Mikel Arteta explains why Max Dowman is special after breaking Champions League record

Mikel Arteta praised the composure of Champions League record-breaker Max Dowman as Arsenal secured a comfortable 3-0 win over Slavia Prague.

Arteta introduced Dowman with the match already decided, following Bukayo Saka's first-half penalty and a second-half brace from makeshift striker Mikel Merino.

At 15 years and 308 days old, Dowman's appearance broke the Champions League record previously held by Youssoufa Moukoko at Borussia Dortmund, with Arteta once again offering glowing praise for his young talent.

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"The first ball he gets, he takes people on. He starts to dribble and gets a foul. That is personality, that is courage," the Gunners boss said.

"You cannot teach that - you either have it or you don't. It doesn't matter what his passport says, you throw him in this context and he is able to adapt and have a good performance."

Arteta also hailed two-goal Merino. The Spain international has adjusted to operating as a striker after initially being deployed in that position last season, and has been utilised in the role once more following a worrying muscular injury sustained by Viktor Gyokeres at Burnley.

His second-half double ensured Arsenal maintained their perfect Champions League run with a fourth consecutive victory, matching a club record with an eighth successive clean sheet and extending their winning streak to 10 matches across all competitions.

Arteta said: "It's a joy to have (Mikel). It's his versatility on the pitch, the things that he can do. It's his mindset, it's his leadership, it's the way he is as a person. Today we are missing a lot of attacking players and we have to find different solutions.

"He comes in in the Champions League and scores two goals. You have to invent options. You can always have options if you invent them."

Merino's opener was a textbook striker's finish, converting Leandro Trossard's delivery from the left wing with a composed volley.

"Obviously, Mikel hasn't played there before in his career but we had a good experience of last season and the way he reacted and performed in that position," Arteta added.

"My view was always he had really good timing and capacity to finish in the box, especially one touch.

"And then talking to him and making sure that he plays closer to the box and he identifies the opportunities, the timing, the way he needs to attack the spaces in relation to how they defend the box."

The Gunners absorbed some early pressure before taking the lead when Bukayo Saka confidently converted a 32nd-minute spot-kick, awarded following a referee review for handball against Slavia captain Lukas Provod.

Their sequence of clean sheets looked under threat late in the match when the official initially awarded Slavia a penalty following Ben White's challenge on Provod, only to reverse the decision after a VAR review.

Arteta said: "I wasn't happy at all. I clearly saw that there could never be a penalty, but he made the decision.

"So, yes, well done because (the referee) was really honest. I think, obviously, it's not a penalty. I want to maintain that (record) because I think that gives you something to defend as well and to merit.

"It would have been a bit sloppy to give it away that way."