Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal: Champions League – as it happened

8.01pm GMT Here’s Ed Aarons’ report from Prague. Thanks for joining me, and enjoy the rest of the football. Related: Arsenal make it 10 wins in a row as they cruise past Slavia Prague with Merino double 7.55pm GMT Here’s how the big Champions League ladder looks after the early games – and Arsenal are on top. Their remaining games in the “league phase” are Bayern (H), Club Brugge (A), Inter (A), Kairat (H). Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Arsenal 4 11 12 2 PSG 3 10 9 3 Bayern Munich 3 10 9 4 Inter Milan 3 9 9 5 Real Madrid 3 7 9 6 Borussia Dortmund 3 5 7 7 Man City 3 4 7 8 Newcastle 3 6 6 9 Barcelona 3 5 6 10 Liverpool 3 4 6 11 Chelsea 3 3 6 12 Sporting 3 3 6 13 Qarabag FK 3 1 6 14 Galatasaray 3 -1 6 15 Tottenham Hotspur 3 1 5 16 PSV 3 2 4 17 Atalanta 3 -3 4 18 Eintracht Frankfurt 4 -4 4 19 Napoli 4 -5 4 20 Marseille 3 2 3 21 Atletico Madrid 3 -1 3 22 Club Brugge 3 -2 3 23 Athletic Bilbao 3 -3 3 24 Union Saint Gilloise 3 -6 3 25 Juventus 3 -1 2 26 Bodo/Glimt 3 -2 2 27 Monaco 3 -3 2 28 AE Pafos 3 -4 2 29 Bayer Leverkusen 3 -5 2 30 Slavia Prague 4 -6 2 31 Villarreal 3 -3 1 32 Copenhagen 3 -4 1 33 Olympiacos 3 -7 1 34 FC Kairat 3 -8 1 35 Benfica 3 -5 0 36 Ajax 3 -10 0 7.52pm GMT Speaking of Copenhagen, that is where Youssoufa Moukoko now plies his trade. The former Dortmund wonderkid was the Champions League’s youngest ever player, until about 20 minutes ago. Related: Tottenham v Copenhagen, PSG v Bayern Munich, and more: Champions League – live 7.50pm GMT Rob Smyth is on hand for the clockwatch, featuring PSG v Bayern Munich and Tottenham v Copenhagen. Related: Tottenham v Copenhagen, PSG v Bayern Munich, and more: Champions League – live 7.48pm GMT It finished Napoli 0-0 Eintracht Frankfurt in tonight’s other early game. Next up: Liverpool v Real Madrid with Scott Murray … Related: Liverpool v Real Madrid: Champions League – live 7.46pm GMT Stick around – we’ll try to get reaction from Mikel Arteta, Mikel Merino or Max Dowman’s maths teacher. Whoever’s available. 7.44pm GMT Full time: Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal A very satisfactory night’s work for Arsenal, who make it four wins from four in the Champions League and match a 122-year-old club record with an eighth straight clean sheet. Mikel Merino scored twice in the makeshift centre-forward spot, Bukayo Saka was excellent and Max Dowman making history was the icing on the cake. 7.44pm GMT 95 mins: Slavia finally get a shot on target as Mbodji curls an effort that’s straight at David Raya. He’s then booked for scuffling with Gabriel, who he felt had fouled him as he shaped to shoot. 7.43pm GMT 94 mins: Slavia Prague win a late corner, and a final chance to put a dent in Arsenal’s evening. Nope – substitute Annous heads clear. 7.40pm GMT 92 mins: Mbodji tries to bend a cross in to the far post, but Raya claims it. No shots on target conceded by Arsenal tonight. 7.39pm GMT 90 mins: Five minutes of injury time. 7.39pm GMT 89 mins: Time ticking down, the spiciest action happening in the stands where several hundred Slavia ultras are stripped to the waist. It’s a brisk seven degrees Centigrade in Prague tonight. 7.36pm GMT No penalty! It was a pretty daft decision really, and the referee doesn’t need too many looks before he sheepishly jogs back on and reverses his decision. Maybe he just wanted to spice things up!* *I am in no way implying he gave a penalty just to spice things up Updated at 7.41pm GMT 7.34pm GMT Slavia Prague penalty? Well then! White is penalised for a high boot on Provod in the area, and Arsenal’s run without conceding is at serious risk now. That said, replays show both players raising a boot simultaneously – and referee Aliyar Aghayev is called to the monitor. 7.32pm GMT 83 mins: Substitute Doudera is booked for dissent, not too long after coming on. 7.31pm GMT 82 mins: Not much time for Slavia Prague to break Arsenal’s run of clean sheets, in a game that’s been very stop-start with all the recent substitutions. 7.29pm GMT 79 mins: Saka takes the free kick but balloons it beyond the goal. Another youngster is coming on for Arsenal – Andre Harriman Annous, a comparatively creaky 17-year-old, replacing Declan Rice. 7.27pm GMT 78 mins: Dowman is quickly involved, drawing a free kick from Mbodji. Perhaps the Slavia man has heard that Dowman was born on New Year’s Eve 2009, and simply lashed out. 7.25pm GMT 76 mins: Nørgaard goes into the book for a foul on Sadilek. Saka is shifting out to the left, to allow Dowman to play on his favoured right side. 7.23pm GMT 74 mins: Moses and Sanyang, two of Slavia’s better performers tonight, are replaced by defender Daiki Hashioka and forward Vasil Kusej. 7.22pm GMT Max Dowman makes Champions League history Trossard, who looked to be struggling slightly, is replaced by Max Dowman. The 15-year-old becomes the youngest-ever Champions League player! Timber and Hincapie are also coming off, replaced by Ben White and Myles Lewis-Skelly. Updated at 7.28pm GMT 7.19pm GMT 70 mins: Zafeiris is the first Slavia Prague player in the book, for a shove under a high ball. That’s the end of Zafeiris’ night – he’s replaced by Muhammed Cham, with David Doudera on for Vlcek. 7.17pm GMT Declan Rice plays a hopeful long ball towards Merino, and as Markovic charges off his line to try and scoop it up, the ball hits the back of Merino’s head, goes through the keeper’s arms, and bobbles apologetically into the net. They all count! 7.17pm GMT GOAL! Sparta Prague 0-3 Arsenal (Merino 68') A third Arsenal goal, pretty much from nowhere – and a second for Mikel Merino, thanks in part to some reckless goalkeeping. Updated at 7.20pm GMT 7.15pm GMT 66 mins: Raya takes too long on the ball and his clearance is closed down by Provod – but the keeper recovers to grab the loose ball. Arsenal losing their run of clean sheets in that fashion would have been objectively funny. 7.13pm GMT 64 mins: Eze is on for Nwaneri, who was on a yellow card. By the way, Arsenal are top of the league standings as it stands – and could stay there with PSG facing Bayern and Real Madrid at Anfield tonight. 7.12pm GMT 63 mins: Saka pops back up on the right and takes on Mbodji, whose eventual clearance is mopped up by Saliba. He plays it left to Timber, who fancies a run through midfield, and almost breaks into the area. 7.11pm GMT 62 mins: A first Arsenal change coming up, with Eberechi Eze coming on. Saka holds the ball up well, but Arsenal can’t quite find the killer ball to open up the hosts’ defence. 7.09pm GMT 60 mins: The best opening for Slavia so far, but snuffed out by Gabriel. Slavia found space behind and Sanyang swept the ball across goal towards Chytil – but despite being behind his man, Gabriel manages to lever him off the ball legally. 7.08pm GMT 59 mins: At one end, Saka latches on to Rice’s cross and gets a shot away under pressure, but Markovic is right behind it. At the other end … 7.07pm GMT 58 mins: Sadilek slips as he takes the corner, ballooning the ball towards the edge of the area (and perhaps piquing the interest of set-piece coaches across Europe). Arsenal are able to clear it away. 7.05pm GMT 57 mins: The lively Sanyang topples over close to the corner flag, with the referee ruling that Timber tugged on his arm. Slavia free kick, swept towards the far post and behind for a corner off Hincapie. 7.04pm GMT 56 mins: Norgaard, who’s slotted neatly into the Arsenal midfield, stretches out a leg to cut out a diagonal pass. 7.02pm GMT 54 mins: Slavia win a corner, but one of their number is whistled for a foul. Hard to tell who, could have been two or three of them. 7.01pm GMT 53 mins: At the other end, Sanyang cuts in from the byline and looks for Zafeiris – and with Saliba also closing in, Saka gets back to make the challenge. 7.00pm GMT 52 mins: Markovic has to race out and head a long ball away; it falls to Norgaard who thinks about lobbing it straight back at goal, but tries to take a touch and is dispossessed. 6.58pm GMT 50 mins: Zafeiris goes through the back of Merino, then remonstrates with the referee after he’s penalised. It’s become a frustrating night for the hosts. 6.57pm GMT 48 mins: Chory hobbles off, replaced by another striker in the shape of Mojmir Chytil. 6.56pm GMT It’s a simple but effective setup, Rice sweeping the ball left to Trossard, who finds Merino unmarked between two centre-backs. He takes it beautifully, cushioning a volley inside the near post to pretty much wrap this game up. 6.55pm GMT GOAL! Slavia Prague 0-2 Arsenal (Merino 46') And within seconds, Arsenal double their lead through emergency striker Mikel Merino! Updated at 7.02pm GMT 6.54pm GMT Second half We’re back under way … 6.53pm GMT Meanwhile, Scott Murray covers the Trent Alexander-Arnold derby between Liverpool and Real Madrid. Related: Liverpool v Real Madrid: Champions League – live 6.52pm GMT In the other early kick-off, it’s Napoli 0-0 Eintracht Frankfurt at half-time. Woo! Rob Smyth is on clockwatch duty for the later games … Related: Tottenham v Copenhagen, PSG v Bayern Munich, and more: Champions League – live 6.42pm GMT “Even as an Arsenal supporter, I’m embarrassed by that ludicrous penalty decision,” writes Charles Antaki. “But Saka has scored it, so that’s great. Both things can, as they say, be true at the same time.” 6.42pm GMT On the penalty: it feels like a decision that might not be given in the Premier League, and the rules state that “a handball offence is not committed when a player heads, kicks or plays the ball with another part of their body and it then hits their own hand/arm.” Champions League referees are more likely to weigh up the high arm as more significant than the slight deflection off Provod’s head. It’s a soft penalty, but not a baffling one. What we can all agree on, though, is that parsing handball rules during an MBM is a lot of fun. 6.38pm GMT Half time: Slavia Prague 0-1 Arsenal Bukayo Saka’s penalty has Arsenal in front after a bruising first half – and their goal remains unbreached, too, with Slavia offering a lot of intensity but not truly testing David Raya yet. 6.37pm GMT 50 mins: Hincapie and Chory tussle under the high ball, and there’s a big appeal for handball as Hincapie ends up on the deck. The referee gives Arsenal a free kick, leading to a bit of pushing and shoving between both sets of players. Replays show it was a fair decision. Updated at 6.42pm GMT 6.36pm GMT 49 mins: Saliba is penalised for bringing Provod down in midfield, but escapes a yellow card. Slavia will heave it in … 6.35pm GMT 48 mins: Arsenal stroke the ball around without much intent, before Nwaneri attempts a pass that’s too far from Rice and too short for Trossard. 6.33pm GMT 46 mins: Arsenal doing a good job of holding their hosts at arms’ length now. Slavia look a bit weary from their first-half endeavours. 6.31pm GMT 44 mins: The attacking opportunity goes to waste, Zafeiris sending a half-volley spinning high over the bar. There’ll be four minutes of injury time. 6.29pm GMT 42 mins: Sanyang steers a cross towards Moses, cutting in from the right, and Gabriel has to clear for a corner. A late chance for Slavia to breach Arsenal’s defences in the first half … 6.27pm GMT 39 mins: Saka wins a corner, but Slavia’s defenders see it off. He then goes down under Mbodji’s challenge in the corner of the area, and is slow getting up. 6.24pm GMT 36 mins: Merino goes into the book for a foul on Sanyang. Moments later, the Slavia winger threatens to get on to a long ball but had drifted a yard past the Arsenal back line. Updated at 6.31pm GMT 6.21pm GMT 33 mins: Provod protested that the ball hit his head and deflected on to his hand, but his appeals are waved away. It’s still not entirely clear from a couple of replays whether his head touched the ball before hitting his hand. Updated at 6.26pm GMT 6.18pm GMT GOAL! Slavia Prague 0-1 Arsenal (Saka penalty 31') Bukayo Saka steps up and strokes the ball beyond Markovic, who goes the right way but can’t keep it out. A welcome breakthrough for Arsenal after a tough opening half-hour. Updated at 6.24pm GMT 6.17pm GMT VAR penalty review: The referee is now being asked to check a potential handball from Lukas Provod – and replays show the Slavia captain had his hand raised above his shoulder, and the ball flicked onto it. This is going to be a penalty. 6.15pm GMT 28 mins: The referee addresses some pre-corner jostling before Saka’s ball in, which so nearly finds Gabriel’s head. It flicks off Provod instead, for another corner. 6.13pm GMT 27 mins: Nwaneri tees up Saka, who cuts on to his left foot and tries to sneak a shot inside the near post. Markovic does well to get down and tip the ball behind. 6.12pm GMT 25 mins: The next corner is swirled towards the back post, and eventually headed acrobatically behind by Chaloupek. 6.11pm GMT 24 mins: Saka is starting to make an impact, and sees a near-post shot deflected behind. Rice’s corner is whipped towards Trossard, with Markovic juggling it behind. 6.09pm GMT 22 mins: The banner reads ‘133 LET’ – it’s to mark the club’s 133rd anniversary, it seems. Nwaneri is the first player booked for bringing Sanyang down; he may not be the last. 6.08pm GMT 20 mins: The home fans, very loud ever since kick-off, unfurl a giant tifo behind Markovic’s goal. Big fan of such casual banner work, like playing your biggest hit halfway through a festival set. 6.06pm GMT 19 mins: Saka gets into space with Timber on the overlap, uses him by not using him, and fires a decent shot on goal that Markovic gets down to paw away from danger. 6.05pm GMT 17 mins: There’s a break in play while Gabriel gets treatment from the latest agricultural challenge delivered by a Slavia player. Updated at 6.08pm GMT 6.02pm GMT 15 mins: It doesn’t really come to anything, with Slavia sharper to react in the 50-50 challenges and seize on loose balls so far. 6.01pm GMT 13 mins: Mbodji is penalised for a clumsy foul on Merino, presenting Arsenal with a free kick some 35 yards from goal. 5.59pm GMT 11 mins: Some technical difficulties on the TV feed mean that Sam Matterface’s commentary is echoing in the mobile phone style. Arsenal dealt with a couple of throw-ins and are now trying to play their way around the hosts’ aggressive pressing. 5.56pm GMT 10 mins: Moses wins the ball and plays it down the right flank for Sanyang, who is dealt with by Hincapie at the expense of a throw-in. 5.55pm GMT 8 mins: David Moses is penalised for pressing a little too keenly, allowing Arsenal a chance to regroup. The hosts are certainly applying some early pressure. 5.53pm GMT 7 mins: After a spot of head tennis in midfield, Mbodji has a go from 30-odd yards, which flies wide of David Raya’s goal. 5.52pm GMT 4 mins: Another opening for the hosts, with Sanyang’s shot blocked and Raya springing to his left to palm away Chory’s effort on the rebound … but the Slavia striker was offside anyway. 5.50pm GMT 2 mins: The ball ricochets out to Gabriel, on the edge of the area, whose strike from an awkward angle flies just over the bar. Slavia Prague then break upfield, and Provod sends a low shot wide of the far post. A lively start … 5.47pm GMT Peep! We’re under way, and Arsenal have an early chance to heave a throw-in into the box … Updated at 5.48pm GMT 5.33pm GMT Slavia Prague have gone five games without conceding – three in the Czech league, one in the Cup and a goalless draw at Atalanta in the Champions League. Something has to give tonight – or not, as the case may be. 5.29pm GMT Mikel Arteta: “[Slavia] usually press high, man-to-man, so we’ll need different attributes. Very intense and direct, they’ll make it uncomfortable [Merino] is learning the position, he scored goals last season … we need people to adapt with the injuries we have. Ethan [Nwaneri] deserves a start, he is getting better and better.” 5.25pm GMT A vision of football’s future, from David Squires. Related: David Squires on … George of the Generic and the future of football 5.20pm GMT No Viktor Gyökeres tonight for Arsenal – the striker suffered a muscle injury in the win over Burnley, so Mikel Merino will reprise his role as a stand-in centre-forward. There are three further changes from Saturday’s line-up, with Piero Hincapie in for Riccardo Calafiori at left-back. Christian Nørgaard and Ethan Nwaneri replace Eberechi Eze and the suspended Martín Zubimendi in midfield. 5.07pm GMT Team news Slavia Prague (3-4-3): Markovic; Vlcek, Chaloupek, Zima; Moses, Zafeiris, Sadilek, Mbodji; Provod, Chory, Sanyang.Subs: Stanek, Rezek, Saracevic, Hashioka, Kusej, Chytil, Boril, Doudera, Toula, Prekop, Jelinek, Kolisek. Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Norgaard, Rice, Nwaneri; Saka, Merino, Trossard.Subs: Setford, Mosquera, White, Eze, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman, Harriman-Annous, Rojas, Sagoe Junior. Updated at 5.14pm GMT 4.30pm GMT Preamble Since losing at Anfield on the last day of August, Arsenal have won 10 out of 11 games in all competitions. They’ve won their last eight matches on the bounce, and their last seven wins have come without conceding a single goal. The last time they achieved eight clean sheets in a row, in 1903, Arsenal were a second-tier side based in Woolwich. Standing in the way of history tonight are Slavia Prague, who sit 28th on the big Champions League ladder with two points and two goals in three games; their visitors are in third place with three wins from three (and no goals conceded, naturally). The Czech champions are also pretty solid defensively, conceding eight goals in 14 games during an unbeaten start to their league campaign. Look, I’ve been in the live blogging game for a few years now, and I can’t recall many conclusions as foregone as this one: Arsenal are surely destined to win this game two- or three-nil, rarely venturing out of second gear before a tougher run of fixtures – Sunderland (A), Spurs (H), Bayern (H) and Chelsea (A) – further tests their resolve. Still, this is football and you can never be certain. Any given Tuesday (early) evening, and all of that. Kick-off at the Eden Arena is at 5.45pm GMT; team news to follow.