Slavia Prague 1-2 Arsenal: Gyökeres and Madueke see off late scare in Prague
Arsenal made it three wins from four in this season's Champions League with a 2-1 victory away at Slavia Prague, though it proved far from straightforward in the end. Mikel Arteta's side led comfortably for long periods at the Fortuna Arena before a nervy finish saw the hosts rally late on, as Football.London's live coverage noted Arteta made six changes for the trip to Czechia, with William Saliba returning to the side (Football.London).
The breakthrough came early when Noni Madueke fired home from the right side of the box in the 9th minute, finished off a through ball from Viktor Gyökeres. Arsenal doubled their advantage just before the break through Gyökeres himself, who curled a right-footed effort into the top corner in the 38th minute after being teed up by Mikel Merino. The Guardian described Gyökeres as the difference for Arsenal, with the forward stealing the show after a difficult spell under scrutiny (The Guardian).
Slavia Prague, who have now matched the longest winless run in European Cup and Champions League history according to The Guardian, pushed hard in the second half and got a goal back deep into stoppage time. Wiktor Nowak turned home from close range in the 90th minute after a cross from substitute David Jurásek, setting up a tense finish that Sky Sports described as a second-half onslaught that Arsenal had to survive (Sky Sports).
Cards were shown to David Moses for Slavia Prague in the first half for a bad foul, while Arsenal picked up two bookings of their own in the second period - Ezri Konsa and Declan Rice were both cautioned for fouls as the game grew increasingly stretched. BBC Sport highlighted the valiant late fight from the hosts to get back into the contest despite falling to another defeat (BBC Sport).
Arsenal dominated possession with 56.5% of the ball and had 12 shots to Slavia's 18, though it was Slavia who had more efforts on target in a game that was closer on the stat sheet than the scoreline might suggest. The visitors made good use of their chances in the final third, while their defence - marshalled by the returning Saliba - did enough to see the result home despite the late wobble.
The win keeps Arsenal unbeaten in the competition this season, extending their Champions League form to WWDW across their last four outings, and leaves them well placed in the league phase table. Football.London's player ratings praised several Arsenal performers, with three players earning 8/10 ratings as Gyökeres continued to stake his claim following recent scrutiny over his form (Football.London). There was also a note of caution from Football.London over Declan Rice's continued heavy involvement amid what the site called a concerning theory around his workload, despite his latest booking in Prague (Football.London).
For Slavia Prague, the defeat continues a miserable run in Europe this term, their Champions League form reading LLDL after Wednesday's loss, with the club still searching for their first win of this season's league phase. Arsenal, by contrast, head back to England with another three points banked and their continental progress firmly on track.
Written with the help of AI, using the match facts and the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
