Madueke’s late strike gives Arsenal a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest
Noni Madueke’s goal in the final minutes secured a 1-0 victory for Arsenal at the City Ground, allowing the champions to keep pace with Premier League leaders Manchester City. Mikel Arteta’s side were far from their best on Sunday, only finding a shot on target when Madueke scored ten minutes before the final whistle.
The win, though lacking flair, moved Arsenal within three points of City, who had defeated Ipswich 3-2 on Saturday. After a surprising 3-0 defeat at Brighton on 19 September, the second‑placed Gunners have rebounded with three straight wins, beating Leeds in the league, Lille in the Champions League, and now Forest in a hard‑fought match by the River Trent.
Arsenal have struggled to replicate the consistency that delivered their first title in 22 years last season, but they still possess the grit to scrape victories, marking their sixth win in seven league games. The team travel to Bayern Munich for a Champions League tie on Wednesday before hosting Everton in the Premier League the following weekend.
Forest, sitting third from bottom, have won only two of their last 17 home league matches, and manager Oliver Glasner has recorded a single top‑flight win in seven outings since taking charge in the close season.
Bukayo Saka’s cross forced Forest keeper Matz Sels to scramble for the ball, yet Arsenal could not find rhythm in the early stages. Forest’s Dan Ndoye tested Arsenal keeper David Raya from the far post, while Kai Havertz struck the side‑netting after a Martin Ødegaard pass opened up the Forest defence. Arteta grew increasingly frustrated as the first half dragged on.
England forward Eberechi Eze was substituted for Madueke at halftime, but the change did not produce an immediate spark. Forest striker Liam Delap missed a wide effort after a strong run. Arsenal’s possession remained sluggish, prompting Arteta to bring on Mikel Merino, Viktor Gyökeres and Jurrien Timber in an effort to revive the attack.
Midfielder Bruno Guimarães was also taken off after another muted display in only his second league start since arriving from Newcastle. Gabriel Magalhães headed over from a Declan Rice corner, and Delap could not find the net from Xaver Schlager’s pass. Ødegaard linked up with Timber, whose cross set up Rice, but Rice’s shot sailed over the bar, highlighting Arsenal’s lack of cutting edge.
For the first time since 2023, Arsenal failed to register a shot on target in the opening 70 minutes of a Premier League match. The deadlock finally broke in the 80th minute when Madueke cut in from the left, unleashed a powerful drive that deflected off Forest defender Jair Cunha and beat Sels. Forest defender Murillo came close to equalising when his effort flew over the bar.