Noni Madueke's deflected late strike gives Arsenal 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest

Arsenal ground out a 1-0 Premier League win at Nottingham Forest on Sunday, with half-time substitute Noni Madueke settling a tight contest ten minutes from the end. His angled shot took a deflection on its way past Matz Sels, and the three points lifted Mikel Arteta's side back into second place. The match kicked off at 4.30pm in England, which was 11.30pm on Sunday night in Malaysia.

A patient afternoon at the City Ground

Arsenal had most of the ball from the first whistle, with around three-quarters of possession, but Forest kept their shape and gave the visitors very little room. For all their territory, Arsenal's expected-goals figure finished at only about 1.07, which shows how hard clear openings were to find.

Arteta made his key change at the interval, taking off Eberechi Eze, who was making a rare start, and sending on Madueke. The best Arsenal chance before the breakthrough fell to Declan Rice in the 73rd minute: Jurrien Timber overlapped down the flank and set him up in a good position, but the England midfielder fired over.

Madueke makes the difference

The winner came in the 80th minute. Madueke, who had already beaten his full-back on the outside several times, cut inside from the left and shot from a tight angle. The ball struck Forest defender Jair Cunha and flew past Sels. Afterwards the winger explained that he had decided to come inside because the outside route had been working all afternoon.

Madueke praised his team-mates' "grit, determination, and I think we showed a champion's spirit," NBC Sports reported. Arteta made a similar point, noting that Arsenal had not managed to win this fixture in either of the previous two seasons and admitting that the margins had been small.

Rice shines at both ends

Rice was the busiest player on the pitch, with 113 touches and 57 of 58 passes completed. He also made the decisive defensive contribution. In the 89th minute Forest broke quickly and Chris Wood met a cross, but the New Zealander tried to adjust onto his other foot and Rice slid across to block. Forest created a few promising situations after falling behind but did not manage a shot on target in that spell. Morgan Gibbs-White did not feature for Oliver Glasner's side.

What it means for the table

Arsenal now have 18 points from seven matches, three behind leaders Manchester City, who have won all seven of their games. Brighton, 5-0 winners over Crystal Palace earlier on Sunday, are third on 16. At the other end, Forest have one win, two draws and four defeats, and with Fulham, Bournemouth and Aston Villa all winning this weekend, they have dropped into the bottom three on five points.

There is little time to rest. Arsenal travel to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday (3am Thursday, Malaysia time), having won both of their opening league-phase games, before hosting Everton on Saturday. Forest are in action first, away at Ipswich Town on Friday night.

Key takeaways

• Noni Madueke, a half-time substitute, scored the only goal in the 80th minute with a deflected shot.
• Arsenal had about 75% of the ball but generated only around 1.07 expected goals.
• Declan Rice completed 57 of 58 passes and blocked a late Chris Wood chance.
• Arsenal are second on 18 points, three behind Manchester City; Forest are in the bottom three.
• Arsenal visit Bayern Munich on Wednesday, then host Everton on Saturday.

FAQ

Who scored for Arsenal against Nottingham Forest? Noni Madueke scored the only goal in the 80th minute. His shot from the left was deflected in off Forest defender Jair Cunha.

Where are Arsenal in the Premier League table? Arsenal are second with 18 points from seven games, three points behind leaders Manchester City and two ahead of third-placed Brighton.

What time is Bayern Munich v Arsenal in Malaysia? The Champions League match at the Allianz Arena kicks off at 9pm local time on Wednesday 21 October, which is 3am on Thursday 22 October in Malaysia.

Sources: NBC Sports, ESPN, Sky Sports, Football Web Pages, UEFA