Arsenal got out of jail to beat Nottingham Forest as Noni Madueke's heavily deflected effort and only shot on target of the game snatched all three points

Mikel Arteta got out of jail as Noni Madueke won Arsenal three points they scarcely deserved when his heavily deflected effort found the top corner with their only shot on target of the game against Nottingham Forest in the 1-0 win.

It took 80 minutes of a dire football match for the champions to register their first effort on goal, and it proved to be the match winner off the right boot of Madueke, and left leg of Jair Cunha, to leave Matz Sels no chance.

For the sixth game in a row, Arsenal failed to score in the first half. Something they have been able to get themselves out of danger from by winning all of those games, but today that sluggishness almost caught up with them as their first shot on target of the entire game deflected into the top corner.

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The Gunners kicked off at the City Ground knowing they had momentarily lost second place to Brighton after the Seagulls smashed their fierce rivals Crystal Palace, and they knew only three points would keep them on the tail of Manchester City, who unconvincingly beat Ipswich Town on Saturday to make it seven wins from seven games.

This fixture last year played out a 0-0 draw – a result a Forest side with just one win in seven games and just five goals to their name in the league would certainly have been happy to take.

And Oliver Glasner’s plan was clear, Liam Delap was left incredibly lonely up top as the hit and hope route on the counter, allowing Arsenal to dominate the ball, which they did but to no avail.

Just one shot each in the first half an hour showed just how much of a slow burner this game was. The Gunners had more than three-quarters of the ball but struggled to create an opening in open play, and even more so with unusually poor delivery from set pieces.

If anything, it looked as though Forest would open the scoring late in the opening 45 minutes, but the frankly rubbish first-half ended goalless, and for only the second time this season, neither team registered a shot on target.

Speaking at half-time on Sky Sports, Roy Keane called on Arteta to be proactive with his substitutes, saying: "The 0-0 and no shots on target won't bother the Forest manager. Arteta will be frustrated. Arsenal are dominating possession, by far the better team.

"Arsenal will have to be patient to find that one chance. The Arsenal players need to take more risks. There's a balance; of course, be patient but take more risks."

And Arteta went to his bench at the break in an attempt to spark his side into life, hooking Eberechi Eze after a poor and fruitless first-half, for Noni Madueke on the left.

But the second-half continued in the same vein as the first. While both teams were more adventurous, especially Forest with their pace on the counter, a lack of penalty box action had the game feeling like it was heading for a draw.

Arteta threw a triple change into play shortly after the hour mark, with Ben White, Bruno Guimaraes and Kai Havertz being replaced by Jurrien Timber, Mikel Merino and Viktor Gyokeres.

And it was Timber who looked set to be making the difference when he linked up brilliantly with Bukayo Saka to finally get in behind the Forest defence but his cutback to Declan Rice was wastefully spooned over the bar in the Gunners' best chance of the first 70 minutes.

Eventually the goal came in the 80th minute when Madueke found a yard of space in the box and sent a hopeful effort towards goal. The touch of Cunha left Sels no chance as the goal Arsenal had been pushing for eventually came.

Arsenal looked to be seeing the game out for all three points with no trouble until Murillo's crazy run past three defenders saw him narrowly miss whipping the ball into the top corner. Another miraculous ball from Murillo set Liam Delap clear, but Ezri Konsa's stunning last-ditch tackle saved all three points at the death.