surprising – to see the owner Doug King sanction spending of – by all accounts – more than £120m of their £200m-plus windfall on enhancing last season's Championship-winning squad.
That's no guarantee of success, of course, but in theory it gives you more chance than if you'd just banked the dough and hoped for the best.
Frank Lampard was vibrant and positive at his pre-match media conference, while at the same time acknowledging that their front foot, attacking philosophy, which yielded 95 points and 97 goals last season, might have to be tempered, particularly at places like Arsenal.
But they were excellent on the counterattack for the majority of last season, and with what they've added, that should be the case again this time.
As plenty of people have said throughout the summer, die-hard fans and casual observers alike, if you offered City a 17th place finish now, they'd probably take it.
That isn't being pessimistic, just realistic. If you're asking me, I honestly think they could do a little better than that - 14th or 15th, as the first step along the road to being a stable and sustainable Premier League football club again.
"Coventry City is a fantastic club and I'm really happy to get this deal over the line," Bentley said. "It feels like a place that is developing and, off the back of a fantastic season last year, there is a really good feel around the place.
"It is really positive and there is an obvious excitement to go into the new season with the aim of being as successful as possible.
"I will bring a lot of experience. I'm a senior player with good leadership qualities and I'm someone who has really high standards. I want to make my mark on the pitch as well, of course.
"There is a really good goalkeeping group here. When I get my opportunity, it is down to me to take it. I want to help the club get results in the Premier League."
Arsenal v Coventry City: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 10:15 BST 21 August
10:15 BST 21 August
Matt Jones BBC Sport journalist
It doesn't get much tougher for Coventry City in their first top-flight game for 25 years. The Sky Blues travel to defending champions Arsenal on Friday (20:00 BST) for the first game of the 2026-27 Premier League season.
The Gunners ended a long wait of their own last term, as they finished top of the pile for the first time in 22 years. Given the instability elsewhere in the Premier League – nine of the 20 teams in the division have new head coaches – Mikel Arteta's side are the big favourites to retain the title in the eyes of many.
Like Arsenal under Arteta, Coventry come into the season after years of stability. Head coach Frank Lampard was appointed in 2024 and has excelled; his team coasted to the title in the second tier last season, finishing 11 points clear of Ipswich Town in second.
Gunning for two in a row?
Although they have some injury issues to contend with going into the new campaign – William Saliba and Jurrien Timber will miss the start of the season – Arsenal look well set to go again.
In Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis, Arteta has added two goalscoring options from midfield too. The former registered 14 goal contributions in the Premier League last season, with nine goals and five assists, while Tzolis produced a massive 40 – 17 goals and 23 assists – in the Belgian top flight for Club Brugge.
With a robust defence to lean on, if the Gunners can find some extra stardust in the attacking third, then they could represent a formidable opponent this term.
In terms of this fixture, Arsenal's record has been phenomenal against newly promoted sides at Emirates Stadium in recent years.
They have won 17 of their past 18 Premier League games against promoted sides at home. The Gunners are also unbeaten in 45 Premier League home games against promoted sides, the longest such run by any team in the competition's history.
Early Sky Blues?
This fixture represents a tall order for the Sky Blues with that in mind and, while there will be plenty of excitement upon their return to the Premier League, it may take a while for their campaign to take off.
According to Opta, Lampard's side have the toughest start of any team in the division this season. They face Hull City at the Coventry Building Society Arena in week two and then trips to Manchester City and Nottingham Forest sandwich a home encounter with Brighton after that.
They do at least have some fond memories of matches against Arsenal on the opening day. In 1993-94, they won 3-0 at Highbury thanks to a hat-trick from Micky Quinn.
It is no surprise that the football landscape has shifted since then, though. In taking to the field on Friday, Coventry will set a Premier League record. This is their first match in the competition for 25 years and 94 days, the longest gap between games by a side in the league's history.
