Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction
Follow all the action from Emirates Stadium
Arsenal thrashed Nottingham Forest 5-0 at the Emirates on Sunday to return to the top of the Premier League, but the win may have come at a cost after Bukayo Saka limped off midway through the first half.
Saka’s replacement Reiss Nelson scored a brace to go with goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard. But the injury to the winger will be a major concern for manager Mikel Arteta and his England counterpart Gareth Southgate three weeks ahead of the start of the World Cup in Qatar.
Arsenal move to 31 points from their 12 games, two ahead of Manchester City, while an outclassed Forest remain rooted to the bottom of the table with nine points having played a game more.
Saka was excellent in the opening minutes and it was his cross that was headed into the net by Martinelli for the opener, but he went down injured shortly afterwards after a challenge from Forest’s Renan Lodi. Saka tried to continue but came off after 27 minutes.
Arsenal should have been further ahead at halftime but made sure of the points within the first 15 minutes of the second period as Nelson scored twice in quick succession, before Partey netted a stunning fourth with a curling shot from outside the box. Odegaard later blasted into the top corner from close-range.
Arsenal’s next Premier League fixture is a trip across London to Chelsea next Sunday, while Forest host Brentford the day before.
Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest
ARSENAL SUBS: Kiernan Tierney, Eddie Nketiah, Rob Holding, Cedric Soares, Fabio Vieira, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Reiss Nelson, Marquinhos, Karl Hein.
Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest
ARSENAL (4-3-3): Aaron Ramsdale; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Takehiro Tomiyasu; Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka; Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli.
Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest
Forest secured a huge result last week to defeat Liverpool at the City Ground. Taiwo Awoniyi scored the only goal of the game to give the Midlands outfit a massive lift in their battle against the drop. However, the other sides in and around Forest have also started to accumulate points, leaving them bottom once again. Steve Cooper needs another stellar performance from his side this time on the round against a quality opponent.
Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest
Arsenal saw a run of four-straight wins halted in the Premier League by Southampton last week. The Gunners are trailing Manchester City by one point at the top of the table, but can leapfrog their rivals to retake their place at the summit with a win. Mikel Arteta's men did suffer a 2-0 defeat against PSV Eindhoven in the Europa League during the week. Arteta will be eyeing a return to winning ways to maintain their impressive start to the campaign.
Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest
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