Arsenal edge stubborn Slavia in Champions League

Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres scored in the first half to hand Arsenal a 2-1 win at Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Arsenal got back to winning ways in Europe after a 2-2 draw at Bayern last month, reaching 10 points from four Champions League games so far, while Slavia have a single point in the standings.

The Premier League champions were quick to take control of the game in chilly conditions in the Czech capital.

Madueke reaped the rewards on nine minutes.

Gyokeres controlled David Raya’s long clearance with his chest and passed the ball instinctively to Madueke sprinting behind him down the right flank.

Madueke left the Slavia back four behind him with ease and beat diving Ukrainian teenager Nazar Domchak in the Slavia goal with a low shot.

Gyokeres, one of six changes in Mikel Arteta’s starting line-up from Sunday’s 1-0 win at Liverpool, made it 2-0 on 38 minutes.

He beat Domchak with a neat shot off the far post after a one-two with Mikel Merino on the edge of the Slavia box.

Czech champions Slavia were sluggish throughout the first half, producing a single chance when skipper Tomas Holes fired wide from inside the box.

But they stepped up their pace considerably in the second half to stave off a repeat of a 3-0 home loss to the Gunners in the competition exactly a year ago.

Slavia’s Polish midfielder Oskar Kubiak forced a diving save from Raya seconds into the second half.

Gabriel Magalhaes and Raya cleared two headers off the goalline in quick succession with 15 minutes to go, while David Zima fired over the bar.

Raya then forced a Kubiak header onto the post.

Slavia scored a consolation goal in the 90th minute when David Jurasek’s cross bounced through the Arsenal defence and Wiktor Nowak blasted the ball into the net from close range.

It was the 23rd straight game without a win for the hosts in the Champions League, taking them within one of equalling AEK Athens’ all-time record from 1992-2006.