Arsenal win comfortably: Five things we learned from Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest | OneFootball

Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 in a dominant display that keeps them fourth in the league and in the hunt for the title. Here’s five things we learned:

Arsenal dominated proceedings

From the first whistle to the last, Arsenal were all over Forest and hardly let them breathe. The Gunners recycled the ball in the Forest half until they carved the chance for Bukayo Saka’s excellent finish. They never let up and Forest had no chances of note in the game. It was a very controlled performance from Mikel Arteta’s men that will do a lot to ease the nerves over their previous poor form.

Forest struggled to contain Saka

At different times, Forest had Alex Moreno and Nicolas Dominguez on Saka but neither could nullify him. The winger was rampant all through the game and his goal was a brilliant finish, from an angle where he really shouldn’t have scored.

Odegaard back to his best

Martin Odegaard was missed whilst injured and today’s game showed just how important he is to Arsenal. He ran the game and his link-up with Saka was brilliant throughout. The duo also worked in tandem for the Englishman’s goal. Forest didn’t have an answer to the threat he posed and he came away with an assist and a standing ovation.

Forest were disappointing

Coming into the game Forest were fifth in the league and level on points with Arsenal. Given the changed line-up that Arsenal put out and their poor form, many thought that Forest could have caused an upset. But it was anything but. They struggled to get any grip on the game and never really looked like scoring at any point.

Arsenal prioritising the Champions League

Arteta rested Partey, Rice, Havertz and Martinelli. For quite a big game, against a team in Forest who were in great form, this was a strange decision. Perhaps he had an eye on Tuesday’s game against Sporting Lisbon. The Gunners are currently 12th in the UCL table and finishing in the top eight is imperative, to avoid extra fixtures and complications.