Arsenal Lunchtime Round-Up, Thursday 5th November 2026: Arteta Admits Standards Slipped Despite Slavia Prague Win

Arsenal made it another positive night in the Champions League, beating Slavia Prague 2-1 away at the Fortuna Arena, though Mikel Arteta wasn't entirely happy with how it went. The boss admitted his side were "extremely far from our standards" in the second half, despite picking up the three points (BBC Sport).

David Raya was among the headline performers in Czechia, and the goalkeeper has been reflecting on more than just his saves. He sent what's being described as a powerful message aimed at PSG and gave an honest assessment of Viktor Gyokeres' performance (Football.London). Raya also opened up on how the pain of last season's Champions League final defeat to PSG on penalties is still driving the squad on, saying it's "in our veins" and that it's "on us to make it better this year" (The Guardian).

Speaking of Gyokeres, the striker impressed against Slavia and has reportedly made Arteta a promise, putting his head coach in a selection dilemma he's apparently never faced before ahead of the weekend game against Hill (Football.London).

Away from the pitch, Arsenal have been getting into the festive spirit, with a behind-the-scenes gallery from the club's Christmas shoot now out (Arsenal.com), alongside news that Colin Firth features in Arsenal's festive film this year (Arsenal.com).

This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.