Slavia Praha 1-2 Arsenal: result and report

The Pundit picked Arsenal (68%): correct

Report

Arsenal won 2-1 away at Slavia Praha in the Champions League. They deserved the points, though the game was far less comfortable than a two-goal lead suggested.

Noni Madueke opened the scoring in the ninth minute, set up by Viktor Gyökeres. Gyökeres then scored himself on 38 minutes from Mikel Merino's pass, so Arsenal went in at half-time 2-0 up. Slavia Praha did not find a way back until 90 minutes, when Wiktor Nowak finished from David Jurásek's assist. That goal came too late to change the result.

Still, the scoreline hides how much Slavia Praha offered going forward. They finished with more xG, 2.22 to 1.83, had nine shots to Arsenal's seven and put six on target to five. They also hit the woodwork once and made 13 key passes to 10. Arsenal needed four saves to protect their lead, while Slavia Praha made three.

The counter-signal is the quality of Arsenal's openings. Despite trailing on xG, they created six big chances to Slavia Praha's four and missed four of them. They also had 56% of the ball and more dangerous attacks, 51 to 39. That suggests Arsenal's best moments were clearer, while Slavia Praha's higher xG came from more shots rather than better ones. Arsenal could have won by more, but they also could have been caught.

Gyökeres was at the centre of both goals, with an assist for Madueke and a finish of his own. Because Arsenal took two of their chances before half-time, Slavia Praha spent the rest of the game chasing rather than competing on level terms.