Madueke's deflected strike sinks stubborn Forest at City Ground

Credit: Getty Images

Noni Madueke needed just half an hour on the pitch to settle a stalemate that had threatened to run the full 90 minutes. The winger, introduced at half time for a struggling Eberechi Eze, cut inside from the left in the 80th minute and fired goalward, the ball taking a deflection off Jair Cunha before beating Matz Sels for the only goal of the game.

It was a victory built on patience rather than quality. Arsenal finished with just one shot on target all afternoon, a damning statistic against a Nottingham Forest side that had not scored a single goal at the City Ground all season under Oliver Glasner. That run continued, marking the fifth time in all competitions that Glasner's team had failed to find the net in front of their own fans.

A flat first half, a familiar pattern

The opening 45 minutes drifted by with no shots on target from either side. Arsenal dominated possession, with Bruno Guimarães pushing forward early to link with Martin Ødegaard in the No 10 role while Declan Rice sat as the holding midfielder, but the build up lacked any real incision. Forest, set up in a resolute 5-4-1, were content to sit deep and deny easy space.

Liam Delap led the line well for the hosts, winning a free kick just outside the Arsenal box before half time that led to Guimarães going down under an aerial challenge from Nico Williams, prompting Forest supporters to chant “Are you City in disguise?” in protest at perceived gamesmanship. At the other end, Kai Havertz headed over from a well worked Rice free kick, the closest either side came to breaking the deadlock before the break.

Arteta's changes shift the balance

Mikel Arteta's introduction of Madueke at the interval was the first signal that changes were needed, with Eze having failed to make an impact on the left. A triple substitution on 66 minutes, bringing on Jurrien Timber, Mikel Merino and Viktor Gyökeres for Ben White, Guimarães and Havertz, further reshaped the side as Arsenal searched for a breakthrough.

Forest pushed hard after the restart, with Delap continuing to cause problems for Gabriel Magalhães, though the Arsenal centre back generally dealt with the questions asked of him. Ødegaard almost created the opener with a clever pass to send Timber clear down the inside right channel, but Rice lifted the eventual cutback high over the bar.

Glasner's decision to bring on Ibrahim Sangaré for Dan Ndoye backfired when the midfielder was slow to react to a half cleared ball, allowing Rice to find Madueke for the eventual winner. Forest responded with late chances through Chris Wood and Murillo, both off target, before Ezri Konsa produced a crucial block to deny Delap in stoppage time, as reported by The Guardian.

The result moves Arsenal to within three points of Manchester City, who kicked off the weekend six points clear at the top of the Premier League. Arteta's side will look to build on the win as the fixtures continue to come thick and fast.