Merino at the double as Arsenal coasts
Stand-in striker Mikel Merino delivered a second-half double as Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 victory over Slavia Prague in the Champions League.
Mikel Arteta's team was shorn of the injured Viktor Gyokeres for its trip to Fortuna Arena, where another attacking option, Gabriel Martinelli, was also absent.
It meant the versatile Merino filled in up top, and the Spain international once again came up with the good for the Gunners, who moved - at least temporarily - three points clear at the top of the 36-team standings, with four wins from four.
Bukayo Saka put them ahead with a 32nd-minute penalty, with Slavia captain Lukas Provod adjudged to have handled while defending a corner.
Merino then grabbed Arsenal's quickest second-half goal in its Champions League history as he turned in from Leandro Trossard's centre just 35 seconds after the restart.
It was 3-0 in the 68th minute as Merino beat Jakub Markovic to Declan Rice's floated cross and guided his header home.
Provod thought he had won a penalty late on, but the referee changed his mind after a VAR review, meaning Arsenal's pristine clean sheet record in Europe this season also stayed intact.
