Nottingham Forest 0-0 Arsenal: Nothing could separate Sean Dyche and Mikel Arteta’s side and they each needed to fight for a point on a night when all three meant so much to both teams.
Arsenal failed to make the most of Manchester City’s goal conceded (Image: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal are now seven points clear at the top of the Premier League, but could have gone further. The Gunners ended up drawing 0-0 with Nottingham Forest in what was frankly one of the most boring games of the season.
The best chance went to Gabriel Martinelli, but he somehow missed four yards. Forest expressed their gratitude to Mats Sells. He made a series of saves and became the second goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet against Arsenal this season.
Arsenal’s chance came on Saturday after title rivals Manchester City lost 2-0 away to Manchester United. With this result, City are now without a win in four league games.
For Forest, West Ham’s win and Burnley’s draw earlier in the day made it even more important that they get something out of this game. They went into the second half kick-off four points above the relegation zone.
Here are five stories from City Ground.
read more: Mikel Arteta explains Bukayo Saka’s call-up as Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal line-up is decidedread more: Arsenal send specific request for Premier League match against Nottingham Forest
1. Martinelli causes chaos and pays for it.
There’s a “How did he miss out?” And then there’s the question, “No, really, how did he miss?” Gabriel Martinelli had a golden chance to give Arsenal the lead midway through a tricky first half.
After the Gunners’ corner kick fell to Noni Madueke, the winger fired a shot across goal, which Martinelli simply tapped home. Unfortunately, the Brazilian applied too much force to the ball and it went wide, causing the home crowd to breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Martinelli took home the game with a hat-trick against Portsmouth last Sunday, but played just 45 minutes. Leandro Trossard replaced him on the break, but Arteta did nothing.
Gabriel Martinelli missed a sitter before coming on as a substitute (Image: Ben Roberts – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Arsenal had eight shots in the first 45 minutes, but none of them were on target. You would have to go back to Arteta’s first game in charge in December 2019 to find a first half when the Gunners were more selfish.
2. The midfield enforcer of the forest shines again
But the first half wasn’t all about Arsenal. Forest themselves were picking up the all-important three points, and no player exemplified that better than Elliott Anderson.
The England international, who played alongside Ibrahim Sangare, was a giant, testing Declan Rice, Martin Zvimendi and Martin Odegaard in midfield. No Forest player had more touches (44), more duels won (6), more ball recoveries (4) or more fouls (2) than Anderson before half-time.
No wonder Manchester United and Chelsea are sniffing around. Rice should enjoy playing next to him, not against him.
Elliott Anderson was a force in midfield (Image: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
3. Enough of the ruthless Arteta.
As if the half-time substitutions weren’t a sign of dissatisfaction, Arteta made three more changes an hour before the break. Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino and Gabriel Jesus were replaced by Maduke, Odegaard and Victor Goqueres.
Sean Dyche’s side were unable to maintain their own attack, but Forest were encouraged by Arsenal’s failure to create clear-cut chances. It was a terrible game, one that would have been decided by one goal.
Mikel Arteta made four changes before the start time (Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
4. Saka the Spark
Arsenal looked like a different team when No. 7 was on the pitch. Saka took the armband and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck to take control of the match, ultimately helping the Gunners send Forest into a panic.
It was his header that was brilliantly saved by Mats Sells, exciting the away fans after more than an hour of boring play. He continues to cause problems on the right flank, leading to questions about why Arteta didn’t use him.
Can Arsenal win the Premier League title? Let us know your predictions in the comments section.
Bukayo Saka changed the game for Arsenal (Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
5. Arsenal deny late penalty
Although there was no goal, there was still some drama in the final stages. When Ola Aina tried to play the ball out in the final 10 minutes, the ball appeared to hit him in the arm, prompting an ingenious VAR check.
Replays showed the ball clearly touched Aina’s arm, but the decision was not a penalty. Those at Stockley Park deemed Forest’s right-back’s move to be a natural one, but Arsenal were greatly angered by their futile pursuit of a winner.
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