Arsenal opened their Premier League title defence with a 3-0 win over newly promoted Coventry at the Emirates Stadium, sending an early signal that last season's breakthrough triumph has reshaped the club's identity.
New gold signage reading 'Champions' now greets fans arriving at the stadium, a physical marker of Arsenal's first league title in 22 years. The crowd sang "champions of England" throughout the match, while captain Martin Odegaard used his programme notes to reframe the club's mentality heading into the new campaign.
"We don't feel we have to defend anything," Odegaard told Match of the Day. "We want to do it again and that's the mindset. Last year is finished now."
Why does this result matter beyond three points?
Opening-day fixtures against promoted sides have historically been tricky for Arsenal. In 2021, Mikel Arteta's team lost their season opener away at Brentford, a result that set a nervy tone for that campaign.
This time, the comfortable win carried statistical weight for Arteta personally. The Spanish manager became just the fifth head coach to reach 150 Premier League victories in fewer than 250 games, joining Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp and Sir Alex Ferguson in that group.
Has the atmosphere at the Emirates actually changed?
Arsenal supporters faced repeated criticism last season for a tense, anxious atmosphere inside the Emirates that some argued transferred to the players during tight title-race matches. Arteta has made loosening that mood a specific priority this season.
Asked by BBC Sport whether Sunday's atmosphere reflected a genuine shift, Arteta was cautious. "Let's see when we are 0-0 and when we are maybe losing a game, see how we react," he said. "Today was the start of the game, and the two goals were obviously a good platform for everybody to feel this way."
What comes next?
A single opening-night win against a promoted side won't decide the title race, and Arteta knows it. But after finishing as bridesmaids in three of the previous four seasons before finally breaking through, Arsenal now carry the pressure and freedom that comes with defending a crown rather than chasing one.