Arsenal beat Slavia 3-0 to go eight games in a row without conceding

PRAGUE :Arsenal equalled a 122-year-old club record of eight successive games in all competitions without conceding a goal as they swept past Slavia Prague 3-0 on Tuesday to go top of the Champions League with four wins out of four.

Mikel Merino, replacing injured striker Viktor Gyokeres, scored twice in the second half after England winger Saka had put the Premier League leaders ahead in the 32nd minute.

Arsenal, who brought on 15-year-old Max Dowman in the second half to become the youngest-ever player in the Champions League, have now also won their last 10 games in a row and looked unstoppable at the Fortuna Arena.

The only threat to the eighth successive clean sheet, and a record dating back to 1903, came late in the game when VAR overruled a penalty decision.

Otherwise goalkeeper David Raya spent much of the match as a spectator, watching Arsenal make light of injury absences with another assured display.

Saka's spot kick, the ball drilled to the bottom corner with Jakub Markovic unable to reach it despite diving the right way,  calmed nerves after an aggressive and high-pressing start by the home side.

The penalty was given, harshly to some onlookers, after Gabriel's header hit Slavia captain Lukas Provod's raised hand and a VAR review confirmed the handball.

Arsenal ended the half with five shots on target, four from Saka, and 63 per cent of the possession.

Merino made it 2-0 on the volley,  36 seconds after the start of the second half, from a cross by the unmarked Leandro Trossard.

The Spanish midfielder then put Arsenal 3-0 ahead in the 68th with a header flicked past goalkeeper Jakub Markovic after Declan Rice lofted the ball into the area.

Trossard came off and was replaced by Dowman, at 15 years and 308 days old