The obvious truth of Nottingham Forest’s season is that they have scored too few and conceded too many.
With Arnaud Kalimuendo joining Eintracht Frankfurt on loan, and Chris Wood remaining sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Reds’ search for a striker in the January window to solve their goal-scoring problem is ongoing.
A clean sheet against the runaway league leaders, Forest’s first since 14 December, a 3-0 thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur, was a welcome sight. A platform to build, with a squad almost back to full availability.
In truth, Sean Dyche’s side rarely looked in complete control of the game, but they were never going to be.
What will come as a welcome return for the Forest faithful is the Reds’ ability to handle virtually all of the Gunners’ threat with relative ease.
Rarely did the hosts look drastically unsettled or frantic in the manner in which they resisted the north Londoners’ threat, a sense of stability that feels overdue and very welcome.
It is probably little coincidence that such stability has coincided with the return of Ibrahim Sangare, who made his first start since the Ivory Coast’s AFCON elimination last week.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s visit, Dyche spoke glowingly of the 28-year-old’s impact on Forest and the formidable midfield partnership he has formed with Elliot Anderson.
The former Everton boss laid a challenge down to the returning Sangare, insisting that, “He comes back in knowing he’s got to compete for a place.” Straight into the starting line-up from the off, his performance more than merited Dyche’s decision.
His ability to drop into the backline and effortlessly transition defence to attack, linking up with Anderson as he progressed into midfield, was essential to the Reds’ stability.
Since Dyche’s appointment, Forest have lost just twice in all competitions in games where Sangare has featured. Without him, the Reds have tasted defeat on six occasions.
Amongst their stability, Forest were not without chances to forge ahead in the contest. A golden chance in the 25th minute saw Callum Hudson-Odoi meet David Raya in a sprint for a loose ball 30 yards from goal.
The Spaniard narrowly arrived first, sliding through no man's land to boot it clear.
Late in the half, a similar chance fell for Viktor Gyökeres but, despite being ahead of the last man, Murillo, the Brazilian did excellently to catch up and deflect the Swede’s effort behind after unsettling him. A crucial intervention minutes before the break.
At the start of the second half, Forest made a statement of intent. A first prolonged spell of dominance from the Reds, and a reminder, not that it felt needed, that they were here to compete, not simply defend tirelessly.
It did not last, but was it ever expected to? When Forest’s pressure did subside, they resumed their stable and steady play, still able to look a threat on the counter despite Arsenal regaining momentum.
You likely do not need to be reminded that Arsenal leak the Premier League’s set-piece goal charts this season, but their four corners in the second half, for all their threat, were well handled by Forest.
In short, a professional job well done by Forest saw them earn a deserved point against a side who will likely win the Premier League.
With West Ham winning at Spurs earlier in the day, Forest’s gap to the relegation zone has reduced to five points, but the context is crucial.
There is every reason to believe that this is a Forest side back on the up, and if their striker concerns are addressed in the final days of the window, as they are expected to be, who knows where their limit is this season.