Madueke, dropped from the recent England squad, came on at half-time and his deflected effort 10 minutes from time was enough for the three points at the City Ground.

The goal was Arsenal’s only shot on target in a disjointed performance that lacked attacking quality, although the champions’ ability to grind out a result cannot be questioned.

The victory moved them back up to second, three points behind leaders Manchester City, but what that actually means given the wider picture of City’s guilty verdict over breaches of Premier League financial rules remains to be seen.

It was a third 1-0 home defeat of the season for Forest, who are struggling to adapt to life under Oliver Glasner, and they have not scored in five home matches in all competitions after missing two big late chances.

This was also a third league defeat in a row and they now sit in the relegation zone after seven games.