Nottingham Forest 0-1 Arsenal 

                                                        Madueke 80'

The City Ground hasn’t been so welcoming to Arsenal in recent years; they’ve only won once Trent side since Forest’s return to the Premier League. There’s been some famous FA Cup ties here too as the Reds knocked the Gunners out of the competition as underdogs in both 2018 and 2022. But with Arsenal looking to defend their title, they would need to break this curse.

The hosts were looking to not lose 3 successive games, in a bid to get themselves out of the relegation zone which they slipped into after Saturday’s fixtures. Forest have had 34 shots in their last 2 matches yet have only scored 1 goal. Their attacking stats in terms of shots, big chances and touches in the opposition box are they best they’ve been since their return to the topflight yet they are struggling to find the back of the net, scoring just 5 goals from 10.3 xG; the worst xG difference in the league this season. I know games aren’t based on xG but this just shows that they can get in good areas and create good opportunities, they just aren’t taking them.

Last game week, Glasner returned to Selhurst Park, in the opposition dugout, but couldn’t take the 3 points back as his side lost 3-1. The Austrian named 2 changes from this fixture as Cunha replaced Aina as a more natural centre back and Dominguez replaced Gibbs-White who missed out through injury. This would be a huge miss as the Englishman leads the Premier League ranking for big chances created this campaign. On first viewing of the line-up, I was unsure whether McAtee was playing as one of the 10s and Dominguez was slotting in alongside Schlager, in which case I would’ve played Sangare. However, I think Dominguez had a good game in a position he isn’t used to. He wasn’t creating much going forward but that isn’t his strength and he offered more defensive stability and really worked hard which you need players to do against a side like Arsenal.

As for the visitors, they are going strong so far in the defence of their title, winning all but one of the opening 6 games. Last weekend, they came from behind at home to Leeds to win 2-1. Their confidence would’ve been further boosted as they beat Lille in the Champions League midweek to continue their 100% record in that competition. Arteta named 2 changes from his side’s last topflight game as Guimaraes replaced Lewis-Skelly and Eze came in for Madueke.

As expected, Arsenal dominated the early possession yet they couldn’t really break Forest down in the opening 20 minutes. It was at this point, the hosts actually had the best opening chance of the game which came from almost nowhere. Just inside his half, Calafiori’s pass to Konsa was short allowing Dominguez to pinch it and break towards goal. Munoz made a run to his right which was found by the Argentinian. As Munoz broke into the box, he looked to pull it back across goal but Calafiori blocked the cross. It looked to be going out for a corner but Delap recycled on the byline before passing back to Ndoye in space. The angle was tight but Ndoye shot first time, looking to sneak it in at the near post. However, Raya was alert to the effort, getting down to push it behind.

Despite their dominance from set-pieces last season, the Gunners are actually yet to score from one this season. However, they did come close just a few minutes after Ndoye’s effort. Saka whipped in a corner from the right which was flicked on at the near post by Calafiori. There was a scramble in the box but it fell to Gabriel, 5 yards out, who tried to backheel it into the net. However, it flicked off his own teammate Konsa which allowed Diomande to finally get it clear and his team could breathe a sigh of relief.

There was nothing else left to report on as the clock ticked down on the first half. Neither side registered a shot on target during the entire 45. Was it going to end 0-0 in Nottingham for the third consecutive season?

Forest’s plan to frustrate Arsenal was continuing to pay off as the second half developed and they were even giving it more of a go in an attacking sense yet they couldn’t create anything to show for it. That being said Arsenal were also struggling in front of goal too. However, they had a golden opportunity through Gabriel. Rice’s corner from the left was swung in and met by Gabriel on the edge of the 6 yard box. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t keep it down and it sailed just over the crossbar.

With just 10 minutes to go, the Gunners were waiting on their first shot on target in the match. However, with that much quality, you just need one chance and you can find yourselves ahead. And that’s exactly what happened. Odegaard looked to chip a pass over Cunha for Merino to run onto but the Brazilian telegraphed it and headed clear. However, this only landed as far as Rice who then passed out to Madueke on the left. He drove into the box, cutting it onto his right foot and shooting. Sels seemed to have the effort covered but on route towards goal, the ball deflected off the thigh of Cunha and into the net. This felt so unlucky for Forest who had been compact and resolute for 80 minutes.

In a push for an equaliser, as that’s what his side deserved, Glasner changed formation to a 4 at the back as well as brining on both Hudson-Odoi and Wood. This woke Forest up as they came close to late levellers twice and it was Arsenal who had to put their bodies on the line. Hudson-Odoi tried to find Delap down the left but Timber slid in to intercept the pass and put it out for a throw in. Just like at Liverpool earlier in the season, Delap quickly took the throw in to Hudson-Odoi who had continued his run and had a clear sight of goal, breaking down the wing. The winger saw Wood to more space on his right and rolled the ball across to him. Instead of hitting it first time, Wood took a touch and cut inside before finally lining up his effort. This allowed Rice to get across and make a crucial block.

With just 1 minute of added time remaining, Murillo nearly scored an unbelievable goal on his 100th Premier League appearance. Williams had the ball on the left near the corner flag before passing back to Murillo who had come up and joined him. However, he had both Konsa and Saka in front of him. The Brazilian poked the ball between them before squeezing through the same gap to break into the box. Next up he had Declan Rice to face. He sent the midfielder one way before going the other and looked to curl the ball into the top right corner. Unfortunately, those fans in the Trent End saw it flying towards them instead as it whistled narrowly over. What an ending that would’ve been!  Arsenal held on to the 3 points to win their 15^th match in 18 games, 10 of which have been won by a single goal margin.

Forest’s poor home record continues as they have now won just twice at the City Ground in their 17 matches. It’s not like they’re scoring either as they have netted just 8 times in the Premier League at home in 2026 and are the only team yet to score a topflight goal at home this campaign. However, there were some encouraging signs. The defence against one of the best attacking sides in the league was much more compact and solid and if that is kept up, then more clean sheets will follow. They are creating chances and getting into good areas too, it’s just that final piece of composure when it matters that is letting them down. But when it clicks, it will click and Forest will be unstoppable. There’s no need to panic with 31 games still left when the signs are encouraging.              

Forest: Sels; Murillo, Diomande, Jair Cunha (Wood 85'); Williams, Schlager, McAtee (Hudson-Odoi 85'), Munoz; Dominguez (Sangare 74'), Ndoye (Kalimuendo 73'); Delap 

Arsenal: Raya; Calafiori, Gabriel, Konsa, White (Timber 66'); Rice, Guimaraes (Merino 66'); Eze (Madueke 46'), Odegaard, Saka; Havertz (Gyokeres 66')