Gyokeres stars as Arsenal edges out Slava Prague
Viktor Gyokeres got a goal and an assist as Arsenal's dominant first half was enough to secure a 2-1 win over Slavia Prague in the Champions League.
Gyokeres set up Noni Madueke's early opener before getting on the scoresheet himself shortly before the break, with Mikel Arteta's side firmly in control after the first 45 minutes.
But the Gunners struggled to match that level in the second half, and Slavia eventually got its reward through Wiktor Nowak late on, but Arsenal held out to claim all three points.
Arsenal started on top and got its reward nine minutes in when Gyokeres brilliantly held up David Raya's long ball before fizzing it forward for Madueke, who raced in behind and slotted under Nazar Domchak from the right of the box.
Mikel Merino's scooped shot was then tipped over the bar by Domchak before he looped a header onto the roof of the net from the edge of the six-yard box.
But it was no surprise to see Merino involved at the other end as Arsenal doubled its lead in the 38th minute. It won it back high up the pitch, and the Spaniard slid it through for Gyokeres, who kept his composure to slot past Domchak from the left of the area.
Madueke got away from his marker down the right, and his deflected cross reached Gabriel Magalhaes, who glanced his header off target on the stroke of half-time.
Arsenal was sluggish in the second half, and Oskar Kubiak almost punished them 22 seconds after the restart, but Raya pushed away his curler.
Despite Slavia's vast improvement after the break, his side was almost caught out against the run of play by Madueke, though Domchak had the angle covered.
Raya flapped at a 75th-minute corner, and Mojmir Chytil's header looped towards goal, but Gabriel was well-placed to clear it off the line. The goalkeeper made up for it with a superb clawing save to deny Kubiak shortly after, sending the header onto the post and stopping it from then bouncing over the line.
Slavia's pressure eventually told in the 90th minute as David Jurasek recycled a cleared long throw, and with Raya drawn to the ball, Nowak was unmarked to tap into an empty net.
