Last weekend's Community Shield winners Arsenal took to the field 30 minutes later than anticipated as supporters faced difficulties accessing the Emirates Stadium due to ticketing issues.
However, they wasted little time in getting off the mark against Nottingham Forest when the game did get underway, coming away 2-1 victors after hitting Forest twice in the first half.
Here's what we learnt from Arsenal and Nottingham Forest's first match of the 2023/2024 season, which was not as clear-cut as the score suggests.
Three's A Charm
Not one, not two, but three new signings made their Premier League debuts in Arsenal red, having cost the north Londoners a reported combined fee in excess of £200 million.
Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber all made the starting line-up for their new team, but the latter was not able to complete the match having picked up an injury with 49 minutes on the clock.
Early in the second half, Timber was replaced by Takehiro Tomiyasu, having decided that he was unable to continue after appearing to pull up sharply off the ball, seemingly suffering a knee injury
The £34 million signing from Ajax was only confirmed as part of the squad last month and the length of his spell on the sidelines will be a cause for concern for his manager and the home supporters keen to get a glimpse of their new signing.
Later in the second half, record-signing Rice saw a shot from distance tipped onto the post by Matt Turner, after linking up with fellow new signing Havertz in an attacking move that showed some encouraging signs for the future of Arsenal's attacking threat from midfield.
Starboy Saka
Fan favourite Bukayo Saka scored the goal of the game and Arsenal's second from a curling left-footed strike. What turned out to be the winning goal was taken superbly from outside of the penalty area by the England international.
Despite the attention brought about by the signings of Havertz and Rice in particular, it was Arsenal's homegrown hero Saka who retains the role of the star of the show, as he exhibited with his goal in the 32nd minute.
He walked away with the Player of the Match award, having secured an opening day victory for the Gunners that was by no means a formality. Saka will hope to improve on his impressive statistics last season, where he scored 11 Premier League goals and registered nine assists, a tally that put him top five assist-makers of the 2022/23 campaign.
Second-half Scare
Visitors Nottingham Forest could have been forgiven for thinking that they were down and out at half-time; two-nil down thanks to goals from Saka and the opener from Eddie Nketiah, which came on 26 minutes.
However, second-half substitutes Taiwo Awoniyi and Anthony Elanga had other ideas and ensured that Arsenal had to endure a shaky end to the match. Awoniyi had begun the game on the bench due to a prior injury concern, but showed no sign of being afflicted.
A fine assist from Elanga, in which he carried the ball half the length of the pitch, enabled Awoniyi, Forest's stop-scorer from last season, to reduce his side's deficit by half.
The way in which the attacking duo cut through Arsenal's right-sided defence meant for a nervy end to the game, with the goal coming less than ten minutes to spare of normal time. Elanga was able to succeed due to an unconvincing display from Ben White at right-back.
By the time the players did trudge off the pitch, Arsenal and Arteta will have felt lucky to have survived Forest's second wind in the latter stages of the game.
Opening-day Opportunities
Ensuring the three points would have been Arteta's only prerogative, yet he will reflect on how the victory could have been achieved more comfortably, while hoping for better days as they aim to mount a title challenge for the second consecutive season.
Prior to the fixture, Arsenal had experienced varying fortunes on the opening days of past seasons, winning just four since the start of the 2013/14 season, a decade ago, and nine since 2003/2004 season. The win on Saturday means that Arsenal now have a 50% success rate over the last two decades.
The visitors ran Arsenal close on this encounter and their manager Steve Cooper will take encouragement from his side's performance, and their opportunities for the season ahead.
Forest goalkeeper, and former Arsenal shot-stopper Matt Turner also impressed, keeping out five of the home side's attempts and keep his team in the game. Turner, a USA international, only joined the Nottinghamshire club a week ago, just in time to face his former employers, as they continue their pursuit for Brentford's David Raya, with Aaron Ramsdale appearing to be the first choice number one between the sticks.
