Arsenal survive late Slavia scare for hard-fought victory

Alex Howell
Football reporter

Viktor Gyokeres scored and provided an assist as Arsenal continued their unbeaten start in the league phase of the Champions League with a win over Slavia Prague.

Manager Mikel Arteta made six changes to the team that beat Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, with Gyokeres leading the line in place of Kai Havertz.

The Swedish striker played a huge part in the opening goal when he hooked the ball behind the Slavia Prague defence for Noni Madueke to race on to and finish confidently in the ninth minute.

Gyokeres added the second himself before half-time after he exchanged passes with Mikel Merino and curled an excellent finish in off the post.

Slavia Prague improved after the break, and almost immediately David Raya had to produce a good save to deny Oskar Kubiak who shot from the edge of the box.

Gabriel Magalhaes had to clear the ball off the line after a Mojmir Chytil header following a corner, and the home side eventually pulled one back when Wiktor Nowak scored from close range in the 90th minute.

The Gunners, who had a 100% record in this stage of the competition during the last campaign, are unbeaten after their opening four games this season and are third in the table behind Paris St-Germain and Real Madrid.

"This is a team that has huge spirit, huge conviction and if you give them something they will grab it," said Arteta after the game.

"We were extremely far from our standards. In everything we have to do in our basics, in every concept and in everything we discussed to avoid in the game we played in the second half.

"Very far from the standards we expect from eachother but we find a way to hold on to the result and win the game."

Arsenal players including Viktor Gyokeres, Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze celebrate a goal, wearing blue away kitGetty Images

Viktor Gyokeres scored and assisted as Arsenal beat Slavia Prague

Arsenal player ratings

Arsenal starting XI:

David Raya: Raya had to make a smart stop in the opening minute of the second half but flapped at a corner which resulted in the ball being cleared off the line. 6

Ben White: The full-back was very comfortable when dealing with the Slavia attacks. 7

Ezri Konsa: A decent night for Konsa but gave away a free-kick on the edge of the box and was booked for a late challenge in the second half. 6

Gabriel Magalhaes: The usual dependable performance from the centre-back. A clearance off the line in the second half. 7

Piero Hincapie: Aggressive defending from Hincapie and his overlapping runs created space for Eberechi Eze. 7

Martin Zubimendi: Just Zubimendi's third start of the season. Tidy in possession but looks like he still needs more minutes to be at his best. 6

Declan Rice: Captained the team and continued his excellent start to the season with a dominant display. 8

Mikel Merino: The Spaniard played close to striker Gyokeres and was a threat in the box. 7

Noni Madueke: The winger has started to look like he is playing himself into form and carried that on against Slavia Prague. Lots of direct running and a good finish for the opening goal. 7

Eberechi Eze: Some bright moments in the first half and came in-field when he had the ball to link up with the rest of the Arsenal attack. 6

Viktor Gyokeres: A really good night for the striker who needed a good performance. Gyokeres held up play, created the opening goal and scored the second. 8

Substitutes:

Cristhian Mosquera (on 62, Konsa): A good half an hour for the young defender. 6

Christos Tzolis (on 62, Eze): The winger was not involved in a lot after coming on. 6

Jurrien Timber (on 78, White): Replaced White as Arsenal saw out the win. 6

Martin Odegaard (on 78 Gyokeres): Added his usual energy to midfield. 6

Dowman (on 90, Madueke)

Subs not used: Arrizabalaga, Meslier, Saliba, Havertz, Calafiori, Guimaraes, Lewis-Skelly.

Player of the match

V. Gyökeres
8.15
30 W. Nowak
5.57
8 O. Kubiak
5.57
6 A. N'Guessan
5.51
29 N. Domchak
5.43
13 M. Chytil
5.34
4 D. Zima
5.33
3 T. Holeš
5.32
15 M. Suleiman
5.31
10 D. Šturm
5.29
20 E. Ayaosi
5.29
39 D. Jurásek
5.27
23 M. Sadílek
5.23
16 D. Moses
5.18
2 Š. Chaloupek
5.18
27 T. Vlček
5.08
42 M. Konečný
5.06
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