On Sunday, Arsenal easily defeated Nottingham Forest by the score of 5-0 to reclaim first place in the Premier League.
With the kind of quick start to the game Mikel Arteta’s team has become renowned for this season, the Gunners dominated the game from the opening whistle and stunned Forest.
After a spirited opening five minutes, Arsenal was rewarded when Gabriel Martinelli scored with a spectacular diving header after capitalizing on a cross from Bukayo Saka.
The remainder of the first half went mostly without incident, with Arsenal dominating possession and Forest finding it difficult to create opportunities. Bukayo Saka’s injury, which occurred after a particularly forceful challenge and forced Reiss Nelson to replace him, was the only colossal incident.
With Arsenal’s rhythm being somewhat disturbed toward the end of the half, that injury may have just kept Forest in the game.
However, early in the second half, Nelson scored on the rebound after his initial effort was saved to make it 2-0, quickly ending any hopes of a comeback by the away team.
When Nelson finished off his hat trick after receiving a pass from Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal found themselves three goals ahead.
A few minutes later, Thomas Partey received the ball from Nelson and bent it into the corner past the defenseless Dean Henderson, putting the game in danger of turning into a rout.
For a while, Forest resisted, and it appeared that Arsenal would only receive four. But with ten minutes left, captain Martin Odegaard, who had been set up by Jesus, scored a goal for five.
Arsenal had a fantastic day, and as a result, they once again overtake Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. Forest, on the other hand, is still firmly rooted to the floor.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1)
GK: Aaron Ramsdale – 6/10
RB: Ben White – 7/10
CB: William Saliba – 6/10
CB: Gabriel – 7/10
LB: Takehiro Tomiyasu – 6/10
CM: Thomas Partey 8/10
CM: Granit Xhaka – 7/10
RW: Bukayo Saka – 7/10
CAM: Martin Odegaard – 8/10
LW: Gabriel Martinelli – 7/10
ST: Gabriel Jesus – 8/10
SUB: Reiss Nelson (27′ for Saka) – 9/10
SUB: Cedric (63′ for Tomiyasu) – 6/10
SUB: Fabio Vieira (63′ for Martinelli) – 6/10
SUB: Eddie Nketiah (75′ for Xhaka) – N/A
SUB: Kieran Tierney (76′ for Saliba) – N/A
Manager: Mikel Arteta – 8/10
Nottingham Forest (4-3-3)
GK: Dean Henderson – 6/10
RB: Serge Aurier – 5/10
CB: Steve Cook – 4/10
CB: Scott McKenna – 4/10
LB: Renan Lodi – 6/10
CM: Ryan Yates – 5/10
CM: Remo Freuler – 6/10
CM: Cheikhou Kouyate – 7/10
RW: Morgan Gibbs-White – 5/10
LW: Jesse Lingard – 5/10
ST: Taiwo Awoniyi – 5/10
SUB: Brennan Johnson (56′ for Gibbs-White) – 5/10
SUB: Emmanuel Dennis (56′ for Lingard) – 5/10
SUB: Joe Worrall (64′ for Awoniyi) – 6/10
SUB: Neco Williams (64′ for Lodi) – 7/10
SUB: Lewis O’Brien (81′ for Kouyate) – N/A
Manager: Steve Cooper – 6/10
Player of the Match: Reiss Nelson
