Arsenal Stars Shine Bright as Gunners Demolish Slavia Prague in Unforgettable European Triumph

Arsenal celebrated a historic evening with a commanding 3-0 triumph over Slavia Prague, preserving their flawless Champions League campaign start.

Their tenth consecutive clean sheet shattered a 122-year club record, while 15-year-old Max Dowman etched his name in history as the competition's youngest-ever player when he entered as a substitute in the second period.

Arsenal faced early resistance from their determined Czech opponents, but secured comfortable victory when Mikel Merino, deployed as striker due to Viktor Gyökeres's unavailability, netted immediately following halftime to extend their advantage.

Merino sealed the win with his second goal for the visitors, after Bukayo Saka had broken the deadlock from the penalty spot on the half-hour mark.

Currently sitting atop the league phase standings, here's how their players performed in their Czech Republic victory.

Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Slavia Prague (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings Provided by Fotmob*

GK: David Raya—7.6: While Slavia proved bothersome, they rarely troubled Raya in his goal.

RB: Jurriën Timber—7.0: The fullback completed his duties efficiently on Tuesday night.

CB: William Saliba—6.8: Saliba adopted an unusual possession role during the first half, venturing into midfield areas more frequently than previously seen.

CB: Gabriel—7.1: Slavia striker Tomáš Chory presented a challenging matchup, but the forward left frustrated after 45 minutes battling Gabriel.

LB: Piero Hincapié—7.6: Following his impressive central defensive display in last week's Carabao Cup, Hincapié proved reliable in his wide defensive role.

CM: Christian Nørgaard—6.8: Arsenal's build-up play lacked fluidity without Martín Zubimendi, though Nørgaard provided adequate cover in the defensive midfield position.

CM: Declan Rice—8.1: A rare open-play assist from Declan Rice! Cause for celebration.

AM: Ethan Nwaneri—6.8: The youngster showed glimpses of skill with some neat touches, but failed to fully capitalize on this chance.

RW: Bukayo Saka—8.5: Saka converted his penalty expertly and consistently threatened by getting behind Slavia's defensive line.

ST: Mikel Merino—9.0: Despite a sluggish opening period, Merino decided the match with two second-half strikes. Classic Merino.

LW: Leandro Trossard—7.6: Drew numerous fouls and served as Arsenal's primary target for near-post corner deliveries early on. Limited overall impact.

Subs not used: Alexei Rojas (GK), Tommy Setford (GK), Cristhian Mosquera, Riccardo Calafiori, Charles Sagoe Jr.

Slavia Prague (3-4-3)

Starting XI: Jakub Markovič; Tomáš Vlček, Štěpán Chaloupek, David Zima; David Moses, Christos Zafeiris, Michal Sadilek, Youssoupha Mbodji; Lukáš Provod, Tomáš Chory, Youssoupha Sanyang.

Subs used: Mojmir Chytil, Muhammed Cham, David Doudera, Daiki Hashioka, Vasil Jusej

Slavia Prague 0–3 Arsenal—Match Report from the Fortuna Arena

Slavia Prague understood the magnitude of Tuesday's challenge, with substitute David Doudera stating pre-match that Arsenal "possess virtually no flaws".

The Gunners arrived with nine consecutive victories and an unblemished European record. They hadn't conceded in over four weeks, while Slavia's solid defense had also been crucial to their recent form, recording five straight shutouts.

Their defensive approach would have surprised many observers, as Jindřich Trpišovský chose an aggressive man-marking system that forced a weakened Arsenal into unconventional tactics. Most remarkably, William Saliba frequently appeared in advanced midfield positions.

Their early energy and physicality seemingly unsettled the Gunners, with Mikel Arteta's team struggling initially before a series of set-pieces helped them find rhythm. Eventually, their dead-ball dominance yielded results when they earned a penalty for Lukáš Provod's handball that no player appealed for initially. The video assistant referee (VAR) ultimately penalized Slavia's skipper.

Spot-on from Saka 🎯 pic.twitter.com/eX1tQjhFNg

Bukayo Saka dispatched the penalty confidently, though Arsenal remained unsettled in the Czech capital without facing significant danger. Nevertheless, Slavia possessed a troublesome target-man and had players ready to exploit spaces behind their solid defense.

Trpišovský likely felt satisfied with his team's first-half performance, but was furious within 30 seconds of the restart when Mikel Merino found space unmarked in Slavia's penalty area to finish Leandro Trossard's delivery and double Arsenal's advantage.

That early second-half setback crushed Slavia's hopes of an upset, with Arsenal controlling the remaining proceedings comfortably. Merino's second goal, arriving with 20 minutes left, resulted from Jakub Markovič's error, as the Spaniard directed home Declan Rice's aerial pass.

A late scare emerged when the hosts received a penalty for Ben White's challenge, but VAR intervened to maintain Arsenal's clean sheet streak, overturning Slavia's spot-kick award.

Slavia Prague vs. Arsenal Half-Time Stats

Slavia Prague vs. Arsenal Full Time Stats