Saka stunner seals Arsenal victory despite late Nottingham Forest rally
Even if one of Arsenal’s revamped systems ran aground, the one everybody had come to see turned out to be in decent working order. If this season is to be an enervating exercise in keeping pace with Manchester City then they got the first part more or less right, beating Nottingham Forest while playing enough of the hits to suggest their star turns are back with renewed appetite.
The vast majority of fans had taken their positions by kick-off but any stragglers would, at least from a home perspective, have missed little in the first 25 minutes. Their side dominated possession and territory, to nobody’s surprise, but should have gone behind after the kind of defensive lapse that marred their run-in last season. A simple header forward escaped Saliba and meant Brennan Johnson, running clear, should have tested Aaron Ramsdale at the barest minimum. Johnson missed his chance, sidefooting high and wide, and it felt like the kind of opening Forest could ill afford to spurn.
Arsenal managed to hang on for all three points and truth be told, they deserve them. Forest leave a beaten side but have plenty of positives to mull over on their way home to Nottingham.
— Inside Pitakwa (@PitakwaJobzilla) August 12, 2023
Arteta had opted to rest Gabriel Magalhães, moving Ben White to centre-back and pulling the rest of his starting XI around as a consequence. Thomas Partey was deployed as a right-back given to infield incursions, Kai Havertz tasked with an attacking midfield berth and Nketiah invited to lead the line
Weakness with the ball at his feet was one of Arsenal’s major reservations about Turner, who upheld that impression with an attempted clearance that cannoned into Nketiah and away. He was helpless when his colleague took aim in a more orthodox situation, though. Gabriel Martinelli was the goal’s architect with a sublime piece of play, taking out Serge Aurier and Danilo with an elaborate spin and backheel on the left of the area. The latter movement located Nketiah, who had space to drill past Turner via a sizable snick off Joe Worrall.
Now Arsenal looked too fast, too crisp and too confident. Saka’s ripping finish doubled the lead six minutes later and seemed to end the contest, the sense remaining that the hosts had something in reserve.
A winning start for Arsenal 💪🔴 pic.twitter.com/5JjsZhy9dU
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 12, 2023
On another rare Forest foray Aurier incurred Morgan Gibbs-White’s wrath by spooning a pointless centre into Ramsdale’s arms when his teammate was free, but it was as alarming as things got before half-time. Declan Rice saw plenty of possession on his first competitive start as Arsenal worked the ball smartly without especially threatening to extend their lead.
What seemed likely to be a second-half stroll in the sun was slightly clouded for Arsenal five minutes after the interval when Jurrien Timber, another hitherto impressive newcomer at left-back, pulled up and was swiftly replaced by Takehiro Tomiyasu. The concern for Arteta was that, from there, proceedings took on a pre-season hue until the substitute Awoniyi gave them an edge few could have foreseen. Rice smiled ruefully as Turner tipped a deflected shot on to the post and then parried a curious, bobbled effort. At the time, it seemed to matter little that Arsenal had not turned the screw.
Then Anthony Elanga, freshly introduced, carried the ball 60 yards down the left flank at speed and flashed across a low centre that Awoniyi converted emphatically. The goal had hardly been signposted and the Emirates, in a lull since the break, woke up. The home faithful were almost aghast when Gibbs-White blasted over but, while Steve Cooper threw on the cavalry for seven minutes of added time, they could belatedly depart feeling relief.
