Arsenal returned to winning ways with a convincing 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, reigniting their Premier League title hopes.
The Gunners had been struggling recently due to a challenging fixture list and several injuries, which left Mikel Arteta’s side nine points adrift of leaders Liverpool before Saturday’s kick-off.
The hosts dominated from the start at Emirates Stadium, and Bukayo Saka opened the scoring in the 15th minute. He combined with Martin Odegaard before cutting through two defenders and firing a stunning shot into the top corner.
Thomas Partey, introduced as a half-time substitute, doubled Arsenal’s lead with a precise 20-yard strike, while young talent Ethan Nwaneri netted a third in the closing stages to seal the victory.
Forest, who have been the surprise package of the season, entered the match level on points with Arsenal (19). However, they struggled to make an impact, with their best efforts limited to tame headers from Ryan Yates and Nicolas Dominguez.
Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber thought he had given the home side an early lead before Saka’s goal, but his close-range finish was ruled out due to Mikel Merino being offside in the build-up.
The match marked Arteta’s 250th game in charge of Arsenal across all competitions, and he will be hoping that this victory can ignite a run of form to close the gap at the top of the table.
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