Match Report : Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal. Noni Madueke’s 80th-minute goal gave Arsenal a 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest and kept the pressure on Premier League leaders Manchester City.
Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal was never going to be a walk in the park. Arsenal came to the City Ground six points behind Manchester City.
Forest was well-ordered and combative, with Neco Williams receiving the first yellow card of the afternoon after a rough challenge.
Chances were few and far between, with Kai Havertz heading over the bar. Neither side could find the back of the net before halftime, leaving the game goalless at the break.
Madueke Breaks the Deadlock
Mikel Arteta turned to his bench. Madueke came on in place of Eberechi Eze at the break. In the 66th minute, there was a triple change as Ben White, Havertz and Bruno Guimaraes were replaced by Jurrien Timber, Viktor Gyoerkes and Mikel Merino.
Fourteen minutes later, the new man made his mark. Some neat footwork created the space in which he deposited the ball past Matz Sels with a fabulous finish to score his first goal for the club, with Declan Rice joining in the celebrations.
It proved a crucial intervention, a timely reminder of the depth in Arsenal’s squad.
Forest failed to find an equaliser, and Arsenal hung on.
What It Means
This Arsenal victory sees them leap to 18 points from seven games, lying second, three points behind City.
The Gunners’ win was a tougher game than the table suggests, though, as they drew 0-0 in the same fixture back in January at the City Ground.
Forest, on the other hand, are 18th on five points, perched just above the bottom three.
Arsenal will now turn their attention to Europe as they travel to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.
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