NOTTM FOREST 0-1 ARSENAL: Mikel Arteta's second-half introduction of Noni Madueke proved to be a genius move with the winger's late goal sealing victory in the East Midlands

Arsenal ensured they kept pace with Manchester City in the early Premier League title race after squeezing past by Nottingham Forest.

The Gunners struggled to break down their hosts throughout the majority of the game, albeit Declan Rice was guilty of passing up a golden opportunity.

Their opener eventually came late on through Noni Madueke, whose deflected effort was enough to seal victory for the champions.

The win leaves Mikel Arteta's side sitting second and three points behind City. Forest in the meantime remain in the drop zone despite their resolute performance going unrewarded.

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Madueke makes an impact

Following a less-than inspiring first-half in the East-Midlands, Arsenal boss Arteta opted for a change at the break, with Eberechi Eze being replaced by Noni Madeueke. While substitutions have proven so fruitful for the Arsenal boss over recent seasons, it looked as though the opposite might be true at the City Ground.

Madueke endured a nightmare start to his outing after picking up a booking. He also had very little impact from an attacking standpoint.

That was until the final ten minutes of the game. Madueke picked up the ball on the left flank, cut inside and let fly, with his effort flying past Mats Sels via a deflection.

It was a bold move from Arteta, but one that was absolutely the correct one.

Delap Forest's biggest outlet

After scoring his first Forest in the win against Villa last month, striker Liam Delap was once again his side's biggest threat against Arsenal. And while he didn't quite manage to get on the scoresheet, it was still an impressive performance from the forward.

His tireless running gave Forest a real focal point, while Delap's strength and physicality allowed Forest to move up the pitch once he had successfully managed to hold the ball up.

Of course, goals need to come more regularly for Delap now, having scored just two Premier League goals over the past 18 months. But more performances like this are really encouraging.

Arsenal's City Ground hoodoo comes to an end

Arteta's side have not had the best of luck at the City Ground over the past few years. They had only won on one of their last five visits to Forest - a record that includes a rotten FA Cup defeat, as well as consecutive 0-0 draws.

In fact, their only win at the City Ground since Forest's promotion back to the top fight came back in January 2024.

So it was no surprise to see Arsenal struggle for fluency. They failed to produce a single shot on target throughout the first 75 minutes and never really looked like taking the lead.

That was until, of course, Madueke converted. And it was just about enough to see Arsenal seal a hard-fought three points. It's an old cliche but champions find a way to win and that's exactly what they did.