Noni Madueke’s deflected 80th-minute shot gave Arsenal a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest, the Gunners’ first shot on target of the afternoon. Arsenal return to second place, three points behind Manchester City, while Forest slip into the bottom three.
Nottingham, England: Arsenal spent most of the afternoon at the City Ground with the ball and no answer. Then Noni Madueke cut in from the left, hit a shot from a tight angle, and a deflection off Jair Cunha did the rest.
Possession without a point
Arsenal had around three-quarters of the ball and managed little with it. Neither side had a shot on target by half-time. Madueke came on for Eberechi Eze at the interval with Forest beginning to shape the game. Liam Delap pressed Ezri Konsa and Gabriel, Forest won a run of corners in the second half, and David Raya had to make a save.
The home side were physical and organised, and Mikel Arteta later praised their coaching and said his team had needed patience. He pointed to the narrow margins and to a Forest side that gained belief as the match went on.
Madueke’s moment
The breakthrough, when it came, was a single piece of quality. Madueke received the ball on the left, moved infield and shot. The ball struck Cunha’s leg and looped past goalkeeper Matz Sels. It was Arsenal’s first shot on target, and it was the winner.
Forest did not stop. Murillo sent an effort narrowly wide in stoppage time, and Konsa blocked a Delap chance in the 93rd minute.
What it means
The win moves Arsenal back into second, three points behind Manchester City, who beat Ipswich 3-2 on Saturday. It follows a comeback win over Leeds and a 3-0 Champions League victory against Lille, results that suggest Arsenal can win in different ways. Arteta said the team needed to be clinical when chances arrived, and on a day when there was only one, they were.
For Forest, the defeat leaves a team that created enough to deserve more sitting in the bottom three, with Morgan Gibbs-White unavailable and the pressure on a side that has now lost four of its first seven league matches.
Result: Nottingham Forest 0-1 Arsenal (Premier League)
Scorer: Madueke 80′
Venue: City Ground, Nottingham, Sunday 18 October 2026
