Gyokeres stars as unbeaten Arsenal see off Slavia

Viktor Gyokeres scored and provided an assist as Arsenal continued their unbeaten start in the Champions League group stage with a win over Slavia Prague. Manager Mikel Arteta made six changes to the team that beat Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, with Gyokeres leading the line in place of Kai Havertz. The Swedish striker played a huge part in the opening goal, hooking the ball behind the Slavia Prague defence for Noni Madueke to race on and finish confidently in the ninth minute. Gyokeres added the second himself before half-time after he exchanged passes with Mikel Merino and curled an excellent finish in off the post. Slavia Prague improved after the break, and David Raya had to make a good save almost immediately to deny Oskar Kubiak, who shot from the edge of the box. Gabriel Magalhaes cleared the ball off the line after a Mojmir Chytil header following a corner, and the home side eventually pulled one back when Wiktor Nowak scored from close range in the 90th minute. The Gunners, who had a 100% record in this stage of the competition last season, are unbeaten after their first four games this season and sit third in the table behind Paris St-Germain and Real Madrid. “This is a team that has huge spirit, huge conviction and if you give them something, they will grab it,” said Arteta after the game. “We were extremely far from our standards. We fell short on everything, from the basics to every concept we discussed, and in everything we tried to avoid in the second half. “Very far from the standards we expect from each other, but we found a way to hold on to the result and win the game.”