Nott’m Forest 1-2 Arsenal (Awoniyi 89′ | Jesus 65′, Saka 72′)
CITY GROUND — There were times, until Gabriel Jesus punctured Nottingham Forest’s resistance midway through the second-half, when Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta must have felt tempted to utilise the mobile trailer parked outside the City Ground offering passers-by free blood pressure checks.
A further goal from Bukayo Saka made sure of the victory his side required to move within two points of Premier League leaders Liverpool and cement their grip on second place.
But the result could not disguise Arsenal’s need for a commanding centre-forward as they made much harder work of prising Forest apart than should really have been the case given that they spent much of the night playing keep ball around their opponents’ box.
It was telling that, for all of Arsenal’s elaborate work and intricate exchanges, that the breakthroughs they engineered came via a throw-in and a mistake by the hosts, who saw substitute Taiwo Awoniyi give them hope of snatching a draw with a late consolation on his return from injury.
Nuno Espirito Santo is adept at making things difficult for Arsenal, having lost only one of his matches against them whilst in charge of Wolverhampton Wanderers. He has proven equally accomplished when it comes to unlocking Chris Wood’s potential, with the often maligned New Zealander scoring six goals in his first seven appearances since the Portuguese’s appointment.
Wood’s opportunities proved limited though and he was withdrawn at the break with Awoniyi introduced. The Nigerian’s presence changed the fixture’s dynamic, with his mobility ensuring Nuno’s men posed a greater threat on the break. Awoniyi’s physical power also allowed him to deny David Raya a clean sheet as Nuno’s men chased the equaliser which would have eased their relegation fears.
The early part of the contest followed a predictable pattern. Arsenal passed and probed. Forest chased and hustled, refusing to be teased out of position despite the best efforts of their opponents.
The hosts produced several moments of invention, with most coming courtesy of Morgan Gibbs-White’s pristine white boots. But for the most part, Forest were content to frustrate and contain. It was a ploy which worked well until Jesus and Saka struck, with Emile Smith Rowe limited to a couple of half chances after being challenged by Arteta to exert greater influence over games.
One passage of play just before the interval highlighted the trap Arsenal had been set. Martin Odegaard burst forward, piercing a hole in Forest’s lines, before feeding Jesus. A couple of clever touches later, the ball found its way towards Ben White.
Rather than shoot, the defender chose to consider the options which surrounded him instead. As White pondered, Forest recovered and the window to test Matt Turner was gone. Despite returning a possession percentage of more than 80 percent during the first-half, Arsenal mustered just one effort – a header from Jesus – on target.
Player of the match: Gabriel Jesus
- Scored one and claimed an assist to ensure Arsenal’s possession eventually paid dividends
Saka was responsible for their second, when Turner did well to palm away a low shot which seemed destined for the bottom corner of his net.
As Forest became increasingly anxious, Jesus struck the near post after combining well with Martin Odegaard. Arsenal’s momentum eventually told when Turner allowed Jesus’ low drive to sneak between his legs straight from Oleksandr Zinchenko’s throw-in before another lapse, this time by Gonzalo Montiel, allowed them to build the move which ended with Saka producing the angled finish which appeared to have ended Forest’s hopes until Awoniyi converted at the death.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/JoCaPdZ
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