Arsenal’s lack of firepower costs them again in goalless draw with Nottingham Forest | OneFootball

Arsenal once again showed just how difficult it is to win games of football in the Premier League without a fit and firing centre-forward after being held to a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest.

Mikel Arteta had spoken of his pride in his Arsenal players ahead of the game for what they have still managed to do this season despite the circumstances, which include a raft of attacking injuries and having five players sent off on separate occasions.

That did not stop the Nottingham Forest fans from basking in Arsenal’s title dreams seemingly being over for another year. A chorus of “Mikel Arteta, it’s happened again,” greeted the Gunners boss at the City Ground and he would certainly have experienced an element of déjà vu in this performance.

Arsenal huffed and puffed, dominated possession, but failed to take any of the chances they did manage to create, while also struggling to turn their possession into enough clear-cut opportunities too.

Riccardo Calafiori had the best chance of the first half, and the entire game, when he struck the post with a superb curling effort which looked like it had Matz Sels beaten and was inches from clipping the inside of the woodwork and rebounding in.

Calafiori looked Arsenal’s main threat in the opening 45 minutes, starting at left-back but moving infield when his side had possession high up the pitch and was almost playing as a striker at times – perhaps one of the “solutions” Mikel Arteta has so often spoken about to his team’s devastating injuries across the frontline.

It was a surprise, then, to see Calafiori replaced at half-time. The Italian defender had picked up a yellow card early on in proceedings and his attacking work had left his team vulnerable down Forest’s right on occasion, including when Callum Hudson-Odoi was denied a penalty after going down under pressure from Calafiori in the box having skipped past him with ease, but his side looked less of a threat in open play after he went off.

Arsenal lacked a cutting edge but at least looked dangerous, unlike Forest in the first half who have undergone a dip lately which has seen them lose the last two games in the league, against Fulham and fellow Champions League chasers Newcastle.

It has been a phenomenal season for Forest so far, who have been the biggest surprises this campaign after narrowly avoiding relegation last term and are now genuine contenders for a European spot. But Nuno Espirito Santo’s side look to be lacking the same energy and directness that has caused teams so many problems this season.

Even with Arsenal’s struggles in attack, they can always be counted upon to cause problems from corners and they very nearly had the lead from one of Declan Rice’s now trademark whipped balls in when Mikel Merino, starting out of position as a number nine again, leapt high at the back post to head towards goal and force a good save out of Sels at the start of the second half.

Chris Wood had been unusually quiet for a man who has scored 18 Premier League goals so far this campaign but was presented with a golden chance with just over 20 minutes to go when David Raya palmed away his strike from a difficult angle in the box.

It was by no means an easy chance but with the form he is in you would have certainly bet on him to find the back of the net, and it would have undoubtedly served as a cruel reminder of exactly what the Gunners are missing at present.

Arsenal’s frustrations were compounded when Martin Odegaard somehow managed not to find the back of the net from close range by a combination of goalkeeper and defence, only for the offside flag to go up. Gunners fans would have been wishing the flag would have gone up earlier so they did not have to watch further evidence of just how blunt in attack their side are at present.

And Mikel Arteta was once again left to ponder what could have been achievable with all of his attacking players fit this season, and perhaps if they had taken a risk by bringing in another forward in the January transfer window.