Arsenal failed to capitalise on Manchester City’s defeat in the Manchester derby on Saturday, as they were held to a goalless draw by Nottingham Forest.
The Premier League leaders had the chance to extend their advantage over the Cityzens, who are now winless in four league games, to nine points, but were kept in check by a rugged Forest display.
Arsenal have now had back-to-back 0–0 Premier League draws for the first time since the start of the 2012–13 season, and their lead will be trimmed to four points come Sunday evening should Aston Villa continue their imperious home record when Everton visit Villa Park.
Their point is hardly disastrous, but it’s another example of Arteta’s men failing to take full command of a title race they should really be dominating.
Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Nottingham Forest (4-3-3)
----------------------------------------------------
David Raya had a quiet evening between the posts. | JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images
[_**\*Ratings Provided by FotMob\***_](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/matches/arsenal-vs-nottingham-forest/3bf4p3#4813591)
**GK: David Raya—7.6**: Outside of one wild attempt to beat Igor Jesus to the ball, Raya had a quiet evening as Forest failed to test him.
**RB: Ben White—6.9**: Could’ve been a more reliable option on the overlap, with Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka dealing with a lot of two-on-ones. Forest’s shape meant he wasn’t tested too much defensively.
**CB: William Saliba—7.4**: Most of his recovery defending was comfortable, and Forest didn’t have the ball in and around Arsenal’s box enough to really work the Frenchman. Attempts to provide something in possession late on proved futile.
**CB: Gabriel Magalhães—7.0**: This is the sort of game Gabriel breaks open for the Gunners via his dominance from set pieces. However, Forest defended such situations admirably on Saturday evening.
**LB: Jurriën Timber—6.7**: The pulling back of Callum Hudson-Odoi that earned Timber a yellow card wasn’t particularly clever, and it’s hard to pinpoint what Arsenal gained from his utilisation in midfield. Looks a more awkward fit compared to the alternatives at Arteta’s disposal.
**CM: Martin Ødegaard—6.5**: Arsenal needed more from their captain in this one. Ødegaard was bullied by the excellent Elliot Anderson on occasions, and his early withdrawal was justified.
**CM: Martín Zubimendi—6.7**: Mopped up well in front of the defence when there was a second ball to win, and provided a burst in the first half that could’ve quite easily led to the opener. Taken off when Arsenal were chasing a winner.
**CM: Declan Rice—7.5**: This was as subdued as we’ve seen Rice in a while. Set pieces weren’t always on the money, which they typically are, and any efforts at goal were tame.
**RW: Noni Madueke—6.7**: A surprise starter with Bukayo Saka dropping to the bench. Madueke saw plenty of the ball early but didn’t do all that much with it. Neco Williams held firm.
**ST: Viktor Gyökeres—5.5**: After ending his open-play goal drought in the week, Gyökeres kept his place in the team but only had a single sight of goal during his 55-minute outing. Still struggling to hold the ball up and combine efficiently.
**LW: Gabriel Martinelli—6.5**: Somehow poked an effort wide in the first half that would’ve broken the game open for the away side. No repeat of last week’s hat-trick heroics, as he was replaced at half-time.
**Substitute**
**Rating (Out of 10)**
Leandro Trossard (68’ for Martinelli)
6.3
Mikel Merino (57’ for Ødegaard)
6.4
Bukayo Saka (57’ for Madueke)
7.3
Gabriel Jesus (57’ for Gyökeres)
6.2
Eberechi Eze (79’ for Zubimendi)
6.2
_**Subs not used:**_ _Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Cristhian Mosquera, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Kai Havertz._
### Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1)
_**Starting XI:**_ _Matz Sels; Ola Aina, Nikola Milenković, Murrilo, Neco Williams; Elliot Anderson, Ibrahim Sangare; Callum Hudson-Odoi, Morgan Gibbs-White, Nico Domínguez; Igor Jesus._
_**Subs used:**_ _Dan Ndoye, Omari Hutchinson_
### Player of the Match: Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest)
### Arsenal Player of the Match: David Raya
Nottingham Forest 0–0 Arsenal: How It Unfolded at the City Ground
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A physical, tight affair played out at the City Ground. | James Holyoak/MB Media/Getty Images
Arsenal rocked up at the City Ground with the chance to open up a significant buffer between themselves and Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, having seen Pep Guardiola’s men succumb convincingly in their derby at lunchtime.
However, the City Ground hasn’t exactly proven to be the most fruitful of locations for the Gunners in recent years, while Sean Dyche hindered Arsenal’s title challenge in 2022–23 when he oversaw a 1–0 victory over the north Londoners on his bow as Everton manager.
West Ham United’s last-gasp victory at Tottenham Hotspur supplied a greater sense of jeopardy for the hosts, but Arsenal’s ability to impose themselves early on came as no surprise.
Noni Madueke, who came into the team for Bukayo Saka, saw plenty of the ball as the visitors funnelled possession down the right, but the winger didn’t get much change out of Neco Williams. The contest was rather messy, with Forest able to match the league leaders physically.
Sustained Gunners pressure led to scrambles and set plays, but Matz Sels held firm from Declan Rice’s dangerous inswinging deliveries. However, Arsenal’s best opening of the first half did come from the second phase of a set-piece, as Gabriel Martinelli pounced onto Madueke’s rather tame effort at goal but somehow placed his effort wide of Sels‘ post.
Forest admirably weathered Arsenal’s brightest period of the first half and started to test the away side’s stout backline through slick combinations down the right. However, a Murillo lapse then offered Viktor Gyökeres the chance to bear down on goal. It was the sort of situation he made a career off in Portugal, but this time, Forest’s Brazilian defender was able to recover and ensure the Swede’s strike didn’t test or bypass Sels.
Arteta had a wealth of talent to turn to off the bench, and Leandro Trossard was the first to be introduced at the start of the second half. However, Forest continued to frustrate the league leaders, particularly in the middle of the park, where Elliot Anderson shone.
A triple substitute before the hour mark saw Saka enter proceedings, and he almost immediately beat Williams and created a chance for Declan Rice, who had his scuffed volley saved. A Sels fingertip then denied Saka from breaking the deadlock with an impressive header across goal.
That upsurge proved to be brief, though, as the battling hosts refused to succumb to a navy barrage on home soil. Chances for Dyche’s side came few and far between, but the two teams entered the final act of the contest with Arsenal still chasing an opener.
Arteta had laid all his cards on the table, with Eberechi Eze the last of Arsenal’s introductions, but the Gunners merely huffed and puffed in the second half. Those behind Sels’ goal waited patiently for a hero to emerge at the death, but there was no match-winner in Nottingham as the two sides played out a bitty stalemate.
Nottingham Forest vs. Arsenal Half-Time Stats
---------------------------------------------
**Statistic**
**Forest**
**Arsenal**
Possession
40%
60%
Expected Goals (xG)
0.20
0.77
Total Shots
3
8
Shots on Target
0
0
Big Chances
0
1
Pass Accuracy
85%
85%
Fouls Committed
3
6
Corners
3
5
Nottingham Forest vs. Arsenal Full Time Stats
---------------------------------------------
**Statistic**
**Forest**
**Arsenal**
Possession
39%
61%
Expected Goals (xG)
0.34
2.07
Total Shots
6
15
Shots on Target
0
3
Big Chances
0
4
Pass Accuracy
81%
84%
Fouls Committed
8
14
Corners
4
9
### READ THE LATEST SOCCER NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MATCH REACTION