Madueke Off the Bench Sinks Forest as Arsenal Grind Out City Ground Win
A deflected 80th-minute strike — Arsenal's only shot on target — was enough to beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 and lift the Gunners back to second, while Forest slide into the bottom three.
Title races are rarely won on the days everything clicks. They are won on days like Sunday at the City Ground, where Arsenal produced little for 80 minutes and still left with all three points, beating Nottingham Forest 1-0 thanks to Noni Madueke's deflected winner.
One moment decides it
Arsenal controlled around 75% of possession but struggled to turn it into chances, finishing with an expected goals figure of just 1.07, according to NBC Sports. The breakthrough came in the 80th minute: Madueke, a halftime substitute for Eberechi Eze, cut in from a tight angle and saw his shot deflect off Jair Cunha's leg and past Matz Sels. Per Sky Sports, it was the Gunners' only shot on target all afternoon.
Forest nearly answered on the counter, but Declan Rice — who completed 57 of 58 passes and created three chances — threw himself in front of a goalbound effort in the 89th minute to preserve the lead. Forest were without the influential Morgan Gibbs-White, and it showed in their lack of cutting edge.
What it means
The win moves Arsenal back into second place, three points behind Manchester City and two clear of Brighton, with a Champions League trip to face Bayern Munich up next before hosting Everton. Manager Mikel Arteta pointed to the significance of finally winning at a ground that has haunted them: "Something we didn't do the last two seasons, which was win the game."
Madueke framed it as a statement of character: "We showed grit, determination, and I think we showed a champion's spirit here."
For Forest, the picture darkens. The defeat drops them into the bottom three with one win, two draws and four losses, and a trip to Ipswich Town comes Friday. The margins at the City Ground were thin — but the table does not record margins.