Slavia Praha 0-3 Arsenal: Saka & Merino help Gunners continue the winning streak

Mikel Merino scored twice as Arsenal comfortably beat Slavia Prague in the league phase of the Champions League to extend their winning run to eight matches in all competitions.

Match Report

It was also an eighth successive clean sheet - matching a club record set back in 1903 over two different seasons.

Spaniard Merino was starting up front in place of the injured Viktor Gyokeres and, just as he did last season when he deputised for Kai Havertz, the midfielder showed his versatility to provide a focal point and make a crucial contribution for his team.

Arsenal's opening goal came in the 32nd minute when they were awarded a penalty after the video assistant referee (VAR) penalised Lukas Provod for handball after Gabriel flicked on a corner.

Captain Bukayo Saka stepped up to drill the ball into the bottom corner.

The Gunners weren't at their best in the first half and had to navigate a tricky opening period, with Provod shooting wide for Slavia Prague when well placed.

But Mikel Arteta's side started the second half extremely well and doubled their lead seconds after the restart when Merino volleyed Leandro Trossard's cross into the bottom corner.

He added his second in the 68th minute when he rose to meet a Declan Rice cross as home keeper Jakub Markovic came out but failed to collect the ball.

There was also another piece of history on the night as Max Dowman, at 15 years and 308 days old became the youngest player to feature in the Champions League when he replaced Trossard - breaking the mark set by Youssoufa Moukoko at 16 years and 18 days with Borussia Dortmund in 2020.

Slavia Prague thought they a penalty late on when Provod went down after a high challenge from Ben White, but the decision was overturned by a VAR check once the referee was sent to the monitor.

The victory continued Premier League leaders Arsenal's excellent start to the season, with four wins from four matches in the Champions League as they extended their unbeaten run to 13 matches in all competitions.

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

2' Gabriel volleys the ball after a rebound but it flies just wide

18' Gabriel is down injured and he receives some medical treatments

20' Saka cruls his effort towards the left side of the goal but it is saved

23' Nwaneri is booked yellow for his harsh tackling

24' Saka unleashes a shot to the left post but couldn't beat the keeper

32' GOAL! Saka makes no mistake and scores the penalty! Slavia Praha 0-1 Arsenal

37' Merino is booked yellow for his tackling

46' GOAL! Merino doubles the lead as Trossard assists! Slavia Praha 0-2 Arsenal

68' GOAL! Merino powers a header into the net! Slavia Praha 0-3 Arsenal

86' No penalty after a VAR Check as Ben White did not commit a foul

Line-ups

Slavia Praha XI: Tomas Chory, Lukas Provod, Michal Sadílek, Tomas Vlcek, David Zima, Jakub Markovic, Christos Zafeiris, Stepan Chaloupek, David Moses, Youssoupha Sanyang, Youssoupha Mbodji

Subs: Jan Boril, Jindrich Stanek, Erik Prekop, Vasil Kusej, Daiki Hashioka, David Doudera, Mojmír Chytil, Muhammed Cham, Daniel Toula, Adam Rezek, Tomas Jelinek, Jakub Kolisek

Arsenal XI: Christian Nørgaard, Trossard, David Raya, Merino, Rice, Gabriel, Saliba, Saka, Timber, Hincapie, Nwaneri

Subs: Ben White, Eberechi Eze, Calafiori, Charles Sagoe Jr, Cristhian Mosquera, Tommy Setford, Alexéi Rojas, Lewis-Skelly, Max Dowman, Andre Harriman-Annous