Madueke Shines Bright as Arsenal Teammates Disappoint in Nottingham Forest Clash

Arsenal ended a run of back-to-back draws at the City Ground courtesy of Noni Madueke's deflected effort, as the champions ground out a narrow 1–0 win over a shorthanded Nottingham Forest.

This was a forgettable affair that, in all honesty, barely merited a winning goal. Oliver Glasner's outfit proved exceptionally difficult to break down, and without Morgan Gibbs-White in the lineup, it was always going to be an uphill task for the hosts to bypass Arsenal's resolute defensive unit.

Forest threatened on the break during lulls in Arsenal's labored spells of possession, and appeared the more likely side to snatch the lead following an encouraging start to the second period. Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta's men are well-versed in grinding through such attritional battles, and their experience showed in the closing stages.

Madueke's purposeful run from the left produced a shot that clipped two Forest defenders before beating the previously untested Matz Sels, handing Arsenal a lead they would protect with 10 minutes remaining. The hosts certainly created enough in the final moments to claim an unlikely share of the spoils, but Liam Delap and Chris Wood were thwarted by some superb last-ditch defending from the away side.

With the victory, the champions leapfrogged Brighton & Hove Albion back into second place, sitting three points adrift of an unbeaten Manchester City at the top of the Premier League standings.

One Thing We Can't Ignore

Sluggish openings have become a recurring theme in Arsenal's performances this season, and the Gunners once again struggled to make an impact during the first 45 minutes at the City Ground.

While Nottingham Forest have endured a difficult start to their campaign, Glasner-coached teams are notoriously hard to break down. Here, Arsenal came up against a disciplined 5-4-1 defensive shape that showed little intention of giving ground to the Gunners' creative midfielders or Bukayo Saka on the right flank.

Once again, they failed to find their rhythm in the early stages. Setting aside the Carabao Cup third-round triumph at Ipswich Town, Arsenal have gone scoreless in the first half of each of their last six fixtures. Brief moments of quality have been sufficient for Mikel Arteta's side since the 3–0 thrashing at Brighton & Hove Albion, with fans still harboring concerns over the effectiveness of their attacking options.

They remain a formidable defensive unit and a side that is extremely difficult to face when protecting a lead. However, the lethargy that has characterized their first halves this season — particularly since their opening-day win over Coventry City — has made it a grind for the champions to reach favorable game states.

So far this campaign, Arsenal have managed to paper over the cracks left by their summer decision not to recruit a natural left winger, and that remained the case thanks to Madueke's deflected strike. If they are to fulfill their ambitions this season, a January push for a creative attacker appears essential.

Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: David Raya—7.7: Arsenal's first-choice keeper wasn't tested with anything particularly demanding, with most of his work being straightforward. That said, Raya was faultless throughout.

RB: Ben White—6.8: Arsenal channeled the majority of their attacking play down the right in the first half, yet White struggled to provide a meaningful outlet on the overlap. He wasted his best opportunity to deliver a telling ball.

CB: Ezri Konsa—7.5: Liam Delap posed a constant threat with his energetic runs in transition. Konsa handled him competently in individual duels, continuing his strong form at the start of the season.

CB: Gabriel—7.9: Much like his defensive partner, Gabriel was called upon intermittently but remained switched on throughout to neutralize Forest's counter-attacking threat. He produced a few standout defensive moments.

LB: Riccardo Calafiori—6.9: Arsenal's attack lacked bite once more, and their creative defender was largely kept out of the game.

CM: Declan Rice—8.0: Showing growth as a distributor from deep, finding his captain between the lines on a few occasions. He squandered a clear opening midway through the second half but made a crucial defensive intervention late in the match.

CM: Bruno Guimarães—7.6: The Brazilian has yet to hit his best form from the start in an Arsenal shirt. A genuine impact player from the bench, Guimarães is still finding it difficult to sustain a full 90-minute performance.

RW: Bukayo Saka—6.9: Arsenal leaned heavily on Saka during the opening half, which meant the winger drew a great deal of defensive attention from Forest.

AM: Martin Ødegaard—7.3: Opponents made a deliberate effort to stifle Arsenal's skipper, leaving Ødegaard with minimal room to operate throughout.

LW: Eberechi Eze—6.0: Despite netting earlier in the week, Eze was largely invisible at the City Ground. His substitution at the break spoke volumes, as the England international offered little going forward and failed to build any chemistry with Calafiori.

ST: Kai Havertz—6.7: Havertz drifted through the first hour of Sunday's match without leaving much of a mark. While Arsenal function better defensively with him in the side, he delivers uninspiring performances a little too frequently.

SUB: Noni Madueke (46' for Eze)—7.0: His directness was rewarded with the match-winning goal.

SUB: Jurrïen Timber (66' for White)—6.6: Timed his forward runs well when he pushed up, helping Arsenal's right side become more dynamic.

SUB: Mikel Merino (66' for Guimarães)—6.5: Composed and efficient in a deeper midfield position. Looked like a potential match-winner given the nature of the game.

SUB: Viktor Gyökeres (66' for Havertz)—6.0: Contributed a couple of useful runs in behind to provide some relief in the closing stages.

Subs not used: Illan Meslier (GK), Martín Zubimendi, Max Dowman, Cristhian Mosquera, Myles Lewis-Skelly.

What the Ratings Tell Us

The Numbers That Explain Arsenal's Ugly Victory