Mikel Arteta unhappy despite Arsenal’s Champions League win over Slavia Prague

Arsenal got the Champions League result they wanted, but Mikel Arteta was left with a warning sign rather than a comfortable night. After a commanding first half against Slavia Prague, the Gunners lost control, conceded in the final minute and had to see out stoppage time under pressure.

Noni Madueke put Arsenal ahead after nine minutes, and Viktor Gyökeres added a second before the break. Arteta felt the first-half display was strong enough to produce a wider margin. “The scoreline should have reflected three or four goals,” he said, describing the opening period as “exceptional at times”.

But the match changed after half-time. Slavia raised their intensity, and Arsenal struggled to keep the ball or maintain their shape. Gabriel cleared two headers off the goal-line before David Raya produced a crucial save to push Oskar Kubiak’s header onto a post.

The clean sheet still slipped away in the final minute, when Wiktor Nowak converted David Jurasek’s cross. Arsenal held on for a 2-1 win, but Arteta did not hide his frustration with the way his side surrendered control.

“The second half we were on the back foot, very sloppy,” he said. “We gave so many balls away, so many bad clearances, we didn’t keep the ball or the structure at all.” Arteta added that his players had been warned Slavia would keep running and bring greater chaos after the interval. In his view, Arsenal did not manage that challenge.

Raya also acknowledged the shift in the contest. He said Arsenal had played very well before the break, but Slavia “went up a gear” in the second half and caught his team by surprise. Too many giveaways, particularly in the final third, allowed the hosts to turn the game into repeated end-to-end exchanges.

For Raya, the late save was a vital moment in a match that could have become far more uncomfortable. He said he was focused on doing his job and keeping clean sheets, while accepting that Arsenal had lessons to take from the second-half pressure.

The victory was Arsenal’s third in four Champions League matches and lifted them to third in the table. The points are secured; the performance, especially after half-time, gives Arteta plenty to address. His message was clear: Arsenal must keep the ball, control the game and turn promising chances into the goals that would prevent a late scramble.