Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest: Mikel Arteta's side get back to winning ways as Bukayo Saka stunner helps close the gap to Liverpool
- Saka scored a fine goal in the first half to put Arteta's men ahead in the capital
- Arsenal are now five points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand
- Will Ruben Amorim be Man United's saviour? LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! Available wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes every Monday and Thursday
Crisis over. Arsenal’s four game Premier League winless streak forgotten courtesy of this routine win over Nottingham Forest.
Their nine point gap to leaders Liverpool, at least until Sunday afternoon when Arne Slot’ side face Southampton, reduced to six.
Not an optimal position but after their recent stutter that had all and sundry questioning their title credentials - it’s a step towards righting some wrongs.
Whether Arsenal’s blip has caused irreparable damage to Mikel Arteta’s hopes of wresting the title away from Manchester City will become clearer in the fullness of time.
But it’s a start at least, as Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey and Ethan Nwaneri ensured the Gunners avoided another weekend of peril.
‘Really happy, I sensed a great energy in the last 48 hours to change the situation, to change what has been a different period for us,’ said Arteta.
Arsenal got back to winning ways against Nottingham Forest at the Emirates on Saturday
17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri (pictured) scored his first Premier League goal, coming off bench
Mikel Arteta's side have closed to gap to Liverpool - who play on Sunday - to just six points
‘There was an enthusiasm and energy about it, total effort.’
Forest’s excellent start to the season has come unstuck of late; this their second straight Premier League reversal.
Arsenal, with gears to spare, were far too good for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team. You dread to think the outcome had Arsenal put their foot down.
‘Not a good performance, not a bad one, but we did a lot of bad things,’ said Santo.
‘In two games we conceded six goals and we should be worried about that. We need to put it right this week.’
The opener arrived 15 minutes in, Saka receiving the deftest of passes from Martin Odegaard before blasting a powerful effort past Mats Selz.
The ball had whipped above and beyond the Forest keeper before he could blink. Unerring venom.
Yet the contribution of Odegaard shouldn’t be underestimated. What a beautiful footballer he is to watch.
Nwaneri was mobbed by his team-mates after scoring the third goal of the game in the capital
Bukayo Saka had opened the scoring with a fine finish to ease any potential early nerves
The guy that makes Arsenal tick; the Gunners a shadow of their usual themselves without him.
They may sound an exaggeration. Perhaps, it is. It’s unfair, too, on the supremely talented players around him.
But every team needs an edge. Odegaard is Arsenal’s tip of the sword.
Arsenal were well worth their early advantage here. Leandro Trossard missed his kick in front of goal before Jurrien Timber was denied after the tightest of VAR offside calls when Mikel Merino strayed fractionally offside in nodding down Odegaard’s free-kick inside the opening five minutes.
Forest weren’t without their moments. Callum Hudson-Odoi struck thin air when presented with the whites of David Raya’s eyes early on before Ryan Yates headed over the bar in the 25th minute.
But, by and large, this was a game played to Arsenal’s tune. Jorginho, deputising for Declan Rice - named on the bench as he recovers from a broken toe - arced an effort marginally wide after penetrating work involving Saka, Timber and Gabriel Jesus down the right.
When Jorginho eventually hit the target, he was stopped by a smart save from Sels before the Forest keeper denied Saka.
Arsenal had created enough to have this game out of sight by half-time
Indeed, you felt the anxiety overcome the natives here at the Emirates every time Forest, albeit infrequently, thrust forward.
Nottingham Forest have now lost back-to-back games following a good start to the season
Arsenal, meanwhile, are finally back to winning ways and now ready to look to the future
Four without a league win can have that affect. Having moved within touching distance of dethroning Manchester City, a season without genuine title challenge would be viewed as abject failure round these parts.
The very fact Forest were level on points with the Gunners heading into this game illustrated their early season issues - but it would be nonsensical to write them off just yet.
Arteta replaced Jorginho with Thomas Partey to protect the Italian from a second yellow card at half-time, while Forest made a change of their own in bringing on Jota Silva for Anthony Elanga - who suffered an injury.
Partey’s impact was immediate, collecting the ball around 22 yards out before unleashing a right-foot bullet that flew past Sels to double Arsenal’s advantage in the 52nd minute.
Amid Arsenal’s struggles, the re-emergence of Partey’s influence has largely gone unnoticed.
For Partey there’s been reason for personal optimism, the injury troubles that have dogged his Arsenal career appear to be behind him.
You wonder what Forest’s top scorer Chris Wood made of it all as he sat on the bench.
The 14-goal striker has spent the last few days jetting between Nottingham, New Zealand and Samoa on international duty.
Santo, who was also without out Morgan Gibbs-White through injury, didn’t want to take the risk. As Partey’s goal rippled Sels net, you wonder if the Portuguese coach wished he’d gambled.
The Forest head coach eventually threw Wood on in the 63rd minute but the change made no odds as Gunners rookie Ethan Nwaneri slotted home fellow substitute Raheem Sterling’s cut-back late on to put a fairer complexion to the scoreline.
