Viktor Gyokeres got a goal and an assist as Arsenal's dominant first half was enough to secure a 2-1 win over Slavia Prague in the Champions League.
Slavia Prague 1-2 Arsenal: Gyokeres stars in dominant first half
Arsenal had to hold on for all three points in the end, but that was after Viktor Gyokeres helped put them in a strong position early on.
Gyokeres set up Noni Madueke's early opener before getting on the scoresheet himself shortly before the break, with Mikel Arteta's side firmly in control after the first 45 minutes.
But they struggled to match that level in the second half, and Slavia eventually got their reward through Wiktor Nowak late on, but Arsenal held out to claim all three points.
Arsenal started on top and got their reward nine minutes in when Gyokeres brilliantly held up David Raya's long ball before fizzing it forward for Madueke, who raced in behind and slotted under Nazar Domchak from the right of the box.
Mikel Merino's scooped shot was then tipped over the bar by Domchak before he looped a header onto the roof of the net from the edge of the six-yard box.
But it was no surprise to see Merino involved at the other end as Arsenal doubled their lead in the 38th minute. They won it back high up the pitch, and the Spaniard slid it through for Gyokeres, who kept his composure to slot past Domchak from the left of the area.
Madueke got away from his marker down the right, and his deflected cross reached Gabriel Magalhaes, who glanced his header off target on the stroke of half-time.
Arsenal were sluggish in the second half, and Oskar Kubiak almost punished them 22 seconds after the restart, but Raya pushed away his curler.
Despite Slavia's vast improvement after the break, they were almost caught out against the run of play by Madueke, though Domchak had the angle covered.
Raya flapped at a 75th-minute corner, and Mojmir Chytil's header looped towards goal, but Gabriel was well-placed to clear it off the line. The goalkeeper made up for it with a superb clawing save to deny Kubiak shortly after, sending the header onto the post and stopping it from then bouncing over the line.
Slavia's pressure eventually told in the 90th minute as David Jurasek recycled a cleared long throw, and with Raya drawn to the ball, Nowak was unmarked to tap into an empty net.
Arsenal prevail despite a game of two halves
History was on Arsenal's side heading into this clash, as they had gone unbeaten in their last three away games against Slavia without conceding a goal.
And a strong start made it seem like they could run away with this match as Madueke netted his fourth Champions League goal, ending a run of 10 games without one since a brace against Club Brugge last season.
Slavia's task looked like an uphill battle, especially knowing Arsenal had not lost in 31 matches when going 1-0 up in the competition (W25 D6) since a 2-1 defeat to Lens in October 2023 – that run has now extended to 32 games.
But it was Gyokeres who provided the insurance. He has not had the smoothest run since his move to Arsenal, but he has now got eight goal involvements (five goals, three assists) across his last 10 starts for the Gunners in all competitions.
Overall in his career, Gyokeres has been involved in 16 Champions League goals (12 goals, four assists), with only Zlatan Ibrahimovic (48 goals, 24 assists) having more among Swedish players.
Slavia managed just one off-target attempt before the break, but they were a different side after it, having 16 shots on Raya's goal in the second half (worth 2.17 expected goals), with six of those on target. Arsenal only managed four (worth 0.19 xG) in that same period.
Nowak scored with their 14th attempt of the second half, with three of Slavia's five Champions League goals this season being scored in the 88th minute or later.
But they could not find another one to cause an upset, as Arsenal held on to extend their unbeaten streak to 19 games in the competition (W14 D5, excluding penalty shoot-outs) and move up to third in the table.
