Gyökeres leads Arsenal to nervy European win at Slavia Prague

Viktor Gyökeres provided the decisive attacking contributions as Arsenal beat Slavia Prague away from home, creating an early goal before scoring shortly before halftime. According to the Guardian’s match report, Arsenal held on despite a spirited late comeback to extend their unbeaten run on European away trips to 10 matches.

Noni Madueke put the visitors ahead early after being set up by Gyökeres, giving Arsenal an advantage that shaped the contest. The assist was the striker’s third in his past five appearances, adding to a sequence of creative contributions from a player the report described as much-maligned.

Gyökeres then delivered an emphatic finish before the interval, apparently putting the match beyond Slavia’s reach. His involvement in both first-half goals made him the central figure in Arsenal’s victory, with his finishing complementing the service he had already supplied for Madueke.

For manager Mikel Arteta, the goal offered encouragement beyond the immediate result. The Guardian described Kai Havertz as Arsenal’s clear first-choice striker, making Gyökeres’s performance a sign of another attacking option finding form rather than evidence that the established pecking order had changed.

The report also noted a visible lift in the 28-year-old’s movement after he scored. While one performance does not settle questions about his place in the side, combining a goal with another assist gave him a tangible contribution to an important away success.

Arsenal’s early breakthrough contrasted with what the report called their wobble against Fleetwood the previous week. This time, Madueke’s opener and Gyökeres’s finish established a stronger position before halftime, although Slavia’s late response meant the visitors still faced an anxious conclusion rather than a comfortable procession to victory.

For Slavia, the defeat carried an unwelcome historical distinction alongside the frustration of a comeback that fell short. Their winless sequence in the European Cup and Champions League reached 23 matches, equalling the mark held by AEK Athens and FCSB, formerly known as Steaua Bucharest.

The late fightback gave Slavia something to take from the performance, but it did not alter either the result or that record. Arsenal, by contrast, left with another away victory and a continuation of the unbeaten European travelling run highlighted in the report.

The immediate question for Arsenal is whether Gyökeres can sustain that combination of scoring and creating when further opportunities arrive. With Havertz still described as Arteta’s preferred option, the Guardian framed the striker’s improving form as a potential boost to Arsenal’s challenge, rather than a settled change in selection.