Arsenal Survive Slavia Prague Scare as Gyökeres Scores Again
Arsenal led Slavia Prague 2-0 at half-time but needed a goal-line clearance and a nervy finish to secure a 2-1 Champions League win in Prague,
Arsenal led Slavia Prague 2-0 at half-time but needed a goal-line clearance and a nervy finish to secure a 2-1 Champions League win in Prague, with Viktor Gyökeres scoring as his revival continued.
Noni Madueke opened the scoring before Gyökeres added the second. Arsenal had chances to build a more commanding lead through Mikel Merino and Eberechi Eze, but their failure to take them left the door open. Wiktor Nowak pulled one back for Slavia, and Arsenal held on under pressure.
Sharp drop after the break
Mikel Arteta said he was “very concerned” by the second-half display. Arsenal had looked assured before the interval, then lost control after it, giving the hosts room to press and turning a comfortable lead into a close contest.
“Two very different halves,” Arteta said. He felt Arsenal had played at an exceptional level before the break and should have scored more, but warned his players that Slavia would keep running and believing. After half-time, he said, his side were “very sloppy” and failed to manage the hosts’ growing chaos.
Slavia threatened early in the second half. David Raya made a smart save, then mishandled a corner that Arsenal cleared off the line. Gabriel Magalhães also made a goal-line intervention, while Raya’s uncertain moment underlined how the momentum had shifted.
Too close for comfort.
Declan Rice, captaining Arsenal, was rated among the team’s strongest performers, while Madueke’s direct running and opening goal continued his own improvement. Gyökeres’ strike added another positive sign for the forward, who played alongside Merino, a presence in the penalty area.
Three points, with a warning
The result gives Arsenal all three points, but Arteta’s concerns make the performance itself an important talking point. The team had chances to put the match beyond reach and did not convert them; after the break, their loose possession and reduced control allowed Slavia back into the game.
Arteta has also warned his players against complacency ahead of a Carabao Cup tie at Fleetwood, a League Two side. Arsenal are expected to rotate for that match, which falls during a busy spell before a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool. He urged the squad to respect the opponent and maintain its standards.
His message after the Prague scare was blunt: “We need to go there and win the game. That’s it.”
