Noni Madueke’s late goal gave Arsenal a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest on Sunday, although the champions were well below their best at the City Ground. The result moved Mikel Arteta’s side to within three points of Premier League leaders Manchester City, who had beaten Ipswich 3-2 the previous day.
Arsenal did not register a shot on target until Madueke struck 10 minutes from full time. His effort cut in from the left, took a heavy deflection off Forest’s Jair Cunha and flashed past goalkeeper Matz Sels in the 80th minute.
A scrappy display in the East Midlands
The performance was far from polished. Arsenal struggled to find any rhythm in a tepid first half, and Arteta was visibly frustrated on the touchline as it petered out. Bukayo Saka’s cross forced Sels to claw the ball from under his crossbar, while Dan Ndoye tested David Raya after a run to the far post.
Kai Havertz fired into the side-netting from a tight angle, one of the rare threats from the visitors before the break. Eberechi Eze was replaced by Madueke at half-time, but there was no immediate improvement. Forest striker Liam Delap then drilled just wide after a rampaging run.
Arteta’s changes and Arsenal’s missed chances
Arsenal were too slow in possession and lacked penetration going forward, so Arteta brought on Mikel Merino, Viktor Gyokeres and Jurrien Timber in search of a revival. Bruno Guimaraes was among the players taken off after an underwhelming display in only his second league start since his summer move from Newcastle.
Gabriel Magalhaes headed over from a Declan Rice corner, and Delap could not find the accuracy to beat Raya. Odegaard picked out Timber, who set up Rice inside the box, but the midfielder’s shot ballooned over. It was the first time since 2023 that Arsenal had failed to have a shot on target in the first 70 minutes of a Premier League match. Murillo also went close late on for Forest, but his rocket whistled over the bar.
Form and fixtures ahead for both sides
Arsenal have bounced back from a 3-0 loss at Brighton on September 19 with three successive victories, and this was their sixth win in seven league matches. Their earlier wins included Leeds in the Premier League and Lille in the Champions League. The north Londoners have not regained the relentless consistency that brought them their first title in 22 years last season, but they still have a knack for grinding out results.
Arsenal face Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday and host Everton in the top flight the following weekend. Forest, third from bottom, have won only twice at home in their last 17 league games. Glasner has managed just one victory in seven top-flight matches since taking charge in the close season.
