Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Rice, Norgaard, Nwaneri, Trossard, Saka, Merino
Subs: Setford, Rojas, Mosquera, White, Eze, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman, Sagoe Jr, Harriman-Annous
Arsenal made it four wins from four in the Champions League after beating Slavia Prague 3-0 at Fortuna Stadium on Wednesday, thanks to a goal from Bukayo Saka and two from Mikel Merino.
Mikel Arteta made four changes from the side that beat Burnley on Saturday, with Piero Hincapie, Christian Norgaard, Ethan Nwaneri and Merino coming into the side.
Viktor Gyokeres did not travel and joins a lengthy injury list after suffering a muscle injury at Turf Moor last time out. He is expected to return after the upcoming international break.
FIRST HALF
Arsenal had their first attempt on goal just one minute into the game, with Gabriel showing great technique to fire a half-volley towards the top corner which flew just wide.
But Slavia started with good energy and were making things difficult for the visitors, snapping into tackles and looking to test David Raya wherever possible. It was a tough opening 20 minutes for Arsenal who struggled to get their danger men on the ball.
The Gunners did eventually grow into the game and began testing goalkeeper Jakub Markovic, with Bukayo Saka forcing two good saves after cutting inside on his left foot.
Arsenal were beginning to mount some pressure and after one of their corners were cleared, the game was suddenly stopped for a VAR check before referee Aliyar Aghayev went to the screen – watched a replay – and awarded a surprising spot kick for handball.
Lukas Provod was judged to have handled the ball while defending at the near post, and while it did strike his hand the UEFA penalties always feel harsh. It didn’t matter either way because Saka stepped up and fired a clinical effort into the bottom corner. 1-0.
In doing so, the 24-year-old became the first Arsenal player in history to score in four consecutive Champions League away games.
The home fans were furious with the decision and that frustration seemed to seep into their giant, 6ft 7in striker Tomas Chory who was looking to fight every defender and appeal for penalties at every opportunity. Unfortunately for him, nobody was buying his theatrics.
SECOND HALF
The second half started perfectly for Arsenal who needed just 35 seconds to double their lead, and it came from Mikel Merino who did well to find space between the two centre backs and volley home a guided finish after being found by Leandro Trossard. 2-0.
It was beautifully taken by the Spaniard and his goal gave Arteta’s men the cushion they needed, doing an important job of dialling down the atmosphere once again.
As expected, Arsenal were managing the game and beginning to look more threatening in transition with Saka and Jurrien Timber bursting forward, before Merino found himself on the scoresheet again after heading in a looping cross from Declan Rice. 3-0.
The goalkeeper didn’t cover himself in glory but Merino was on hand in the penalty area (as he often is) to capitalise on some questionable decision making.
That was the cue for Arteta to ring the changes, with Eze, White, Lewis-Skelly and Dowman all replacing Nwaneri, Timber, Hincapie and Trossard, with Dowman becoming the youngest player in Champions League history (15y 308d).
Andre Harriman-Annous also came on for his Champions League debut, replacing Rice who managed to escape without a booking – meaning he will be available for the home clash against Bayern Munich later this month.
There were hearts in mouths when it looked like Ben White had conceded a penalty for a high boot (?) in his attempts to block a shot, but replays showed that there was no contact with the Slavia forward and the referee – after going to the screen again – overturned his initial decision.
It was another good night at the office for a rotated, injury-hit Arsenal team who made history by achieving their eighth clean sheet in a row for the first time since 1903. Two Hale Enders making their European debuts off the bench was the cherry on the cake.
Ten wins in a row across all competitions and now all eyes turn to Sunderland.
The post Report: Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal (inc. goals) appeared first on Arseblog News – the Arsenal news site.
Comments
0