Gyökeres inspires Arsenal victory as Slavia's late rally falls short

Arsenal beat Slavia Prague 2-1 in the Champions League after Viktor Gyökeres supplied an assist and a goal before the interval, but the visitors needed David Raya to help protect their lead. According to the Guardian's match report, Slavia threatened a late equaliser after Wiktor Nowak scored in the final minute of normal time.

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Mikel Arteta made six changes following Arsenal's Premier League victory at Liverpool on Sunday. His side went ahead in the eighth minute when Slavia failed to deal with a long delivery from Raya. Gyökeres reached the bouncing ball ahead of his opponent, controlled it with his chest and released Noni Madueke, who finished to put Arsenal in front. The assist was the striker's third in five appearances.

Arsenal had opportunities to increase that advantage before Gyökeres scored their second. Mikel Merino was unable to convert three chances before the half-hour, including one created by Madueke that goalkeeper Nazar Domchak stopped. Seven minutes before half-time, Merino exchanged passes with Gyökeres inside the penalty area, and the Sweden forward curled his shot into the far corner to establish a two-goal cushion.

Slavia responded after the break, bringing Ange N'Guessan off the bench and forcing Arsenal into a more defensive contest. Ezri Konsa and Declan Rice were both booked during that spell. A deflected David Jurasek effort went narrowly wide, before Gabriel Magalhães cleared two headers off the line from the ensuing corner. The hosts ultimately recorded 18 attempts to Arsenal's 12, underlining the change in pressure.

Raya then stretched to push Oskar Kubiak's header against the post. Nowak eventually reduced the deficit with a finish at the far post, leaving Arsenal to negotiate stoppage time with only a one-goal advantage. Mikulas Konecny tested Raya again before the final whistle, but Slavia could not find the second goal needed to take a point.

Arteta criticised Arsenal's second-half performance afterwards, saying the team had fallen well below the standards and basic principles discussed at the interval. The result nevertheless extended Arsenal's unbeaten sequence on European away trips to 10 matches. For Slavia, it meant a 23rd successive European Cup or Champions League match without victory, matching the competition record shared by AEK Athens and FCSB, the Guardian reported.