Arsenal maintained their unbeaten start to the UEFA Champions League campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Slavia Prague on Wednesday night, surviving a late fightback from the Czech champions after producing an impressive first-half performance at the Fortuna Arena.
Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyökeres found the net for Mikel Arteta’s side before the interval, but Wiktor Nowak’s late strike transformed what appeared to be a comfortable evening into a nervy finish for the Premier League leaders.
Arsenal started brightly and needed just nine minutes to break the deadlock through Madueke.
Viktor Gyökeres did brilliantly to control the ball under pressure in midfield before turning and releasing an intelligent pass between Slavia’s defenders. Madueke raced onto the delivery, held off Oskar Kubiak’s challenge and fired a right-footed effort through goalkeeper Nazar Domchak’s legs to make it 1-0.
The goal gave Arsenal confidence, and they continued to threaten as Slavia struggled to contain their attacking movement.
Madueke almost turned provider shortly afterwards when he delivered an inviting cross towards the far post. Gyökeres headed the ball across goal for Mikel Merino, but the Spanish midfielder failed to keep his effort down.
Eberechi Eze also came close to extending Arsenal’s advantage after producing some clever footwork inside the penalty area, although his goalbound effort was eventually blocked by David Moses.
Merino subsequently wasted another promising opportunity, as Arsenal continued to find space in the final third against a Slavia defence struggling to cope with their movement.
The visitors eventually doubled their advantage in the 38th minute through Gyökeres, who capped an impressive individual performance with a beautifully executed finish.
Merino combined with the Swedish striker inside the penalty area, allowing Gyökeres to cut inside a sliding defender before curling a superb effort beyond Domchak and into the far corner.
Arsenal nearly added a third before the interval, but Slavia defender Michal Sadilek produced an important goal-line clearance to prevent another effort from finding the net.
The hosts returned from the break with considerably more urgency, immediately putting Arsenal under pressure as they attempted to revive their chances.
David Raya was called into action early in the second half, while Slavia continued to threaten through dangerous deliveries and attacking combinations.
Arsenal’s defensive resilience was tested further when Gabriel Magalhães produced a remarkable double goal-line clearance, preventing Slavia from reducing the deficit after two successive attempts threatened to cross the line.
Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa also received yellow cards as Arsenal struggled to regain control of proceedings against the increasingly confident hosts.
The pressure continued when David Jurásek unleashed a long-range effort that was deflected behind for a corner. From the resulting delivery, Slavia created another dangerous opportunity, but Arsenal somehow managed to survive.
David Raya then produced one of the outstanding moments of the evening in the 82nd minute, stretching at full length to push Oskar Kubiak’s powerful header onto the post before recovering to prevent the rebound from crossing the line.
It was a crucial intervention that temporarily preserved Arsenal’s two-goal advantage.
However, Slavia eventually found a breakthrough in the 90th minute.
Jurásek delivered a dangerous ball into the penalty area following a long throw-in, and Nowak reacted quickest at the far post to bundle the ball beyond Raya and reduce the deficit to 2-1.
The late goal sparked renewed belief among the home supporters, with Slavia throwing players forward in search of an equaliser during stoppage time.
Arsenal, however, held their defensive shape and managed to see out the remaining minutes to secure all three points.
The victory moved Arsenal up to third in the Champions League league-phase standings, extending their unbeaten run in the competition and strengthening their position in the race for automatic qualification to the last 16.
For Arteta, however, the result came with a warning. His side had looked comfortable and dangerous in the opening 45 minutes but struggled to maintain the same intensity after the restart.
Slavia Prague, meanwhile, will take encouragement from their second-half performance despite suffering another disappointing European defeat.
Arsenal got the result they wanted, but their late defensive struggles ensured the journey back to London would come with plenty for Arteta to address.
Final score
1
2
Goalscorers and assists
9′ – Noni Madueke (Arsenal), assist: Viktor Gyökeres.
38′ – Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal), assist: Mikel Merino.
90′ – Wiktor Nowak (Slavia Prague), assist: David Jurásek.
