One other sport, one other slew of data for Arsenal's defensive machine. This time it included one which stretched again greater than 55 years, when Leeds had been the final English staff to not concede a purpose of their opening 4 matches, within the 1969‑70 European Cup marketing campaign, beneath Don Revie.
A decided Slavia Prague facet, that got here into this sport unbeaten in all home competitions, gave it their greatest shot and thought they'd been awarded a late penalty, just for the referee to overturn his choice after the video assistant referee known as him to the pitchside monitor. The Czech champions lastly recorded a shot on track in stoppage time. It meant Arsenal made it eight successive clear sheets in all competitions for the primary time since 1903, once they had been in what was the Second Division. A penalty from Bukayo Saka and two second‑half targets from the makeshift striker Mikel Merino sealed a tenth successive victory for Mikel Arteta's ruthless facet.
“Essentially the most pleasing factor most likely isn't the file, it's the mindset of the gamers. They're speaking there about how we will nonetheless do higher,” the delighted Arsenal supervisor stated. “It's one or two conditions the place we might have resolved higher. If we try this we will preserve bettering and that file can have an even bigger which means.”
There was additionally a particular second for Max Dowman as he turned the youngest participant in Champions League historical past at 15 years 308 days when he was introduced on to interchange the superb Leandro Trossard with the factors already firmly within the bag.
“What he's completed on the pitch, the primary ball he takes, he takes individuals on, he begins to dribble, will get a foul,” Arteta stated. “That's character, that's braveness and you can't train that. You could have it otherwise you don't. It doesn't matter what his passport says. You throw him on this context and he's capable of adapt.”
It has been to Arsenal's immense credit score that they've maintained their profitable run with so many attacking gamers lacking by way of damage, with Viktor Gyökeres changing into the newest when he limped off towards Burnley on Saturday. There are fears that the Sweden striker has injured a hamstring however it's hoped he might return with Gabriel Martinelli and the captain, Martin Ødegaard, in time for the north London derby againstto play Tottenham after the worldwide break.
Within the meantime, Merino was again within the position that he crammed so admirably final season and confirmed he has misplaced none of his sharpness in entrance of purpose with two well-taken finishes. Christian Nørgaard carried out properly rather than the suspended Martín Zubimendi and Piero Hincapié and Ethan Nwaneri additionally impressed on uncommon begins as Arteta rotated his squad.
Jindrich Trpisovsky, the Slavia supervisor, is an skilled character who has received 4 league titles and he rated Arsenal beforehand as among the finest groups his facet have confronted, in addition to describing Declan Rice as the very best free‑kick taker on the earth.
Nevertheless, it was the hosts who made the extra encouraging begin as Arsenal had been unsettled by their all‑motion urgent sport, with 6ft 6in Czech worldwide striker Tomas Chory offering a stiff bodily take a look at for his or her defence. Gabriel Magalhães wanted remedy for a facial damage halfway by way of the primary half however there was by no means any probability of him coming off.
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Saka lastly examined Jakub Markovic within the Slavia purpose after 25 minutes after powering into the realm and a nook from Rice virtually sneaked in on the close to put up. One other Saka shot was simply as shut and Gabriel was capable of make first contact on the ensuing nook, with the VAR recognizing that Lukas Provod's left arm had been in an unnatural place when he blocked the Brazilian's goalbound header. Saka made mild of the protestations from the house supporters behind the purpose and stepped as much as coolly give Arsenal the lead.
Slavia thought they need to have had a penalty as properly simply earlier than the break for handball by Hincapié however this time the referee from Azerbaijan was not . Any hopes that they might discover a approach again into the sport had been dealt a significant blow inside 40 seconds of the restart. Rice picked out Trossard in acres of area and his cross was volleyed in emphatically on the close to put up by Merino. This was Arsenal at their scientific greatest.
Merino's second was an actual poacher's end as he beat Markovic to Rice's cross to loop his header into the empty web. And it has been some week for Dowman, who turned the youngest participant to begin a sport for Arsenal within the Carabao Cup win towards Brighton and has now surpassed Youssoufa Moukoko of Borussia Dortmund and his file of 16 years and 18 days set in December 2020. He regarded completely at residence in these environment and never even a late scare, when Ben White was penalised for a excessive boot earlier than the VAR intervened once more, might cease Arsenal on one other excellent night.
