Mikel Merino showed his makeshift striker skills once again in place of the injured Viktor Gyokeres as his double sent Arsenal top of the Champions League via a 3-0 win over Slavia Prague.

Gyokeres' injury concerned Mikel Arteta but his woes were eased by the Spaniard striking twice in the second half - on a night when Arsenal also entered the defensive history books.

An eighth clean sheet in a row equals a club record for consecutive shutouts set in the 1903/04 season, while this Arsenal team have become the first English side to win their first four games in this competition without conceding since Leeds United in the 1969-70 European Cup.

Those records were under threat in the early stages of a raucous atmosphere. Arsenal were sloppy in possession as the hosts dominated the opening 20 minutes, with Lukas Provod firing their best chance wide from a good area in the opening exchanges.

But Arsenal slowed down the momentum and stepped onto the game. Bukayo Saka was denied three times by goalkeeper Jakub Markovic - before he eventually got his chance - and it came via a corner.

Image: Bukayo Saka fires Arsenal in...