After a routine 2-0 victory over Burnley at the weekend, The Gunners cruised to another 3 points against Slavia Prague in the Champions League. Arsenal kept up their perfect start in the Champions League and have now won their opening four games on the European stage in what is an incredible start so far.
However, their win over Slavia did not come without controversy, as Slavia captain Lukas Provod ripped into what he thought was time-wasting from Arteta’s side throughout the game.
“Arsenal prepare for set-pieces for a long time, we knew that,” Provod said afterwards.
“When they were leading, they didn’t rush anywhere, the referee didn’t rush them. I guess that’s a compliment for us too.”
The captain also spoke on Arsenal’s penalty which Bukayo Saka fired home in the first half, which he says should not have stood.
"I was in charge of Gabriel, which is a tough one, so I was 100 per cent focused on defending him. The ball went from his head to my head and then into my hand.
“I prayed that VAR wouldn’t rule it out, which rarely happens. I don’t know exactly what the rule is when the ball goes from my head to my hand. Unfortunately, it was a penalty. In the first situation, he (the referee) told me that it went from Gabriel’s head to my hand. Which wasn’t true."
Arsenal have so far beaten Athletic Bilbao, Olympiacos and Atletico Madrid, and Slavia Prague without so much as conceding a goal. Their campaign has been impressive so far, but Provod’s comments be taken seriously by officials, who could be taking a closer look at the team’s apparent time-wasting.