Arsenal never truly found their rhythm. They struggled to create clear chances and produced little in front of goal. In the end, however, a fortunate deflection helped Mikel Arteta’s side escape with three points.

Arsenal defeated Nottingham Forest 1–0 away from home in the Premier League on Sunday, with Noni Madueke scoring the only goal of the match.

The victory also ended Arsenal’s winless run at Forest’s ground over the previous two league seasons.

Madueke’s Fortunate Winner

Arsenal dominated possession from the opening minutes, but Nottingham Forest created the first real opportunity.

Swiss winger Dan Ndoye sent a shot narrowly past the post, only for Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya to get a fingertip to the ball at the last moment and turn it behind for a corner.

The rest of the first half was largely disjointed. Arsenal managed only one half-chance, with Kai Havertz heading wide.

Neither side registered a shot on target during the opening 45 minutes.

The pattern continued after the break. Arsenal finally created a clear opening in the 71st minute when captain Martin Odegaard found Declan Rice unmarked inside the box. Rice, however, sent his effort over the bar.

Then came the breakthrough in the 80th minute.

Receiving a pass from Rice, Madueke drove into the box from the left, beat a defender and fired a powerful shot. The ball struck another player in front of goal, changed direction and flew into the net.

The deflection left the goalkeeper with no chance.

It proved to be the decisive moment of a difficult match for Arsenal.

Forest Had More Shots but Still Lost

Interestingly, Nottingham Forest actually attempted more shots than Arsenal. However, only two of their efforts were on target.

Arsenal, meanwhile, managed just one shot on target throughout the match—and that was enough to secure victory.

It was hardly a convincing performance from Arteta’s side, but the three points were all that mattered in the end.

The defeat leaves Nottingham Forest 18th in the table with five points from seven matches. It was their fourth loss of the campaign.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have six wins from seven matches and sit second with 18 points. Manchester City remain top with a perfect 21 points from seven games. Brighton are third with 16 points, while Chelsea sit fourth with 13.

For Arsenal, the result is the biggest positive. But their performance made it clear that there is still plenty to improve despite the valuable victory.