Madueke's deflected late strike gives Arsenal narrow win at Nottingham Forest
The half-time substitute scored in the 80th minute after Arsenal had struggled to test Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels at the City Ground.
Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground on Sunday, 18 October, after half-time substitute Noni Madueke scored a deflected 80th-minute winner. The result moved Arsenal within three points of Premier League leaders Manchester City despite a performance in which, according to AFP, they did not register a shot on target before the goal.
How Madueke broke the deadlock
Madueke replaced Eberechi Eze at the interval, with Arsenal struggling to build an attack. He eventually cut in from the left and drove a shot that took a substantial deflection off Forest defender Jair Cunha before beating goalkeeper Matz Sels. BBC Sport also identified the deflection as decisive in its account of the winner.
Arsenal had threatened only sporadically before then. Bukayo Saka's cross made Sels claw the ball away from under his crossbar, while Kai Havertz shot into the side-netting from a narrow angle after a pass from Martin Odegaard. Forest had chances of their own: Dan Ndoye tested David Raya, and Liam Delap later drove wide following a run forward.
Mikel Arteta made further changes as Arsenal sought a breakthrough, bringing on Mikel Merino, Viktor Gyokeres and Jurrien Timber. Gabriel Magalhaes headed over from a Declan Rice corner. Timber then set up Rice inside the Forest penalty area, but the midfielder sent his shot over the bar. Madueke's strike finally settled the contest, although Forest defender Murillo came close to an equaliser with a late effort that flew over.
What the result means for Arsenal
The win was Arsenal's sixth in seven Premier League matches, AFP reported. It followed victories over Leeds in the league and Lille in the Champions League, extending their response to a 3-0 defeat at Brighton on 19 September. Manchester City remained top after beating Ipswich 3-2 on Saturday; Arsenal were second, three points behind them after the Forest match.
Forest's home difficulties continued. AFP reported that the club had won only twice in its previous 17 home league games and that manager Oliver Glasner had one victory in seven top-flight matches since taking charge in the close season. Arsenal's next listed fixtures are away to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday, followed by a home league match against Everton the next weekend.
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Sources and context
- Madueke strikes late as below-par Arsenal sink ForestYahoo Sports, carrying AFP reporting (smg/bc)
- Nottingham Forest v Arsenal ratings: Which Arsenal player failed to make the grade at the City Ground?BBC Sport
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.