Top News

Arsenal were awarded a first-half penalty in their clash against Slavia Prague following a swift VAR intervention.

The Slavia players had been preparing to defend a corner when referee Aliyar Aghayev stopped play after being advised to check a potential handball from the previous delivery. Interestingly, none of the Arsenal players had appealed for it at the time.

Replays showed the ball appearing to strike Prague captain Lukas Provod’s hand after the 29-year-old misjudged his header.

Following a brief review at the monitor, Aghayev pointed to the spot, with UEFA explaining: “Slavia Praha’s player No17 touched the ball with his left hand, which was in an unnatural position above the shoulder and making his body bigger.”

Provod protested the call, insisting the ball had deflected off his head first - which, under the current rules, would not constitute a handball - but the decision stood.

Bukayo Saka calmly converted the resulting penalty, slotting into the bottom right corner beyond Jakub Markovic’s dive.

The VAR check was completed in impressively quick fashion compared to those in the Premier League, where the longest review has stretched to over five minutes. Referee Aghayev only had to see one replay before turning around and making his decision.

If Arsenal are able to keep a clean sheet tonight, they will match a club record that is over 100 years old. Between April and October 1903, the Gunners' kept eight consecutive clean sheets in all competitions.

A victory will also take Mikel Arteta's side to the top of the Champions League table ahead of this evening's kick-offs.

Arsenal went into today's match as one of just five sides in the competition to have won all their opening matches. The others are PSG, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

Although Arsenal were poised as favourites against Slavia Prague, Arteta's squad took a hit with star striker Viktor Gyokeres unavailable for selection due to injury.

Martin Odegaard also wasn't available to play with the Arsenal skipper recovering from a knee injury he suffered in early October. Arteta could also not pick Martin Zubimendi with the Spanish midfielder suspended after picking up three yellow cards in the Champions League.

Saka's penalty goal was his fifth goal for Arsenal this season. The 24-year-old managed 14-goals last season despite suffering a hamstring injury that saw him miss 99 days worth of football.

His best season in an Arsenal shirt came in the 2023/24 season where he netted 20 goals and bagged 14 assists.

READ MORE: How to watch Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid for FREE with TV channel and live stream details