Arsenal March On Without Gyo

There's something quietly terrifying about an Arsenal side that doesn't even flinch when their star striker is out.

Mikel Merino, playing as an emergency No. 9, scored twice in the Czech capital to make it four wins out of four in the Champions League — and in doing so, helped us equal a club record that's older than the lightbulb in the Marble Halls: eight consecutive clean sheets, dating back to 1903.

⚔ EARLY STORMS, CALM BRAINS

If anyone thought the trip to Prague would be a walk in Letná Park, they hadn't read the script.

The hosts came charging out like a Sparta army reborn — firing off four efforts in the first ten minutes, all of them thankfully more "pub football" than "Prague precision."

Gabriel, our rock, nearly stole an early lead with a hooked volley that whistled past the post — and from that moment on, he and his Brazilian backbone partner shut the door on anything resembling Czech optimism.

💥 SAKA STRIKES FIRST (AGAIN)

Bukayo Saka decided it was time to move from probing runs to punishment.

After Gabriel's header hit a stray arm, VAR had its little moment of theatre — and up stepped Saka, as cool as you like, rolling his penalty low into the corner.

That made it 12 Champions League goals from just 20 starts, a record any wide player would be proud of. It's frightening how inevitable he looks now — like a student who's figured out every teacher's marking scheme.

⚡ MERINO'S MOMENT

Then came the Spanish encore.

Just 35 seconds into the second half, Christian Nørgaard snapped into a tackle, Declan Rice drove forward like a midfield locomotive, and Leandro Trossard's whipped cross found Merino ghosting between two defenders.

Bang. Volley. 2–0.

And because one wasn't enough, twenty minutes later Rice turned supplier again, floating one in for Merino to nod home after the keeper flapped helplessly at thin air.

That's 18 goals this calendar year for Merino — not bad for a man who supposedly plays midfield.

👶 DOWMAN'S DREAM

Then came a moment that'll make every Hale End parent puff their chest out:

Max Dowman, aged 15 years and 308 days, became the youngest player in Champions League history when he came on for the final 20 minutes.

He even shared the stage with another academy gem, Andre Harriman-Annous, as Arteta gave the next generation their night under the floodlights.

The only late drama came from VAR again, overturning a penalty against Ben White. Not that it mattered — by then, Arsenal's defence looked carved out of granite and good habits.

🧱 CLEAN SHEETS, CLEAN CONSCIENCE

Eight clean sheets on the spin. A stat that echoes back to the days before television, before the Emirates, before Arsenal were even The Arsenal.

Arteta's side are now defending like a team that knows history is watching — and scoring like one that doesn't care who's missing.

🗓 WHAT'S NEXT

We head north again on Saturday, this time to Sunderland, a side rediscovering their roar. Then comes the small matter of Bayern Munich at home after the international break — a proper European test, and one the Gunners look ready for.

Verdict:

The clean-sheet run might date back to Edwardian times, but this Arsenal is pure modern engineering:

clinical, composed, and quietly ruthless.

Merino up top? Dowman in the history books?

This isn't rotation — it's evolution.