Arsenal bounced back to winning form with a commanding 3-0 victory over visitors Nottingham Forest on Saturday, in the 12th round of the English Premier League.
Arsenal secured a comfortable 3-0 victory, with Bukayo Saka (15′), Thomas Partey (52′), and Ethan Nwaneri (86′) all finding the back of the net.
The win took Arsenal’s points tally to 22, moving them up to fourth place, level on points with Chelsea but behind on goal difference, while Nottingham Forest remained on 19 points in sixth position.
The Gunners returned to winning ways in the Premier League after a difficult stretch of four matches, which included defeats to Bournemouth and Newcastle, as well as draws against Liverpool and Chelsea.
In the early stages of the match, both teams exchanged periods of control. Nottingham Forest’s full-back Aina made an attacking run and sent in a cross, but Callum Hudson-Odoi failed to make contact in front of goal in the fourth minute.
Arsenal took the lead in the 15th minute when Saka received a pass from Odegaard, drove down the right side, and calmly slotted the ball into the net with his left foot.
In the 22nd minute, a pass from Mikel Merino found Saka on the right, and the England international quickly set up Odegaard, whose shot was blocked by Nottingham Forest’s Milinkovic-Savic.
A well-executed team move in the 26th minute saw the ball reach Gabriel Jesus, but the Arsenal striker’s shot narrowly missed the right post.
In the 39th minute, Saka combined with Jurrien Timber on the right before sending in a shot that was deflected by the defense to Leandro Trossard, whose attempt was saved by goalkeeper Sels.
Sels was called into action again in the 42nd minute when Odegaard made a run into the Nottingham defense, passing to Jesus. The striker’s attempt was blocked by the defense, but Jesus laid it off to Saka, who fired a left-footed shot that Sels managed to save with a brilliant reflex.
The trio of Timber, Saka, and Odegaard continued to impress with their teamwork as the ball was played to Timber inside the Nottingham penalty area, but his shot sailed over the goal, leaving the score 1-0 in Arsenal’s favor at halftime.
At the start of the second half, Arsenal made a change, bringing on Thomas Partey for Jorginho. The Ghanaian midfielder quickly made an impact, doubling Arsenal’s lead in the 52nd minute. Saka provided the assist, and Partey unleashed a powerful long-range shot that found the back of the net.
Nottingham’s coach, Nuno Santo, responded by introducing New Zealand striker Chris Wood in place of Taiwo Awoniyi, hoping to spark his team’s attack. Milinkovic-Savic had a chance in the 63rd minute, but his shot went wide, and Merino followed suit with a similar effort in the 66th minute.
Nottingham continued to press, and in the 76th minute, substitute Neco Williams delivered a cross that found team captain Yates, but his header went over the bar.
Arsenal made a double substitution, bringing on Raheem Sterling and Ethan Nwaneri, with the latter sealing the win in the 86th minute. Nwaneri expertly latched onto a pass from Sterling and slotted the ball into the bottom right corner for Arsenal’s third goal.
In stoppage time, Nottingham thought they had pulled one back when substitute Jota Silva found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside, ensuring Arsenal’s dominant 3-0 victory.
