Arsenal FC did not take advantage of their competitor’s through ball: the Premier League leaders only managed a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening. It was Arsenal’s second consecutive 0-0 draw after the draw against Liverpool the previous week.
As a result, the Gunners missed out on extending their lead in the table to a whopping nine points. Arsenal still comfortably leads the ranking with 50 points, while Manchester City remains on 43 points after the defeat against city rivals United.
Arsenal were the better team in the relegation candidate from Nottingham, but overall they only created a few great chances that went unused. The positive aspect of the draw was that the Londoners extended their run of games without defeat to eleven games.
Martinelli and Gyökeres let go of the lead
“The belief in us grows with every good performance and the high level of consistency we show this season“, Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta was confident before the game in the Midlands. The leaders also put in a decent performance at Forest, although the first good chance belonged to the cheeky hosts: Nicolas Dominguez’s direct shot from close range got stuck on Declan Rice, who was straddling in between (12th).
From here on, Arteta’s team was the team that dominated the ball and the game. Arsenal were able to combine into the penalty area several times, especially via the right side and the agile Noni Madueke. However, the visitors’ best chance came from a set piece: after a corner kick, the ball fell at the feet of Gabriel Martinelli, who missed the 1-0 goal that was actually due in this situation from a tight angle (29′).
Active but unlucky: Noni Madueke on Arsenal’s right wing
Triple change: It’s getting too colorful for Arteta
Striker Viktor Gyökeres also had his big chance when he broke through with a long clearing shot and already thought he was one-on-one with Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels. Central defender Murillo initially miscalculated, but caught up with the Swede and was just able to get his foot between Gyökeres’ shot. At the end of the period, however, Forest pushed Arsenal back into their own half, so that the draw was okay at the half-time whistle.
Arsenal had to come up with something for the second half, but the Gunners’ game didn’t improve at first. Arteta reacted, after bringing on Leandro Trossard at half-time, he decided to make an additional triple change after ten weak minutes for the Londoners: Mikel Merino, Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka were supposed to provide more fire in the attacking game.
Hand penalty for Arsenal? Nottingham is lucky
And indeed, the changes had an effect. The attacks suddenly became more frequent – and significantly more compelling. Sels had to save several times, including the Belgian clearing the ball against Gabriel Jesus in the 70th minute. The Londoners were unlucky when Ola Aina played the ball with his hand in the penalty area just before the goal line, but the referee team did not rate the contact as a criminal offense (81′).
In the exciting final phase, Arsenal pushed Nottingham more and more into the defensive, but Forest defended passionately and, above all, strongly. Sean Dyche’s team kept zero and were able to celebrate an unexpected point in the relegation battle.
Arsenal now against Inter and Man United
For Arsenal, the tight schedule continues with a highlight: in the Champions League, the away game at Inter Milan awaits (Tuesday, 9 p.m.). The top game in the Premier League is against Manchester United next weekend (Sunday, 5:30 p.m.).
