Arsenal Held to a Stalemate by Resilient Forest as Title Aspirations Take Another Hit

Arsenal’s aspirations for the Premier League title took another hit as they were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. This result leaves Forest with only one victory from their last five league matches.

With both teams struggling for form—Forest’s lacking momentum and Arsenal’s attack devoid of a central presence—it came as little surprise that chances were hard to come by in a tight matchup. Early in the game, both Riccardo Calafiori and Nikola Milenkovic received seemingly unnecessary yellow cards, but it was Calafiori, taking the place of the suspended Myles Lewis-Skelly, who created the best opportunity of the first half.

Displaying remarkable poise, Calafiori turned Nicolas Domínguez inside the penalty area and attempted a shot at the far corner with his weaker foot, but the home fans heaved a sigh of relief as the ball ricocheted off the post.

As the first half progressed, neither goalkeeper faced a significant challenge, with just one shot on target registered by either side. Both managers would have certainly called for improvements at halftime.

The difference was most noticeable within Mikel Arteta’s squad, as only a stunning save from Matz Sels prevented a close-range header from an unmarked Mikel Merino at the back post. This opportunity stemmed from a corner, with the division’s set-piece specialists back in action soon after, when substitute Kieran Tierney narrowly missed the target with a header from a Martin Odegaard cross.

Despite a sustained spell of pressure from Arsenal, the goals didn’t materialise. Forest’s Chris Wood finally tested David Raya with a shot after being set up by Morgan Gibbs-White, but moments later, he was thwarted in a one-on-one situation by a superb last-ditch tackle from William Saliba.

That marked the extent of Forest’s attacking threat, while Arsenal’s lack of quality proved costly as the match ended in a stalemate, a result that benefits neither team.

Forest may currently sit in third place, but their position in the top four is increasingly precarious with only two points separating them from those in pursuit. Meanwhile, Arsenal risks falling further behind in the title race after enduring a second consecutive match without a win.