Arsenal have 'a lot to learn' after nervy Slavia win, says Arteta

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal still have "a lot to learn" after they edged to a 2-1 win over Slavia Prague in the Champions League.

It looked like Arsenal were set to cruise to victory after Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres both scored in the first half to put them in control.

Mikel Merino had also missed a number of chances before the break, and they could have proved costly as Arsenal put in a sluggish performance in the second half.

Wiktor Nowak scored Slavia's consolation in the 90th minute, but Arsenal had ridden their luck before that as Mojmir Chytil had an effort cleared off the line and David Raya made a stunning save to tip Oskar Kubiak's header onto the post.

Slavia had 17 shots in the second half – the joint-most in a single half against Arteta's Arsenal in a Champions League match (also 17 in the second half for Sporting CP in November 2024), while their 2.11 expected goals (xG) was the most any side has managed against the Gunners since 2023-24 in one half.

Arsenal still came out with three points to maintain their unbeaten start to the Champions League, while they have already won 13 matches in all competitions this season, the joint-most of any side in Europe's big-five leagues, along with Barcelona and Real Madrid.

But Arteta was far from happy with his side's second-half performance and is determined to learn from that.

"Always we need to value winning away in the Champions League," Arteta told TNT Sports. "It is extremely difficult.

"Two very different halves. We should have had three or four goals in the first half, but we didn't do it. Right at the start of the second half, we were on the back foot, very sloppy and gave balls away. Then we had to suffer. A lot to learn.

"We should have scored more in the first half, and if we didn't do that, we had to go and do that in the second half.

"We made six changes [to the starting line-up from their win over Liverpool], but we know the quality of the players we have. Whether we were lacking something, I don't know, but I would have done the same thing [again].

"I value what the team has done now; it is 11 away games we played."

Since the 2024-25 season, only Paris Saint-Germain (25) have won more Champions League games than Arsenal (23).

And while the Gunners have played seven games against sides from Czechia (three versus Sparta Prague, four against Slavia) without losing (W6 D1), this is the first time they have conceded on Czech soil.

Raya played a big part in ensuring Arsenal walked away with the victory, and like Arteta, pointed to the huge differences between the two halves.

"First half, we played really, really well," he told TNT Sports.

"We created a lot of chances and could have scored more, but the second half was completely different. They stepped up a gear and made it difficult for us, and we have to learn from it. Delighted with the win, but a lot of things to improve going forward.

"Maybe they started pressing a bit higher with more intensity. We had too many giveaways, especially in the final third. There was too much running from box to box, and we have to manage those reactions and go for the third and fourth goal.

"At the end of the day, it is three points."