Mikel Arteta left unhappy with Arsenal's 'sloppy' Champions League win

Mikel Arteta conceded Arsenal made things far too difficult for themselves despite securing anarrow 2-1 Champions League victory over Slavia Prague. Noni Madueke gave them an early lead after nine minutes, and a stylish second goal from Victor Gyokeres before half-time should have ensured a routine victory.

However, Arsenal appeared to tire after the break, with Gabriel twice having to clear headers off the goal-line before David Raya made a stunning save from Oskar Kubiak. Their clean sheet vanished when Wiktor Nowak converted David Jurasek's cross in the final minute, leaving them hanging on throughout stoppage time.

While a third victory in four matches lifted Arsenal to third in the table, Arteta was displeased by what he saw in the second half. "Two very different halves," he told TNT Sports.

"The first one, I think we played at a really high level, exceptional at times. The scoreline should have reflected three or four goals.

Noni Madueke scored the opener (Mike Egerton/PA) We didn't do it and at half-time I told them it's a team with a huge spirit. They will keep running, they will keep believing, they will become even more chaotic.

And we didn't control that at all, right from the beginning. The second half we were on the back foot, very sloppy.

We gave so many balls away, so many bad clearances, we didn't keep the ball or the structure at all. Then you have to suffer because the teams in the Champions League are really good, so there's a lot to learn.

Raya admitted Arsenal were caught by surprise by their opponents' intensity in the second half. I think in the first half we played really, really well," he told TNT Sports.

"We dominated the whole game, creating a lot of chances. I think we could have scored a few more goals."