Gyökeres inspires Arsenal victory as Slavia Prague threaten late comeback

Arsenal survived a late Slavia Prague surge to secure a 2-1 Champions League victory in Czechia. Viktor Gyökeres created Noni Madueke’s eighth-minute opener, controlling a long ball from David Raya before releasing his teammate. The Swedish striker doubled the advantage seven minutes before half-time, exchanging passes with Mikel Merino and curling a shot into the far corner.

Slavia increased the pressure after the interval, with Gabriel Magalhães clearing two headers off the line and Raya turning another header against the post. Wiktor Nowak scored in the final minute of normal time, but Arsenal held on through stoppage time. Mikel Arteta criticised their drop in standards as the hosts finished with 18 shots to Arsenal’s 12.

The result extended Arsenal’s unbeaten away sequence to 10 matches, according to the report, despite Arteta making six changes to his starting lineup. For Slavia, it meant a 23rd consecutive European Cup or Champions League match without victory, matching the competition record attributed to AEK Athens and FCSB.