Viktor Gyokeres has spent most of the season waiting for a night like this.

The Arsenal striker set up Noni Madueke's opener and scored a curling second of his own as the Gunners beat Slavia Prague 2-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday in the Czech capital.

It was one of his best games since arriving in July 2025. Before Wednesday his only goal this season came in a Carabao Cup shootout loss at Fleetwood.

Arteta's verdict

"I thought he was really good," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said Thursday. "He's done it really well, not just for the assist and the goal, but he was really connected to the team. It's really great news for him, because he really needed that performance."

Gyokeres has mostly played behind Kai Havertz this season. He has still been involved in five goals across his last five matches.

"I feel very good," Gyokeres said. "It's my job as a striker and of course I want to contribute every game when I'm on the pitch," he added.

A nervy finish

Madueke scored in the ninth minute and Gyokeres doubled the lead before halftime. Arsenal looked set to cruise.

Slavia pushed hard after the break. Gabriel cleared two headers off the line and David Raya tipped an Oskar Kubiak header onto the post. Wiktor Nowak finally scored in the 90th minute to make stoppage time tense.

"The second half we were on the back foot, very sloppy," Arteta said. "Then you have to suffer because the teams in the Champions League are really good, so there's a lot to learn."

The win was Arsenal's third in four league-phase matches and lifted the Premier League leaders to third in the Champions League table.