Arsenal maintained their unbeaten start to this season’s Champions League with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Slavia Prague at the Fortuna Arena on Wednesday night. Goals from Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyökeres gave Mikel Arteta’s side a comfortable half-time advantage, but a determined second-half response from the hosts made for a nervy finish after Wiktor Nowak pulled one back in the closing minutes.
The result secured Arsenal’s third win in four league-phase matches and moved them up to third in the table. It also extended their unbeaten run in the Champions League to 19 matches, underlining their consistency in the competition.
Arsenal made an assured start and took the lead after nine minutes. Gyökeres provided an excellent assist for Madueke, who finished confidently to put the visitors ahead. The Gunners continued to control proceedings and doubled their advantage in the 38th minute, with Gyökeres finding the net after combining with Mikel Merino.
The visitors could have added further goals before the break, with Merino going close and Gabriel Magalhães seeing a header cleared off the line. Arsenal’s first-half performance left Slavia with a significant challenge after the interval.
However, the home side returned with considerably greater intensity. Slavia changed their pressing approach and formation, pushing Arsenal deeper and creating a series of opportunities. Oskar Kubiak tested David Raya almost immediately after the restart, while Gabriel was later required to make another important goal-line clearance. Raya also produced an outstanding save to turn Kubiak’s header onto the post.
Slavia registered 17 shots in the second half, compared with just one before the interval, illustrating the scale of their improvement. Their persistence finally paid off in the 90th minute when Nowak finished from close range to set up a tense conclusion. Arsenal nevertheless held on to secure all three points.
Arteta acknowledged the contrast between the two halves and admitted that his team had allowed the hosts back into the contest.
“Two very different halves, the first one we played a really high level – exceptional at times, I would say. The scoreline should have reflected three or four goals. We didn’t do it.”
The Arsenal manager also highlighted the problems his players faced after the break:
“And at half-time, I told them that they [Slavia] are a team with huge spirit, they will keep running and keep believing. They will become more chaotic. We didn’t control that at all, right from the beginning.”
He added that Arsenal’s mistakes made the second half unnecessarily difficult:
“We were on the back foot, very sloppy, we gave so many balls away, so many bad clearances. We didn’t keep the ball in our structure at all. And then you have to suffer because teams in the Champions League are really good. A lot to learn.”
David Raya also recognised the change in Slavia’s approach, while expressing satisfaction with the result.
“The second half was a completely different half. From them, they went up a gear.”
The goalkeeper added:
“We were a little bit surprised and they made it really difficult for us – which we have to learn from.”
Gyökeres’ contribution was another significant positive for Arsenal. After setting up Madueke’s opener, the Swedish striker scored his own goal to complete an influential performance. He has now been involved in eight goals across his last 10 starts for the club in all competitions, while his Champions League record stands at 16 goal contributions in 25 appearances.
Slavia manager Jindřich Trpišovský credited his team’s tactical adjustments for their improved second-half display, explaining that changes to the pressing system and formation helped his players put Arsenal under pressure.
“We changed the pressing, the formation, simply a lot of things. We created chaos and confusion on the pitch, the substitutions helped us, and so did that first quick move at the start, when Oskar Kubiak shot right in the 46th minute.”
Despite the late pressure, the defeat extended Slavia’s winless run in the European Cup to 23 matches, equalling the longest such run in the competition’s history. Trpišovský also reached an unwanted Champions League record, with 18 consecutive matches without a win as a manager.
Arsenal’s victory was therefore significant beyond the three points. Although Arteta will be concerned by the loss of control after half-time, his side remain unbeaten in the competition and continue to build momentum in their pursuit of another deep European campaign.
