Noni Madueke was the hero for Arsenal as his winner ensured a huge three points for the Gunners at Nottingham Forest.

Madueke’s deflected effort late in the second half sealed the win for Mikel Arteta’s side against a resilient home team at the City Ground.

Madueke had replaced the out of form Eberechi Eze at half-time and while Madueke’s own performance was a tad erratic, he was positive and in the end, got his rewards.

For some Arsenal fans, Madueke is never going to be as good as Bukayo Saka or indeed become the finished article. However, for Mikel Arteta, Madueke is as important as anyone in this current squad.

Mikel Arteta says why the Arsenal squad loves Noni Madueke

Clearly, Madueke is doing something right and there is a reason why both Mikel Arteta and Thomas Tuchel continue to show faith in him.

Indeed, according to the Arsenal manager, Madueke is very much among the ‘most loved’ players in the entire squad.

“Noni puts a smile on my face, because he’s a special character. Very much loved in and around the dressing room. The way he connects, talks to people, he’s just a special guy,” Arteta said.

“I think I saw an interview where they were asking a few of our players ‘who would you call if you had a problem?’ and some of them said Noni. I was surprised by that! But that’s a massive credit and shows the exact sort of person he is. After the break, he’s shown something else – another level of anger and conviction in his actions, and he’s becoming now decisive in matches which is what we expect from our players.

“He’s a player where it doesn’t really matter if he’s on the left or right. He has had a lot more minutes on the right side, but at the moment, the team needs him [on the left] and he has done very well.”

With Eze being so poor after being given the nod, there is now a real chance that Madueke stakes a claim for that left wing spot and makes it is own.

For now, Bukayo Saka is going nowhere on that right-hand side but the left side is wide open. On today’s evidence, Madueke is the man to take the spot. Eze, meanwhile, will be wondering when his next start might be coming.