Arsenal, fresh off the international break, got back to winning ways with a solid 3-0 victory at the Emirates over Nottingham Forest. The squad looked refreshed, recharged and refocused, especially Bukayo Saka – who scored 1 goal and assisted Thomas Partey on another. Saka’s goal was simply outstanding. It came about after Martin Ødegaard’s shot was blocked, but kept in Forest’s half, near the box, by surprise starter Jorginho. The Italian then found Saka out wide, who played a little give-and-go with Ødegaard. Once the Englishman received the ball, he proceeded to dribble from right-to-left inside the Forest box until he found space and let loose a powerful, precise strike that beat the Belgium goalkeeper Matz Sels. It was an astonishing moment and the start all Gunners fans were hoping for.

From the opening minutes Arsenal looked hungry and on the attack. Leoandro Trossard found himself inside the Nottingham Forest box, at the 6-yard marker, about 2 minutes into the match and scuffed a shot at the goalkeeper. He didn’t connect cleanly with the ball and the shot was easily saved. If he had hit it cleanly he would’ve scored. A couple of minutes later, off a Martin Ødegaard free-kick, Mikel Merino headed a shot towards goal that was semi-cleared off the line by Forest midfielder Nicolás Domínguez. He didn’t clear it far enough with Jurrien Timber then pouncing on the loose ball and smashing it into the back of the net. Unfortunately, the assistant referee raised his flag immediately for offsides. After a quick VAR review, the ruling was upheld by referee Simon Hooper due to Merino’s foot being offsides by a couple of inches.

For the rest of the first half, after Bukayo Saka’s goal in the 15th minute, it was pretty much one way traffic for Arsenal. Nottingham Forest had a few moments of possession, but didn’t get forward enough to trouble David Raya. The centerback paring of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães made sure to cut off any angles and win the ball back quickly.

Another surprise starter, Gabriel Jesus, provided a few half chances with his link-up play and runs in behind the defense. One of these moments found him taking a shot, near the NFFC penalty spot, that went just wide. Another chance saw him open up space for Saka, who’s shot was pushed wide by Matz Sels. For all the forward thinking, attacking play the Gunners had they were quite unlucky to only score the 1 goal.

Thomas Partey came on at halftime for Jorginho and that decision paid immediate dividends. Only 5 minutes into the 2nd half, Bukayo Saka drew in a couple of Forest players, leaving space at the top of the box for Partey to slide into. He used that space to receive the ball, line up a shot and perfectly place it into the left-side of the Forest goal, 2-0 Gunners. Kudos to Martin Ødegaard for making a run into the box that drug another Forest player away from Partey right before he got the ball. With a 2 goal lead Arsenal relaxed a bit, which led to Nottingham Forest going on the attack.

About 20 minutes after the Partey goal, attacking midfielder Ryan Yates got on the end of a cross and headed it just over the bar. David Raya looked like he could’ve saved it if it stayed down, but he was left scrambling nonetheless. Top Forest scorer, Chris Wood, was introduced in the 63rd minute and was a catalyst in the uptick in chances created for NFFC. He also had the best chance at scoring for the away side when he took a shot inside the Arsenal box. Sadly, for Forest, his shot hit one of his own players and bounced away from goal. It was a powerful shot that Raya might not have gotten to if it didn’t hit his own player.

Up-and-coming attacking midfielder, Ethan Nwaneri (17 years old), came on, had one helluva cameo and killed off the match.

Nwaneri subbed on for Martin Ødegaard in the 82nd minute and made an immediate impact. He picked up the ball around midfield, dribbled menacingly at the Forest defense, bypassing a couple of their players and lined up a shot that went just wide. The whole action happened so suddenly. Only a minute or two later he again received the ball around midfield and dribbled at the Forest defense. This time he was quickly swarmed, but passed to Raheem Sterling out wide, who dribbled towards goal and sucked in the defense. Nwaneri continued his run into the box without being marked by a Forest player. Raz noticed this and made the pass back to him. Nwaneri then first-timed the pass, with his left-foot, and guided it into the net for the 3rd Arsenal goal of the match, effectively killing the game off. It was a stunning performance from the young man, and it’s only a matter of time until he cements himself in the first team.

It was also good to see Raheem Sterling make an impact. He hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts at Arsenal, but it feels like he will be an important figure over the next few weeks. The holiday period is jam packed with fixtures, so how Mikel Arteta utilizes the squad will be key.

Overall, it was a good performance by the Gunners and just what they needed after a tough period of matches prior to the most recent international break. The spark and belief was back in the squad. On defense, they pressed Forest mercilessly, forcing them to give up possession easily and quickly. William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães limited NFFC’s attacking chances and defended corner/free-kicks well. While the offense seemed much more focused with Martin Ødegaard’s creativity leading the way. NFFC was also unable to constantly double-team Bukayo Saka, which gave him time on the ball to work and probe the defense. The win, paired with the strong offensive and defensive performances, should give everyone confidence to get back into the Premier League title race.

Next up for Arsenal is a trip to Lisbon, Portugal to face Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League. So far, they’re one of the best performing teams in the division and are currently in 2nd place, and undefeated, holding a 3-1-0 record with a +7 goal differential. They’re also undefeated in the Portuguese league with an 11-0-0 record and a +34 goal differential. Safe to say Sporting will be an incredibly tough test. Swedish striker Viktor Gyökeres is currently one of the best goal scorers in the entire world. He can score with both feet, his head, from the penalty spot, running with the ball and making runs into the box. Every which way imaginable. The numbers he’s put up while in Lisbon are eye-watering. In 2023/24, he netted 29 goals in 33 appearances in the league, and so far, in 2024/25, he’s up to 16 goals in 11 appearances in the league and 5 goals through 4 Champions League matches. He might be the most in-form striker in world football. It will be an immense challenge for the Gunners to keep him under control. A slight wrench for Sporting might be the loss of their manager Miguel Almirón, who just left to become the Manchester United manager after Erik ten Hag was sacked. João Pereira takes over for the departed Almirón after coaching the ‘B’ team for the past year. Although, his first game in-charge saw Sporting beat Amarante FC 6-0 in the Portuguese league cup (Taça da Liga). So maybe they haven’t missed a beat after all.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!