Arsenal game review Arsenal News

Arsenal thrash Nottingham Forest to return to the top of the league

Arsenal have claimed all three points to return to the top of the table with the 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest this afternoon.

The Gunners lead for almost the entire match after Bukayo Saka’s cross was glanced into the goal by Gabriel Martinelli inside the opening five minutes of play.

We continued to put our rivals under pressure after the goal also, but we were stunted by the loss of Saka to injury, with Reiss Nelson coming in to replace him.

Nelson got his first Premier League goal since July 2020, with him latching onto the rebound after his initial effort was saved, and just minutes later he was like a fox in the box to finish off a neat team move to make it 3-0.

Thomas then joined in the Partey with the goal of the game, curling a sweet effort into the top right just minutes later to make it four. Gabriel Jesus should have been next, but twice he fluffed his lines when through on goal, failing to beat Dean Henderson with a low effort, before messing up his feet when through in on goal again.

The game wasn’t to stay at 4-0 however as our captain Martin Odegaard used his quick feet to get enough space in the box to fire his effort into the net to close out the game at 5-0.

This was exactly the performance we needed after failing to win twice in the last week, but eyes will now turn to Saka in hope that he isn’t missing for our big clash with Chelsea next weekend.

Patrick

Posted by

Tags Nottingham Forest

86 Comments

  1. Brilliant performance and total domination again from the boys. We didn’t even need to step up a gear

    This was why I said PSV were lucky to win against us. We dominated them in Netherlands since the first minute of the game and we did it again to Nottingham Forest

    Jesus didn’t wear his scoring boots today, but he worked very hard to defend from the front-line and made our other attackers score. Hopefully Chelsea will still be in low confidence next week, so we could win the ball possession and score several goals at Stamford Bridge

    1. PSV weren’t lucky to beat us. They deserved that victory. In the first half we reduced them to nothing but we didn’t create much. In the 2nd half they countered us to death and when we got our team shape right it was too late . The team shape we used against them when we were seeking a goal would’ve won us that match.

      1. If our attackers were more clinical, we would’ve beaten them. But let’s not cry over spilt milk

        2. We can’t count all the half chances as the opportunity missed. PSV game had lot of flaws, just hovering around the midfield and getting possession will not win us game. But the creativity and productivity in the final third of the pitch will win you game which we did today. Even if we won this game by 1-0, it was a proud performance. Hope we have learned a lesson and apply this in Chelsea game.

    2. Really you’re delusional if you think PSV were lucky. They battered us all 90 minutes, had the ball in the back of our net 5 times, 3 chalked off.
      Give credits where it’s due.
      They deserved that win

        1. A great performance from everyone today. Let’s keep the momentum going.
          As for the PSV game we were God awful and deserved nothing so let’s stick to being realistic and honest instead of delusional.

        2. @GAI
          we were not dominant! Far from it. Today we were dominant. Give PSV the credit they deserve for playing the way they did. They battered us.

      2. No Eddie can’t agree with you, first half was ours, second half was theirs, but they definitely deserved their victory. They might have had goals disallowed but for good reasons.

      3. 1st half we had enough control but rarely threatened, 2nd half was awful, not dissimilar to Leeds but we were better 1st half against leeds. To add Southampton we should have been 3-0 up and got punished for a poor 2nd half.

  2. After a poor first half we came back stronger in the second half and blew them away. There were still some poor performers and others who only come alive when the team is playing well. I always wish Partey would have a more advanced role and that we’d get a quality DM. That would make us far better. We should rest key players against Zurich and play our best eleven against Chelsea. We shouldn’t be complacent at all.

    1. Do have any information on this player called Facundo Torres? I read somewhere Arsenal are interested in signing him.

  3. Needed that type of result.
    Jesus unlucky to not get his goal, but 2 assists? Keep it man, the goals will resume.
    Everyone had a field day. Happy for the clean sheet.
    My only worry is Vieira, he’s looking too weak and like he’s not ready. Almost like he’s scared to have the ball, so he just finds a way to drop it off without thinking. He’ll get better I believe.
    Great win.
    Hopefully Saka is fine too and will get rested for Chelsea next week.
    Oh and great game from Nelson 2 goals 1 assist. (Sancho come out!!)
    We’re top of the table baby

    1. @Eddie You’re right about Vieira. Apart from his debut game he’s often been found wanting. Gets pushed off the ball way too easy. In fact, not even pushed, more like, asked to step aside and obliges. He finds it hard to complete passes successfully and tries too many silly, flashy flicks. He definitely needs more time to be bled in…..perhaps in a few ‘comfortable’ games

    2. Eddie, very pleased for Nelson taking his opportunities with both hands (feet). 2 goals a very productive game for him, showing the benefit of hitting the target and not being wasteful.

  4. Delighted for Nelson. There’s a very good player in there if Arteta can unlock it

    That’s what we need, players taking their opportunity when called upon. Hope Eddie and Sambi are paying attention.

  5. Well done to the ref firstly, really good to see a game allowed to flow.

    Well down to the players and manager, feel a little bad for NF to be honest.

    Only 2 downsides for me was Saka injury and Eddie still bein anonymous

  6. Good win and no drop off in performance except for maybe the last 10 mins in the first half .
    Saliba solid once again and won’t get many plaudits but MOTM for me ,tomi showing why he is the better pick over a Tierney ,again solid .
    Good to see Nelson get those goals ,only not pick would be why didn’t Arteta rest some players when the game was out to bed .

  7. Gabriel Jesus needs to find his confidence in front of goal
    Others turned up today
    He could have easily scored an hatrick today
    Partly why we lost against the saints

    We need our front man hitting the target
    Unlucky
    But not helped by making the wrong choices in front of goal

    Still great team play for him
    But we need the goals

    3. That’s actually a good thing,winning 5 -0 with Jesus not scoring. I’d rather he scores when we really need it.

    5. I kept thinking does he need an empty net to score? But he still gets a 10 for me. 2 assists and involved in all our attacking movements.

      1. Incorrect! Plainly it WAS a question. You may well think it need not be asked but to post saying it was not a question, when it obviously was, seems daft to me!

    2. Defintiely as Saka should be rested for Cheslki game !

      Turner
      Soares Tomi Holding Tierney
      Lokonga Elneny (is he fit?)
      Nelson Viera Marquinhos
      Nketiah

  12. How refreshing to see a right footed player on the right wing.Perhaps this tactic will catch on.Very pleased for Reiss Nelson.

    1. Absolutely…. I wish Saka and Martinelli would swap.wings during the game so they get to the byline rather than fullbacks overlapping always.

  14. Goal fest is EXACLTY what we needed. 10/10 for Partey today. Now just gotta hope Saka injury is not serious

  15. Great 2nd half performance, really boosted our goal difference too, only 7 goals off Man City now.

    Positives
    – scored 5 goals even without Jesus on the score sheet
    – Saliba and Jesus avoided a 5th yellow card
    – Nelson⚽⚽🅰️
    – Early subs made
    Negatives
    – Jesus struggling in front of goal(nitpicking I know)
    – Saka injury (fingers crossed only minor one)

    Overall great day at the office looking ahead to next week we should take care of Zurich to top the group and confident we can get at least a point if not all three points against Chelsea(still be a difficult game despite their poor form)

    Can West Ham get a result against United and make this already good weekend even better?🤞🏽

  16. Good game and result
    Back to winning ways.
    Let’s concentrate on our next match for another win

    Well done boys
    COYG

  17. This was a great performance from the team. Top of the Premier League, clean sheet quality football. Good time to be a gooner COYG🔥

  18. So pleased for Nelson – both his goals showed quality, and his first was crucial in killing the game. I hope he can keep playing like this.
    I don’t think forest were great opponents today, but the win and performance releases a bit of pressure and gives us more confidence going into an important week.

  19. Refreshing win with a big score line! Glad Jesus and Saliba managed not to pick up a yellow card and miss Chelsea’s game. Arteta and Howe are prime candidates for Manager of the month. In Oct, our form was WWWDW. Newcastle WWDWWW.

    Zinchenko and Saka return for the game against Chelsea would be the icing on the cake.

  20. It’s been a worrying last week but that was excellent. Most of the team were seriously good – Partey and Xhaka ran the game though. Nice to see Ode get some form and confidence back in the second half and a very mature performance from Nelson. That surprised me tbh, but perhaps now we REALLY have some cover for Saka – who looked on fire until the injury – lets all hope he’s ok… Vieira looks like a guy who suddenly believes that he’s not good enough, so we may not see him again for a while, but instead Nelson is the first man on. Hope Jesus finds those scoring boots soon, and Nketiah totally invisible…again. Otherwise superb. Great fun!

    1. I kinda had a sneak peek into viera’s mind after his debut game against Brentford. He was being interviewed with martinelli and he was asked about his goal to which he replied as being a lucky goal. Martinelli a different confident player with a stronger mentality told him not to say that it was lucky. He has been training to get that type of goal. This brief interview showed how mentally weak Vieira was in contrast to Martinelli. Hopefully Martinelli rubs off on him.

  21. Now it’s bottomed everyone can remember Nelson again. What I saw was positive let’s hope there is more to come. Bear in mind we are top of the league regardless, imagine if Nelson breaks out. Imagine Nketiah breaks out. Patino as expected is shining in the Championship imagine he breaks out. Good time to be an Arsenal fan, good time indeed.

      3. Nelson might break out, Balogun and Patino big chance as they are pure class. Nketiah and Tavares no way, they are mediocre players we a very low ceiling. In their age you can see whether a player can make it and have enough quality, and they don’t.

  23. Well that dispells the fatigue theory. No sign of fatigue here, lets hope they have sorted the burp that kept happening. Got to say, well done to Nelson for taking his chances. On the positive Partey was immense, on the negative, unlike Nelson, Viera looks lost and weak. At the moment Viera is looking like a waste of good money, lets hope that changes. I know it was home and i know it was forest but lets hope it kicks us on again.

    2. I think Vieira will come good. It’s a big change, and very early days still, and he has shown he has quality.
      Odegaard looked pretty average in his first season here – completely different now.

        1. I was Ozzie but only because at 35 mil or whatever he cost, i expected far better. Im worried he is a dud.

          1. Reggie, how many games/seasons will it take to overcome your Odegaard concerns? What are your expectations for his play in games?
            I believe a lot of his good work goes unnoticed, but agree I would like Odegaard to be more selfish in front of goal.

            1. Ozzie, i have always said Odergaard is a nice tidy player but i don’t see a top player. He isn’t a class player but he does some class things. I think he goes missing in big games and lacks the strength to get to the top. I dont dislike him but i dont love him either. He doesn’t control a game or command a game like top players do. I have doubts over him but i have hope he can get better.

  24. After nearly handing Forest a goal in the first half we ended up pulverising them. Well done Nelson. I feel for Jesus, he could have scored a couple, but maybe it’s good to have a diversity of goalscorers.
    I have to say, what a great player Odegaard has become. Never shirks and leads by example. Top man. Popeye Viera needs to eat some spinach to build muscles, if he wants to survive in the EPL.

  27. I know a lot of commentators above and, a lot of people in general are worried about the lack of goals from Jesus. It might even appear to be the start of a demise. However, the good thing about the guy is that he’s not a player with an ego. He doesn’t believe he’s god’s gift to the arsenal team and stop performing because he can’t get his own way. On the contrary, he continues to work tirelessly performing a multitude of roles beyond his goalscoring remit and helping the team. We’ve had players in the not so distant past that have done the complete opposite. Because they couldn’t find there feet, were eventually found out and couldn’t be the superstars they thought they were destined to be. Protested, put in more than what can be called, lacklustre performances…..and even staged an obvious on field labour strike.

    Jesus doesn’t seem to do any of that. He runs around, gets involved, hassles, harries and works tirelessly for the team and even seems genuinely pleased when his ‘team mates’ score and have success.

    As a solid team member, I don’t think we have much to worry about with Jesus. I think he’ll also find his scoring prowess again within time!

    2. Problem with Jesus is he isnt a number 9 and trying to be one is something he cant manage. That isnt a put down, its a problem with his vision of him being a number 9. He isnt. He isn’t a natural finisher and he isn’t big enough to lead the line as one.

    1. Watched the game in clock end.
      Atmosphere staggering.
      Can see from higher view Thomas Partey just ran the game..
      The guy is just solid.

  29. We are top of the league! Say we are top the league! We are top of the league! Say we are top of the league!

    Night night fellow gooners enjoy it while it lasts! We are top of the league! Say we are top the league! We are top of the league! Say we are top of the league!

  30. Thank you guys for a job well-done , where Liverpool got 0 points from not and Leeds, we got our max 6points, some fans still don’t believe in these young stars, led utd dismantled Chelsea 3-0, but we beat them 1-0 ( 3 pts) and majority still criticised us that we didn’t play very well, please gunners, just be giving us that 3points to increase the margine against our rival.
    Well-done guys again, you really make us proud. I hope and pray that saka will be alright and fit to play against Chelsea….

  31. Kudos to Arteta for giving Nelson the opportunity. Kudos to Nelson for not disappointing. Good performance from Jesus. Goals will come soon, I pray. Partey & Xhaka, excellent. Good to see Odegaard regaining confidence. I expect him to maintain it. Finally, let someone remind Viera that this is PL and Nketia to buckle up so that he and his supporters will not complain when chances are not giving to him again. If he continues this way, he will be sent out on loan.
    Arteta should rest our first team players and build confidence on team B. Truly hope Saka will be fine for Chelsea. Over all, good outing.

  32. Some of you always look for someone to attack, even when things are going well. Fabio Vieira is now in the spotlight now that Granit Xhaka has served his time. Mr. Vieira did not have a pre-season, and it shows. Not everyone can hit the ground running – and we need to calm down and give him time.

    As for Gabriel Jesus, he is arguably the most important player on the team. Why? His leadership by example. His enthusiasm and work rate are infectious, and his teammates have stepped up accordingly. The goals will return, and when they do then our fickle fans can go look for the next target…oops, Takehiro Tomiyasu has joined Arteta in the dock facing the arrows for daring to keep Kiernan Tierney out of the starting team.

    Never satisfied!!!

  33. What a performance and what a win. Nelson proved all his doubters wrong and is an ideal replacement for Saka till Saka recovers. Speaking of Saka’s injury, it is indeed very very sad. Saka is mostly at the receiving end of all hard tackles and I put it down to very bad refereeing in EPL which allows such impunity to go on unchecked. In any other league, the players hard tackling Saka would be immediately sent off. That said, Saka is a strong man and I hope he recovers soon and we shall see him in an Arsenal shirt very soon back to his devastating best although he had a great performance in yesterday’s match. Also hoping Jesus gets back to scoring ways asap although he played really well with 2 assists and I think it is only a question of time before he gets back to scoring ways.

  34. Gracious of you to show faith in Viera, Kpankulu. As you say, it’s too early to write him off as the new Pepe. He definitely will need time to settle into Premier League football, if he is going to make an impact.

  35. Against Zurich (must win):

    ———— Turner
    Cedric – Hold- Gabriel – KT
    —— Partey – ASL
    Nelson – Vieira – Nketiah
    ———- Jesus

    I think this team would do it. Sub Jesus, Partey, Gabriel at some point so they’re fit enough for Sunday’s match.

  36. I would play Marquinhos, provided he is fit against Zurich and give Jesus complete rest for the Chelsea game, with Nketiah leading the line. Jesus can come on if required.

Comments are closed

Top Blog Sponsors