Arsenal left the City Ground with the sort of 1-0 win that can feel larger than its scoreline, Noni Madueke’s second-half intervention cutting Manchester City’s advantage at the top of the Premier League back to three points.
City had moved six clear after beating Ipswich Town 3-2 on Saturday, placing the champions under immediate pressure in Nottingham. For long periods, though, Mikel Arteta’s side looked short of a route through a stubborn Forest side now managed by Oliver Glasner.
Nottingham Forest were energetic, organised and often more threatening than the visitors. Their defensive shape kept Arsenal away from Mats Sels, who shared the 2024-25 Golden Glove with Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, while the home side repeatedly found promising positions without supplying a finish.
Arsenal had arrived after a 3-0 Champions League victory over Lille, but there was little of that fluency on show. Declan Rice, usually a reliable metronome, endured an uncharacteristically untidy afternoon, and the visitors failed to register a shot on target before the interval.
Madueke changes the picture
Arteta acted at half-time, replacing Eberechi Eze with Madueke. The former Chelsea winger provided the breakthrough, beating his man with a stepover before his effort took a touch off a defender on its way in.
It proved to be Arsenal’s first effort on target of the match — and their only one. Yet it was enough to turn a difficult fixture in their favour.
Forest had chances to respond. Liam Delap and his team-mates could not make their attacking spells count, while Rice produced a crucial intervention to prevent Chris Wood from finding an equaliser after Arsenal had gone ahead.
The champions could not find the comfort of a second goal and the closing stages were played with the usual sharp intake of breath. Murillo went close to levelling in stoppage time, and Ezri Konsa denied Delap in the final moments as Forest pushed for a point.
Munich next for Arsenal
Arsenal held on, banking three points before travelling to Bayern Munich on Wednesday for the third matchday of the Champions League league phase.
The performance will not occupy much room in the season’s highlights reel, but the result matters. Arsenal are now three points behind City rather than six, while Forest remain third from bottom and inside the relegation places.
