Strikers Viktor Gyokeres and Erling Haaland both came up clutch for Arsenal and Man City in the Champions League on Wednesday – a night that initially seemed grim for the Premier League frontrunners.
Arsenal, who struggled in the second half against Slavia Prague, managed to hold onto a 2-0 lead until conceding late. The game ended 2-1, with Gyokeres grabbing Arsenal’s second.
For Man City, Haaland buried the hopes of his former side RB Leipzig, who fought hard for a statement Champions League scalp, but the Norwegian had other ideas.
Haaland’s 78th-minute tap-in secured a 3-2 away victory for Man City.
‘Two very different halves’
“Obviously we need to value that winning away in the Champions League is extremely difficult,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told TNT Sports.
“We knew that – and we knew the players and the opponent that we had in front of us.
“Two very different halves, the first one we played a really high level – exceptional at times, I would say. The scoreline should have reflected three or four goals. We didn’t do it.
“And at half-time, I told them that they [Slavia] are a team with huge spirit, they will keep running and keep believing. They will become more chaotic,” Arteta added.
“We didn’t control that at all, right from the beginning.”
High level of performance needed
“Not sure how many touches I had today, not the most but what is the most important is that I managed to help the team to win,” Haaland said after the game, reflecting on his side’s hit-and-miss display.
“I think we need to step up a bit. When we were 1-0 up I think we needed to go at it, go for the second goal and then the third – that’s what we have to do.
“We have to work on that.”
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