Arteta praises Gyokeres after Arsenal beat Slavia 2-1

Arsenal beat Slavia Prague 2-1 in Prague to record their third win from four in this season's Champions League, and manager Mikel Arteta spoke to the media in the Czech capital about the performance.

Arteta said the result was hard-earned because winning away from home is difficult. He described a first half played at a high level in terms of intensity, tempo and clarity, but said Arsenal were far from their standards after the break. "We were very efficient - we should have scored three, four or five," he said of the first half.

Arteta said the message at half-time was clear, adding that Slavia's spirit meant they would take any chance they were given. "I take full responsibility for the drop in the second half," he said.

Viktor Gyokeres was a focus of the questions. He scored a goal and provided an assist for Noni Madueke before the break. "I thought he was really good," Arteta said. "It's really great news for him, because he really needed that performance."

Arteta also said David Raya had to show his quality again, "much more than we expected", while Ezri Konsa was taken off because of issues after a heavy run of games. Declan Rice played the full 90 minutes, which Arteta said the game required, adding that Rice had a week to recover before Liverpool.

On Slavia, Arteta said the Czech side were a really good team and had caused Arsenal many problems, with an unbelievable level of spirit and belief.