Arsenal made it 10 points from 12 in the Champions League with a 2-1 win at Slavia Prague on Wednesday night, but the performance split into two very different halves.
Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres scored in the first half to give the visitors control, and for 45 minutes the game looked comfortable. After the break it changed.
Wiktor Nowak pulled one back for the hosts, and Slavia had 17 shots in the second half as Arsenal's grip slipped. The result stretched Arsenal's unbeaten run in the competition to 19 games, but Mikel Arteta was not in a mood to celebrate wildly.
He called the second half very sloppy and said there was a lot to learn from it. He also made a point about the demands of the schedule, noting that this was already Arsenal's 11th away game of the season, despite it only being early November. "We need to value winning away in the Champions League," he said.
Arteta made six changes from the side that won at Liverpool on Sunday, so some rustiness was expected. Goalkeeper David Raya agreed that there were things to improve, and the manager will want sharper game management when the stakes rise.
Next up is a home game against Hull City on Saturday (7pm), where a full-strength side and a cleaner second half will be the aim.
