12:00 PM ET
Connor O'Halloran
LONDON -- Arsenal bushed Nottingham Forest 5-0 connected Sunday to determination backmost connected apical of the Premier League array up of Manchester City.
- Stream connected ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, much (U.S.)
Arsenal took the pb aboriginal connected arsenic Gabriel Martinelli headed location successful the 5th minute, but the Gunners suffered an wounded stroke arsenic winger Bukayo Saka limped disconnected successful the archetypal half. His replacement Reiss Nelson bagged 2 goals aboriginal successful the 2nd half, earlier Thomas Partey's rocket made it 4-0 wrong an hour. Martin Odegaard past enactment immoderate gloss connected the scoreline successful the 78th minute.
ESPN's Connor O'Halloran has absorption and investigation from Emirates Stadium.
JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Postmatch quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures
Rapid reaction
1. Nelson stakes his assertion to assistance regenerate injured Saka
Saka began the crippled successful outstanding form, proving a changeless menace connected the close side, but the England winger landed awkwardly nether a unsmooth situation from Forest left-back Renan Lodi connected 17 minutes that caused him to limp to the touchline. It looked for a infinitesimal similar it whitethorn person conscionable been a scare, but helium went down again soon aft and a subordinate of the Arsenal aesculapian squad walked implicit to manager Mikel Arteta to pass him Saka needed to beryllium substituted.
The England international, who volition beryllium looking up to adjacent month's World Cup, has played a batch of shot this season. He has started successful each but 1 of Arsenal's 11 erstwhile Premier League games this season, arsenic good arsenic making appearances successful each 5 Europa League ties, with his creativity and dynamism 1 of the pillars upon which Arteta's turnaround has been built. And so, Arteta's prime of replacement was significant.
Nelson, who hadn't played a infinitesimal successful the Premier League this season, got the motion -- up of Brazilian teen Marquinhos and €35 cardinal summertime signing Fabio Vieira -- and helium delivered successful style. Nelson stole the amusement successful the 2nd fractional with a well-taken archetypal extremity earlier adding a 2nd moments aboriginal arsenic helium arrived astatine the close clip to prod location a transverse from Gabriel Jesus. It was an absorbing prime of replacement, but 1 that paid off.
It is unclear the grade of Saka's injury, but should helium miss immoderate magnitude of clip past Arsenal volition request Nelson to proceed to supply much performances similar helium did successful the 2nd half.
2. Arsenal 'reset' successful benignant aft PSV collapse
Arteta looked a small dejected aft the midweek decision astatine PSV successful the Europa League and spoke of needing a "reset." The Gunners had edged their mode to 3 wins against Bodo/Glimt, Leeds United and PSV, past slumped to a uncommon 1-1 gully against Southampton earlier collapsing 2-0 against PSV successful the instrumentality game.
So, facing a Forest broadside inactive buzzing from an upset triumph implicit Liverpool, it was clip for Arsenal to amusement the newfound mentality their players person spoken of each season. And it took conscionable a fistful of minutes to show conscionable that.
Arteta's broadside were up wrong 5 minutes arsenic Martinelli headed successful a superb transportation from Saka. The quick-fire second-half treble from Nelson fundamentally enactment the crippled to furniture earlier midfielder Partey got successful connected the enactment with a superb onslaught from the borderline of the box. Arsenal scored a 5th done a left-footed rocket from Odegaard connected 78 minutes.
In truth, Arsenal ne'er looked troubled successful defence, and their attacking efforts were overmuch much objective than successful weeks past. The reset Arteta requested was duly delivered.
A comfy triumph implicit Forest could beryllium seen arsenic much-needed respite for a broadside that had begun to look a tad jaded. Next they indispensable polish disconnected their Europa League radical with a triumph implicit FC Zurich, and past look Chelsea and Wolves successful their last 2 Premier League games earlier the World Cup. Wins determination would mean Arsenal spell into the interruption astatine the apical of the array and guarantee their stellar commencement to the play remains firmly intact.
If they person hopes of a rubric challenge, staying up of Manchester City arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable implicit the coming months volition beryllium key.
3. Forest request to hole distant signifier ... and goals
Forest's grounds transportation spending and torrid Premier League signifier supply stark viewing. The recently promoted broadside signed a whopping 23 players this summertime with implicit £150m successful spending, but it has not gone to plan. A dismal tally has near them astatine the bottommost of the array with conscionable 2 wins -- implicit West Ham successful August and against Liverpool past weekend.
Maybe it is pugnacious to justice Forest successful games against Liverpool and Arsenal wherever they were ever expected to struggle, but the quality of Sunday's 5-0 decision volition interest manager Steve Cooper. A precocious extremity from Brennan Johnson against Everton stands arsenic their lone distant extremity truthful acold this season. The City Ground has not been overmuch of a fortress, either.
It paints a grim picture. The information the nine sacked their caput of recruitment George Syrianos and caput of scouting Andy Scott earlier this period points to a summertime of regret, and that was laid bare astatine the Emirates arsenic 2 of their big-name arrivals from that play -- Jesse Lingard and Morgan Gibbs-White -- enactment successful pedestrian performances.
That indispensable present beryllium enactment successful the past: The squad is what they person until January astatine least, and they indispensable get backmost connected the way to survival.
Player ratings
Arsenal: Ramsdale 6, Gabriel 7, Saliba 7, Tomiyasu 7, White 7, Partey 8, Xhaka 8, Odegaard 8, Gabriel Jesus 8, Gabriel Martinelli 7, Saka 7.
Subs: Nelson 9, Tierney N/A, Nketiah N/A, Soares N/A, Viera N/A.
Forest: Henderson 6, McKenna 5, Cook 5, Lodi 6, Aurier 5, Freuler 6, Kouyate 6, Yates 6, Awoniyi 5, Lingard 5, Gibbs-White 5.
Subs: Johnson 6, Dennis 6, Worrall N/A, O'Brien N/A, Williams N/A.
Best and worst performers
BEST: Reiss Nelson
Despite his tiny stature, Saka's exit connected 27 minutes near large boots to fill, and Nelson passed the trial with flying colours. It was his archetypal Premier Leaue quality this play and the 22-year-old could beryllium to beryllium a worthwhile understudy should Saka miss time.
WORST: Jesse Lingard
The erstwhile England planetary did precise small successful what could person been the benignant of counter-attacking crippled wherever helium usually thrives. Manager Steve Cooper subbed him disconnected aft 56 minutes, and helium was not missed.
Highlights and notable moments
Arsenal took the pb done Martinelli's header.
— NBC Sports EDGE Betting (@NBCSportsBet) October 30, 2022Then Saka went disconnected injured, which had England and Arsenal fans holding their breath.
Saka has travel disconnected successful an evident wounded against Nottingham Forest 🤕
The World Cup is little than a period away. pic.twitter.com/Ut1REEqXj1
Substitute Nelson made his lawsuit for much minutes with 2 goals.
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 30, 2022Partey and Odegaard past struck 2 fantastic efforts location to marque things safe.
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 30, 2022 — NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 30, 2022After the match: What the players and managers said
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Key stats (via ESPN Stats & Info)
- Coming into Sunday, Arsenal, Manchester City and Lens were the lone teams that person won each of their league location games successful Europe's Top 5 leagues.
- Arsenal were looking to commencement the Premier League play with 6 location wins for the archetypal clip since 2017-18, erstwhile they won the archetypal 7 location games of the season.
- Martinelli scored his 5th extremity of the play successful his 12th game... helium scored 6 goals successful 29 appearances past season.
- Arsenal person allowed conscionable 3 archetypal fractional goals this season... lone Newcastle, PSG, Rennes, Atalanta, and Lazio person allowed less successful Europe's Top 5 leagues this play (2 each.)
- Nelson scored his archetypal Premier League extremity since July 15, 2020 (vs. Liverpool.) And past got different soon after.
- Nelson scored his 2nd vocation club-level brace and archetypal since October 2018 with Hoffenheim (on loan) successful Bundesliga.
- Forest person scored conscionable 1 extremity successful their 7 distant games truthful far, conceding 19.
- Gabriel Jesus whitethorn not person scored today, but helium has assisted 13 goals successful the Premier League since the commencement of past season, the third-most of immoderate subordinate aft Kevin De Bruyne (17) and Mohamed Salah (16).
Up next
Arsenal: The Gunners caput to Chelsea adjacent play astatine 7 a.m. ET. They big Brighton successful the EFL Cup successful midweek, past their last crippled earlier the World Cup is against 19th-placed Wolves connected Nov. 12 astatine 2.45 p.m. ET.
Nottingham Forest: After a mates of pugnacious distant trips, Forest are astatine location for their adjacent 3 games. They look Brentford and Crystal Palace adjacent successful the Premier League and big Tottenham successful the EFL Cup successful between.
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