English outfit Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 victory against Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Tuesday night to continue their impressive start to the season.
Mikel Arteta's rotated side started sluggishly under the lights, with Gabriel Magalhaes and Lukas Provod failing to test the goalkeepers with early efforts at both ends. The hosts' high press initially caused problems for Arsenal, but the Premier League giants eventually found a foothold when Bukayo Saka forced Jakub Markovic to palm his strike wide.
The Gunners began to take control of the contest and won a flurry of corners. Gabriel clambered highest to meet the fifth set piece and saw his header deflected over, before the referee stopped play to allow VAR to check for a potential handball. Replays showed the close-range effort from the centre-back struck Provod's arm, and the penalty was given.
Saka stepped up and made no mistake, despite Markovic guessing the right way.
That set the tone after the half-time break, and Arsenal doubled their lead mere seconds after re-emerging for the second half. Leandro Trossard delivered from the left and Mikel Merino, brought back in as a makeshift forward in the absence of Viktor Gyokeres, ghosted in between two defenders to volley home.
There was still time for Merino to notch his brace after stopper Markovic misjudged Declan Rice's devilish ball into the box, capping off a comfortable evening for Arteta's heavyweights, who, at least for the time being, opened up a three-point advantage at the top.
Match Highlights
To follow...
Slavia Prague Player Ratings
Arsenal's Piero Hincapie challenges for the ball
GK: Jakub Markovic - 5/10
Markovic made a good early save, but there was nothing he could have done to keep out Saka's unerring penalty and Merino's smart volley. He had to do better with Arsenal's third goal, however, after being beaten to the ball.
CB: Tomas Vlcek - 5/10
All at sea and struggled to handle Merino's direct centre-forward play.
CB: Stepan Chaloupek - 5/10
Just like his team-mates at centre-back, Chaloupek was powerless to prevent the visitors from strolling to victory.
CB: David Zima - 5.5/10
Tried his best to stifle the danger, especially in the opening 20 minutes, but succumbed to the momentum of the game.
WB: David Moses - 5/10
Failed to create any danger after being pushed back, and was caught out several times when turning toward his own goal.
CM: Christos Zafiris - 5.5/10
The game may have drifted away from him, but Zafiris did take some notable touches on the ball in his bid to act as a calming influence.
CM: Michal Sadilek - 5/10
Sadilek was bullied by Arsenal's much silkier midfield unit on a difficult night for the hosts.
WB: Youssoupha Mbodji - 5/10
Mbodji did not cover himself in glory in the build-up to Arsenal's second goal, having been caught looking across the box. He was guilty of keeping Merino onside, and that misstep proved costly.
RW: Lukas Provod - 5.5/10
Squandered an early opening in the first half before being penalised for a harsh handball, leading to Arsenal's opener from the spot. He did have some bright moments on the ball, though, especially in the opening period.
ST: Tomas Chory - 5/10
Ineffectual up front and replaced shortly after Arsenal doubled their lead.
LW: Youssoupha Sanyang - 5/10
A quiet day at the office, especially with Slavia Prague pinned inside their own half for large swathes of the game.
SUB: Mojmir Chytil (48') - 5/10
Just like Chory, the player he replaced, Chytil was unable to make any real impact on proceedings.
SUB: David Doudera - N/ASUB: Muhammed Cham - N/A
SUB: Vasil Kusej - N/ASUB: Daiki Hashioka - N/A
Arsenal Player Ratings
Mikel Merino celebrates scoring his first goal
GK: David Raya - 6/10
A quiet evening between the sticks. Raya could have watched most of the game unfold from the comfort of the stands. When he was called upon, he was accomplished and confident, securing another deserved shutout.
RB: Jurrien Timber - 6/10
Timber delivered a steady display at right-back. He mucked in defensively to help Arsenal ride out the early pressure from the hosts, and also contributed on the ball as the Gunners moved into the ascendancy.
CB: William Saliba - 7/10
Another rock-solid performance from Arsenal's Mr Dependable. Saliba stood up to the hosts' attempts to add a little havoc to the game and dominated in the air.
CB: Gabriel Magalhaes - 7/10
Slavia Prague never truly looked like scoring, with Saliba and Gabriel once again proving why they are arguably the world's best centre-back combination at the moment.
LB: Piero Hincapie - 6/10
A good, if not glowing, performance from Hincapie, who will now hope for a consistent run of games.
CM: Ethan Nwaneri - 5.5/10
It didn't quite click for Nwaneri and Arteta certainly noticed, having barked out instructions to him during the first half. He was also booked after taking one for the team as Slavia Prague looked to counter.
CM: Christian Norgaard - 6/10
Some good moments, and some not so good. But, slowly but surely, Norgaard is demonstrating why Arsenal were right to bring him in during the summer, and he certainly remains a good rotation option.
CM: Declan Rice - 6.5/10
An incredible ball into the box resulted in Merino's second goal of the game, and Rice once again covered every blade of the grass. He is enjoying a truly stellar season at both ends of the pitch.
RW: Bukayo Saka - 7.5/10
Saka was brilliant again and proved a real thorn in Slavia Prague's side. He took his penalty quite brilliantly and was unfortunate not to add to his tally.
ST: Mikel Merino - 8/10
A scintillating performance from a midfielder who looks more and more like a born goalscorer. Both of his goals resulted from his razor-sharp instincts inside the box. Gyokeres may well have watched on with his face buried in his hands.
LW: Leandro Trossard - 6.5/10
Picked up a superb assist after teeing up Merino for his first goal, and was a real live wire down the flank.
SUB: Eberechi Eze (65') - 6/10
A promising cameo off the bench for the talented playmaker.
SUB: Ben White - N/ASUB: Myles Lewis-Skelly - N/ASUB: Max Dowman - N/A
SUB: Andre Harriman-Annous - N/A