Arsenal defeated Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Tuesday night, but the Czech side’s captain accused the Premier League side of allowing the referee to waste time.
Slavia Prague captain Lukas Provod claimed he was wasting time during Arsenal’s win in the Czech Republic, but in the end he took it as a compliment.
The Gunners continued their perfect start to the Champions League, winning their opening four games on the European stage. Bukayo Saka scored the first goal of the match, followed by Mikel Merino’s second goal in the second half.
In the process, Arsenal recorded their eighth clean sheet on the bounce, equaling the club record set in 1903, but their tactics did not go unnoticed by their opponents, who claimed they were trying to cut down on time.
Provod suggested the Premier League side were taking longer than necessary on set-pieces, but the referee was happy to allow it.
He said: “Arsenal have been preparing for set-pieces for a long time and we knew that. When we were leading they didn’t rush anywhere and neither did the referee. I think that’s a compliment to us as well.”
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Saka’s first goal came from the penalty spot just after the half-hour mark after VAR advised referee Aliyar Agayev to award a spot-kick. Provod was deemed to have handled the ball, but disputed the decision.
“I was in charge of Gabriel and it was a difficult game so I was 100 percent focused on protecting him. The ball went from his head to my head and into my hands. I prayed it wouldn’t be ruled out by VAR, but that rarely happens. I don’t know exactly what the rules were when the ball flew from my head to my hand. Unfortunately, it was a penalty. In the first situation, he (the referee) told me that it was Gabriel’s, which was not true. ”
Arsenal are second in the Champions League group stage, behind Bayern Munich, thanks to goals scored. They are also top of the Premier League with their trophy chances being talked about, with Provost claiming they are arguably the best team on the planet.
“They are one of the best teams in the world, if not the best,” he said. “They have a lot of quality, you can see it in the Premier League and the way they decide games. We didn’t react poorly, but the result was brutal for us. They didn’t produce that much. We were active, our DNA was there.”
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