Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest: Gunners get back to winning ways
Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest: Gunners get back to winning ways. Arsenal finally secured their first Premier League victory since early October after beating Nottingham Forest 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners had started to lose significant ground on leaders Liverpool prior to the international break, but took an early lead through Bukayo Saka. They couldn’t initially build on that lead, but a stunner from substitute Thomas Partey shortly after half-time doubled the lead, before one near the end from 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, also off the bench, sealed the result.
The defeat brings to an end a three-game winning run for Forest, who remain in the top six after Aston Villa failed to beat Crystal Palace at Villa Park.
How the game unfolded:
Arsenal desperately needed the break when it came, having gone four Premier League matches without a win, and looked like a different time here as they dominated from the off.
The ball was in the net after only five minutes, Jurrien Timber following up a rebound after Mikel Merino’s headers from blocked on the line VAR intervened and ruled the Spaniard offside. And while Forest had a better spell after that moment, it wasn’t long before Saka brilliantly fired Arsenal in front. The winger combined with Martin Odegaard just inside the box and dribbled along the 18-yard line just long enough to find room for the left-footed shot that he lashed in.
Odegaard and Saka continued to be involved in promising Arsenal attacks, with Gabriel Jesus only narrowly missing the target after one such move midway through the half that also involved Timber.
Forest had goalkeeper Matz Sels to thank for stopping them going further behind before the break, saving well from Leandro Trossard in the closing stages of the first half. An even better stop followed to deny Saka after Odegaard had broken the lines to create the chance.
Home fans at the Emirates didn’t have to wait long after the restart for the second goal. Forest packed the penalty area to squeeze that space, so much so that no one was covering Partey around 25 yards out, allowing Saka to cut it back and the Ghanaian to pick his spot from distance.
Arsenal were cruising by this point, keeping Forest at arm’s length and in control of the game. The downside was that served to lessen the intensity of what they were producing going forward and invited Forest to ask questions, primarily through crosses and set-pieces. Chris Wood came off the bench and Ryan Yates landed a header on top of the net.
Some energy did return towards the end. Partey was unable to replicate his earlier heroics with a second similar attempts, while Nwaneri went close a few moments before actually getting the third goal.
The teenager had been full of energy since coming on and it was really his own work, driving forward through midfield, laying the ball wide to fellow substitute Raheem Sterling and then holding his nerve to sweep in a first-time finish when the cutback came back to him. The goal made him the ninth youngest Premier League goalscorer of all time.
Jota Silva did have the ball in the net for Forest before the end, ruled out by an offside flag. Ultimately, it finished without the visitors registering a single shot on target.
