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Player Ratings: Slavia Prague 2-1 Arsenal
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- Player Ratings: Slavia Prague 2-1 Arsenal
(Branislav Racko)
Arsenal secured a hard-fought victory over Slavia Prague to take them up to third in the Champions League League Phase table. Goals from Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyökeres ensured the Gunners took home all three points.
Here are our player ratings.
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Starting XI:
David Raya - 7
Although he had very little to do in the first half, Raya was certainly kept busy after the break. Slavia Prague threatened throughout the second half, eventually finding the net late on. Despite conceding, there was very little he could have done to prevent the goal, so he is unlikely to face too much criticism for it.
Benjamin White - 5
He looked a little off the pace tonight, with some below-par defending and very little attacking threat. His performance was summed up by a bizarre foul throw that gifted possession straight back to the opposition.
Ezri Konsa - 7
Konsa delivers another solid performance, as he and Gabriel shut down Slavia Prague's attack with relative ease. With the England international playing at this level, Arteta can slowly bring William Saliba back into the team.
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Gabriel Magalhães - 7
Another monstrous performance at the back from the big Brazilian, who outmuscled Slavia Prague's attackers with ease. His defining moment came when he produced a crucial goal-line clearance to prevent Slavia from finding the net.
Piero Hincapié - 6
It's really good to see Hincapie get some minutes following his injury at the beginning of the season. He didn't do anything exceptional, but he was solid defensively which is all we can hope for at this stage. It'll be interesting to see if he can keep his place for the game against Hull City on the weekend.
Martin Zubimendi - 7
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It was great to see Zubimendi back in the starting XI for Arsenal, especially given all the questions surrounding him in the build-up to the game. He reminded everyone of just how good a player he is, controlling the game exceptionally well alongside Declan Rice in the middle of the park.
I'm not sure he's fully back to his best just yet, but he certainly looks much more like the player Arsenal signed after his impressive first half of last season than the one we saw during the second half.
Declan Rice - 7
Is Declan Rice even capable of having a truly bad game? I'm not sure he is, because the England international consistently gets the basics right. He was everywhere tonight, defending superbly and driving forward whenever he had the opportunity.
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Mikel Merino - 7
A lovely performance from Mikel Merino, who did a fantastic job of creating opportunities for both himself and his teammates. He probably should have found the back of the net at some point, but I'm just happy to see him getting some much-needed minutes under his belt.
Noni Madueke - 8
One of the main issues Arsenal fans have with Noni Madueke is his lack of end product. However, that certainly wasn't the case in this game, as he scored a lovely goal to put the Gunners in front. If he can find some consistency, Saka could have a real battle on his hands to get back into the starting lineup.
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Eberechi Eze - 7
Very lively in the opening stages, driving through the middle of the pitch and showing off his silky skills. He offered everything throughout the game bar a goal or an assist, but it was the kind of performance that will put him firmly in contention for a place in the squad for this weekend's match against Hull.
Viktor Gyökeres - 9
I think this might have been Viktor Gyökeres' best performance in an Arsenal shirt. We know the Sweden international can score goals when given even the smallest of opportunities, but today he showed that he can be a provider too, registering an assist. His hold-up play has also never looked better.
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If he can continue performing at this level, nobody will remember how he struggled to break into the starting XI at the beginning of the season.
Substitutes:
Cristhian Mosquera – 6
A solid defensive cameo from Mosquera as he continues to work his way back to full fitness following his injury at Aston Villa earlier in the season.
Christos Tzolis – 6
Looked lively after coming on and provided some attacking threat down the left-hand side. Whoever Slavia Prague's right-back was, he certainly had a difficult evening dealing with both Eze and Tzolis.
Jurriën Timber – 6
The Dutchman didn't have much of an impact after coming on, but it was good to see him get some minutes in place of Ben White, allowing both players to stay fresh.
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Martin Ødegaard – 5
The captain was brought on in an attempt to regain some control after Slavia Prague went gung-ho, but he struggled to make much of an impact with the limited time he was given.
Max Dowman – 6
He wasn't on the pitch long enough to make a significant impact. However, he did win a free-kick that helped relieve some of the pressure on Arsenal as Slavia Prague sent wave after wave of attacks forward.
Arsenal's next assignment is against Hull City on Saturday, as the Tigers travel to the Emirates Stadium.
