Arsenal moved back into second place in the Premier League after Noni Madueke’s late strike secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday.
The reigning champions were far from their best against the struggling hosts, but another important victory reduced Manchester City’s advantage at the summit to three points.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made a decisive intervention by introducing Madueke at half-time, with the winger eventually breaking Forest’s resistance in the 80th minute.
The England international skipped past Daniel Munoz before unleashing a shot that deflected off Cunha and beat goalkeeper Matz Sels.
It was Arsenal’s only effort on target throughout a frustrating afternoon, highlighting the attacking difficulties they encountered against Oliver Glasner’s side.
Despite dominating possession during the opening exchanges, Arsenal struggled to turn their territorial advantage into meaningful opportunities.
Forest threatened first when Dan Ndoye forced David Raya into a save following an error from Riccardo Calafiori.
Kai Havertz subsequently headed wide from a Declan Rice free-kick before finding the side netting from a difficult angle.
Liam Delap also caused problems for Arsenal’s defence, although the visitors survived without conceding before the interval.
Arteta introduced Madueke at the break in search of greater attacking urgency, but Forest continued to threaten after the restart.
James McAtee wasted a free-kick opportunity, while Delap and Murillo also failed to make their chances count.
Arsenal gradually increased the pressure, with Gabriel Magalhaes heading over and Rice firing wastefully off target after good work from Jurrien Timber.
However, Madueke eventually supplied the individual quality Arsenal had been missing, producing the decisive moment with 10 minutes remaining.
Rice then made an important defensive intervention to block Chris Wood’s effort as Forest searched for a late equaliser.
The result extended Arsenal’s winning run to three matches across all competitions following victories over Leeds United and Lille.
Nevertheless, Arteta will recognise that his team must improve considerably if they intend to retain their Premier League crown.
Arsenal lacked fluency in possession and struggled to create clear opportunities against opponents who have now suffered three consecutive league defeats.
Yet winning difficult matches without producing convincing performances remains an important characteristic of successful title contenders.
With Manchester City setting the pace, Arsenal cannot afford to surrender points whenever their attacking rhythm disappears.
Madueke’s contribution therefore delivered more than another three points, demonstrating the value of the squad depth Arteta can call upon.
The performance raised questions, but Arsenal ultimately achieved their objective and maintained the pressure on their title rivals.
