Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal: Player ratings from Gunners' win in Champions League

Bukayo Saka scored from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time to send Arsenal en route to a 3-0 win over Slavia Prague away from home in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, November 4. Saka wasn't the only star, with stand-in striker of sorts Mikel Merino finding the net twice at the Fortuna Arena.

Injuries at multiple spots meant Arsenal chief Mikel Arteta had to refresh his lineup. He trusted teenager Ethan Nwaneri in the key playmaker role with Martin Odegaard still sidelined, while Merino stood in for Viktor Gyökeres, who can rue injuring his hamstring coming after he was rounding into scoring form during the 2-0 win over Burnley in the Premier League at the weekend.

Merino delivered in relief, deftly turning in a cross from Leandro Trossard barely a minute after the restart. Another goal followed for Merino more than 20 minutes later when the auxiliary no. 9 beat Slavia goalkeeper Jakub Markovic to the ball.

Merino's assurance was matched by Christian Nørgaard's comfort at the base of midfield in place of Martin Zubimendi. Yet, perhaps the most interesting newcomer was Piero Hincapié, who slotted in effortlessly at left-back in front of an intense crowd.

The timing of Merino's goal meant the visitors could play with the handbrake on for most of the second half. Barring a rare nervy moment when substitute Benjamin White appeared to foul Lukáš Provod in the box, only for VAR to overturn the apparent penalty.

The mostly routine performance allowed Arteta to be selective about turning to members of a young and fallow bench, but the gaffer was still able to guarantee a moment of club history when he handed 15-year-old Max Dowman an 18-minute cameo.

Here are the Arsenal player ratings from a professional, mature showing in Europe's premier club competition.

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal player ratings

Goalkeeper & Defenders

David Raya (GK) - 5/10 - There wasn't much to task the man between the sticks for Arsenal, but David Raya stayed strong in dead-ball situations and was smart with his distribution when needed.

Jurrien Timber (RB) - 7/10 - Standard stuff from Timber in the Czech Republic capital. He was solid, savvy, quick and incisive. The Dutchman is fast becoming without equal among his position group across the continent.

William Saliba (CB) - 6/10 - Like Raya, William Saliba was largely unruffled by the hosts. Instead, the ultra-athletic central defender was a model of composure where it counted.

Gabriel Magalhaes (CB) - 6/10 - There was something ironic about Arsenal's most underrated player doing his most important work as a decoy. The Gunners' main threat from set-pieces drew attention to help his team perform a new drill involving Trossard winning a flick or two at the near post. On the few occasions he had to defend, Gabriel was dependability itself.

Piero Hincapié (LB) - 7/10 - He's still in make a good impression mode, so Hincapié wasn't lacking for effort on Champions League duty. The Ecuadorian also wasn't shy about mixing it in physical battles and stayed technically adept on the ball throughout.

Midfielders

Christian Nørgaard (DM) - 7/10 - He was never going to be as accomplished in possession as Zubimendi, but Nørgaard didn't disappoint as a physical presence. The former Brentford man relished the scrap in the middle of the park and stayed strong in the air. Arsenal remained unbreakable with Nørgaard at the base of midfield.

Declan Rice (CM) - 7/10 - Typically creative and accurate in dead-ball situations, Declan Rice was also his usually tireless self covering ground in the engine room. He's now arguably the one player whose mix of technical excellence and formidable running power Arteta's team can least afford to be without.

Ethan Nwaneri (AM) - 5/10 - There's no doubting Nwaneri's natural talents, but an honest appraisal of his performance says the occasion was too much for the 18-year-old. Nwaneri was all industry, but precious little inspiration, with many of his neat turns and stylish touches simply not working as catalysts for chance creation.

Forwards

Bukayo Saka (RW) - 8/10 - Saka threatened, but never quite managed, to shred Slavia, but there was still something impressive about the way he played. It involved an increased range of movement that produced several well-timed, ghosted darts through the middle. Those runs are a sign Saka will modify his game without a fixed target man like Gyökeres in the lineup. Doing so will be just one more reason Saka should be considered a special talent.

Mikel Merino (ST) - 9/10 - Two goals meant Merino finished the night as a match-winner who'd answered an important question for the Gunners. The question could a team that had waited so long for a true striker cope without Gyökeres? Especially with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus still on the shelf. There will be tougher tests than what Slavia offered, but Merino's aerial presence and astute timing in the box offer hope Arsenal won't skip a beat if the converted midfielder has to continue leading the line.

Leandro Trossard (LW) - 8/10 - He teed up Arsenal's second and Merino's first with a finely crafted cross after some impressive acceleration on the left flank, but Trossard also proved his worth as an underrated threat from corners, twice connecting with deliveries from Rice in an unexpected riff on the old Arsenal near-post routine.

Substitutes

• Eberechi Eze - 4/10
• Max Dowman - 5/10
• Myles Lewis-Skelly - 5/10
• Benjamin White - 3/10
• Andre Harriman-Annous - 4/10

Player of the match: Mikel Merino