Madueke's late goal earns Arsenal a hard-fought win at Forest
Arsenal had to sweat hard for their victory against Nottingham Forest. The Gunners could not manage a single shot on target until the 80th minute of the match. In the end, substitute Noni Madueke's lone goal gave Mikel Arteta's team a 1-0 win. With this victory, Arsenal have cut the gap with Premier League leaders Manchester City to three points.
In the match held at Nottingham Forest's home ground, the City Ground, on Sunday night (18 October), Arsenal were out of rhythm from the very start. Although they kept possession of the ball, they could not build effective attacks against the opposition defence.
In the first half, both teams created some chances but neither could find a goal. For Arsenal, a shot by Kai Havertz hit the side netting. On the other hand, Nottingham Forest's Dan Ndoye tested Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya. But both teams' attacks lacked sharpness in the first half.
After the break, Madueke came on as a substitute. Even then, Arsenal's style of play did not change at first. Instead, Forest's Liam Delap created several chances in an attempt to put the hosts ahead.
Arteta later brought on Mikel Merino, Viktor Gyokeres and Jurrien Timber to add pace to the attack. Yet the wait for the desired goal went on for a long time.
Finally, the moment arrived in the 80th minute. Cutting inside from the left flank, Madueke took a powerful shot. The ball deflected off Forest's Jair Cunha and changed direction into the net, sending Arsenal's players and supporters into celebration.
Forest also had a chance to equalise late on. Defender Murillo's powerful shot went narrowly over the crossbar, and the hosts missed their chance to draw level.
With this win, Arsenal are now on a run of three consecutive victories. The win did not come easily, but in a title race, such hard-earned three points often prove the most valuable.
Arsenal now trail Premier League leaders Manchester City by three points. The challenge ahead for the Gunners is to reduce that gap further.
