Arsenal Grind Out 1-0 Win at Nottingham Forest Thanks to Late Madueke Strike
Theo Al Jazeera English
Noni Madueke's 80th-minute goal gave Arsenal a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest, trimming the gap to Premier League leaders Manchester City to three points. Arsenal were far from their best and had no shots on target until the goal, but the victory extends their strong recent run.
Arsenal won 1-0 at Nottingham Forest's City Ground thanks to a late Noni Madueke goal, cutting the gap to leaders Manchester City to three points. It was a match in which Mikel Arteta's side underperformed, registering no shots on target until Madueke scored in the 80th minute.
While the display offered little in the way of conviction, Arsenal can still take satisfaction from keeping pace with Manchester City, who beat Ipswich 3-2 on Saturday. Since a shock 0-3 defeat to Brighton in September, the London club have won three straight: against Leeds in the Premier League, Lille in the Champions League and now Nottingham Forest. It is Arsenal's sixth win in their last seven Premier League matches.
The game at the City Ground was a scrappy, disjointed affair from the visitors' perspective. Bukayo Saka whipped in a cross that forced goalkeeper Matz Sels to push the ball out from under his crossbar, but Arsenal could not sustain their attacking rhythm. At the other end, Dan Ndoye tested David Raya after a smart run to the far post. Kai Havertz had a chance from a Martin Odegaard pass but put the ball into the side netting from a tight angle.
A frustrating first half left Arteta visibly exasperated on the touchline. He replaced Eberechi Eze with Madueke at the start of the second half, but Arsenal's play did not improve markedly. Forest striker Liam Delap fired wide after a powerful run. Arteta continued to ring the changes, sending on Mikel Merino, Viktor Gyokeres and Jurrien Timber to spark something, while withdrawing Bruno Guimaraes — making only his second Premier League start since arriving from Newcastle — after a flat display.
Arsenal lacked sharpness in their build-up and often looked ponderous in possession. Gabriel Magalhaes headed over from a Declan Rice corner, while Delap could not beat Raya from a Xaver Schlager pass. Odegaard found Timber, who squared for Rice inside the box, but the England midfielder blazed his shot over — a moment that summed up the visitors' struggles. It was the first time since 2023 that Arsenal had failed to register a shot on target in the opening 70 minutes of a Premier League match.
The turning point came in the 80th minute: Madueke cut in from the left and hit a powerful shot that deflected off Forest's Jair Cunha, leaving Sels helpless. In the closing minutes, Forest's Murillo sent a long-range effort inches past the crossbar, but it was not enough to level the score.
With the result, Arsenal remain second, three points behind Manchester City. Arteta's men now face a difficult trip to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday before hosting Everton in the Premier League at the weekend. As for Nottingham Forest, the club sit third from bottom with just two home wins in their last 17 Premier League matches, and manager Oliver Glasner has only one win in seven league games since taking charge in the summer.
