Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Slavia Prague: Attacking Rotation Pays Off

Arsenal maintained their unbeaten start to the Champions League campaign by securing a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Slavia Prague on their travels.

Riding the crest of a wave after their first Premier League win at Anfield in 14 years at the weekend, the Gunners took just nine minutes to open the scoring at the Fortuna Arena. Noni Madueke latched onto Viktor Gyökeres’s through ball and showed excellent composure by sliding through the goalkeeper’s legs.

Gyökeres then turned goalscorer himself shortly before halftime. An impressive Arsenal move culminated in the striker intelligently shifting the ball onto his right foot and bending an excellent effort into the far corner to double his side’s advantage.

Slavia were vastly improved after the break, however, posing a much greater threat as Arsenal wilted across the field. Eventually their persistence paid off when Wiktor Kowak converted from close range in the 90th minute, but it proved nothing more than a consolation as Mikel Arteta’s men held on for victory to move third in the Champions League standings.

One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Arsenal celebrate — Arsenal’s offense delivered the goods in Prague. | Mike Egerton/PA Images/Getty Images

Arsenal’s defense was deservedly lauded for an inspiring performance against Liverpool, who were restricted to zero shots on target for the first time in the 442 Premier League home matches played since the start of the 2003–04 season. But Wednesday offered the opportunity for the club’s attacking players to take center stage—well, during the first half, at least.

Mikel Arteta made three alterations to the front four which overcame Liverpool, with Gyökeres, Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino joining Madueke in the team. Each of them played their role in an ultimately hard-fought triumph.

Gyökeres was in particular need of a morale-boosting performance, and the Swede’s hold-up play handily brought others into the equation. An effective and efficient performance was capped by two special moments, the first of which was a pinpoint assist for Madueke. Gyökeres then notched himself with a ruthless finish, following a smart one-two with Merino.

The Spaniard’s uncanny ability to appear from thin air in dangerous zones caused problems for Slavia, who were often unable to match his ghostly runs into the area. Off the left wing, Eze was similarly problematic for the hosts, unleashing his repertoire of flicks and tricks in the Czech capital.

Madueke was not to be upstaged by his teammates, however, and he got the ball rolling with a neat finish in the early stages. The winger’s influence waned slightly as the minutes ticked away, but there were still regular glimpses of his searing speed and driving runs.

Of course, the opposition must be taken into consideration. Slavia’s latest defeat stretched their winless European streak to 19 matches. But Arsenal still deserve credit for the ease with which they dismantled their hosts in the first half, allowing them to take their foot off the gas for the second 45 minutes and still come away with victory.

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

Viktor Gyökeres — Gyökeres delivered his trademark celebration after doubling Arsenal’s advantage. | David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: David Raya—8.4: After an extremely uneventful first half, Raya rebuffed the improved Slavia attack after the break. One excellent save onto the post deserves special mention.

RB: Ben White—7.3: A consistent attacking threat, as per usual, and came through the clash largely unscathed on the defensive front.

CB: Ezri Konsa—7.2: William Saliba’s return to the bench didn’t unnerve the summer signing. Aside from several late sliding challenges, one of which resulted in a booking, Konsa was solid.

CB: Gabriel—7.8: Waltzed through the first half without ever being forced to escape second gear, before a strong showing after the restart, which included a valuable goal-line clearance.

LB: Piero Hincapié—7.8: Tried to replicate the forwards forays made by his positional peer Riccardo Calafiori, but failed to deliver quite the same attacking threat as the Italian.

CM: Martín Zubimendi—8.0: Steady during a rare appearance in the starting lineup. Kept things ticking as Arsenal’s water carrier.

CM: Declan Rice—7.7: Popped up everywhere and was afforded the freedom of the pitch by an apathetic Slavia midfield. Grew visibly fatigued in the latter stages, though.

RW: Noni Madueke—8.3: Tormented 20-year-old left back Oskar Kubiak for much of the encounter and scored his fourth Champions League goal for the Gunners.

AM: Mikel Merino—7.9: Acted as a second striker at times, going deep into Slavia territory to overload the penalty area. A strong performance in attacking midfield—although he arguably could have given away a penalty in the final 15 minutes when colliding with Nowak.

LW: Eberechi Eze—7.3: Slavia often resorted to hacking Eze down to thwart his progress. The Englishman’s electric feet proved too devastating for the hosts.

ST: Viktor Gyökeres—8.4: Exactly the performance Gyökeres required. Led the line impressively, regularly using his bulky frame to his advantage, and provided two goal involvements.

SUB: Cristhian Mosquera (62’ for Konsa)—6.4: Struggled under increasing waves of Slavia pressure.

SUB: Christos Tzolis (62’ for Eze)—6.4: Less eye-catching than Eze.

SUB: Jurriën Timber (78’ for White)—6.1: An unspectacular cameo.

SUB: Martin Ødegaard (78’ for Gyökeres)—6.0: Didn’t have much time to make things happen.

SUB: Max Dowman (90+3’ for Madueke)—N/A

Subs not used: Illan Meslier (GK), Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Riccardo Calafiori, William Saliba, Bruno Guimarães, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Kai Havertz.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Martín Zubimendi featured from the off. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Martín Zubimendi will face tougher tests to win back Arteta’s trust, but this was a step in the right direction. While not the most glamorous performance, the World Cup winner was an assured presence alongside Declan Rice, and he finished up having had the second-most touches (80) of any player on the field.
Arsenal’s defense was completely untroubled during the first 45 minutes, before struggling after the break. Gabriel and David Raya were forced into some important interventions in the closing stages, with Slavia finishing the match on top.

The Numbers That Explain Arsenal’s Victory

Arsenal remain undefeated in Champions League league phase matches since November 2024, during which time they have managed 15 victories from 16 outings at this stage of the competition.
The Gunners have now scored nine times during their past three away games against the Czech giants.
But Arsenal were certainly not flawless on Wednesday, and they actually finished the match having produced fewer shots, efforts on target and expected goals than their hosts.

Statistic	Slavia Prague	Arsenal
Possession	43%	57%
Expected Goals (xG)	2.23	1.49
Total Shots	18	12
Shots on Target	6	5
Big Chances	4	5
Pass Accuracy	83%	83%
Fouls Committed	15	10
Corners	4	2

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