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A sad night it must have been for Mikel Arteta and the travelling Arsenal supporters as the Gunners’ quest to return to winning ways in the Premier League was thwarted on Wednesday night, after being held to a goalless draw by Nottingham Forest. Despite showing improvement from their 1-0 defeat to West Ham United on Saturday, the Gunners were unable to capitalize on their dominance, failing to create enough scoring opportunities to secure maximum three points.
Nottingham Forest, who had suffered back-to-back defeats, will be satisfied with a point, but the result allowed Chelsea and Manchester City to close the gap on them in the standings. The match unfolded with both teams seeking to bounce back from defeats, and the early exchanges suggested a physical, hard-fought contest was in store. Both teams received bookings inside the opening five minutes, with Riccardo Calafiori and Remo Freuler being cautioned.
However, Arsenal quickly settled into a rhythm, enjoying the majority of possession in the opening stages. Calafiori, who had been booked early on, posed a threat in the final third, and his clever movement created space for the visitors. Calafiori came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half, spinning cleverly in the Forest box before curling a right-footed effort off the inside of Matz Sels’ post.
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, relied on swift counter-attacks to threaten Arsenal’s defense. Although they transitioned with menace, David Raya in the Arsenal goal was not seriously tested. The Forest players were limited to moments of individual brilliance, as they were unable to sustain a prolonged period of pressure.
The second half saw Arsenal continue to probe without reward, but they did start to create opportunities from set pieces. Kieran Tierney, who had replaced Oleksandr Zinchenko at halftime, headed wide after Mikel Merino was denied by Sels at the back post. As the match wore on, Nottingham Forest began to pose a greater threat, with Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White combining to test Raya and force an excellent recovery challenge from William Saliba.
Wood and Gibbs-White’s introduction to the game sparked a period of Forest pressure, but Arsenal’s defense held firm. The visitors, however, were unable to capitalize on their own attacking forays, and the contest gradually petered out, with the two teams ultimately sharing the spoils at the City Ground, major disadvantage for Arsenal who now trail leaders Liverpool by 13 points, although with a game to spare.
