Saturday 12 August 2023

Arsenal 2-1 Forest

Unconvincing, in a word, is what comes to mind after a largely uninspiring performance. Arsenal were in cruise control, in terms of possession, but should have created more chances to demonstrate their dominance.

With 'Sniffer' Nketiah starting, only a half-chance was needed for the opener. It was created by Martinelli's devious footwork and despatched by Nketiah with the aid of a deflection.

It was hardly a dream start for Forest's new keeper, Matt Turner, signed from Arsenal for £10m, to be picking the ball out of the net on his debut. Although he was wrong-footed, perhaps he could have done better.

There was nothing that could have stopped Saka from scoring the second, which sailed into the top left corner.

Arguably, Turner's best save was deny Rice, who must have thought he'd scored on his debut with a low drive that nearly crept inside the post.

Arsenal's uncanny ability to shoot themselves in the foot came to light again, as the Gunners ran out of steam, conceding a late consolation goal.

This led to a nervous end to a game that should have been put to bed.

In the final analysis, it's the points that count, so Arsenal will be glad to put this potential banana skin behind them, although there be concerns about the fitness of Timber, who sustained an injury.

No comments:

Post a Comment