Arsenal missed the chance to move nine points clear in the Premier League title race after being held by Nottingham Forest, with Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres both wasting big openings in a game that never fully caught fire.
The Gunners looked flat for long spells and struggled to build any real momentum, even though they had enough of the ball and the better moments. Forest stayed organised, defended in numbers and made it hard for Mikel Arteta’s side to play through the middle, forcing Arsenal into a slower rhythm than they wanted.
Arsenal’s clearest opportunities came when they did manage to get in behind, but the finishing did not match the work to create them. Martinelli had a big chance to put the visitors ahead yet could not take it, while Gyokeres also had an opening that should have brought a goal and changed the game.
Forest, meanwhile, were content to keep their shape and pick their moments, doing enough to disrupt Arsenal’s flow and ensure the match stayed tight. Arsenal pushed for a late winner, but the cutting edge did not arrive, and the points were shared.
As revealed in the player ratings after the match, the frustration for Arsenal was not just the missed chances but the overall lack of intensity, with the team never reaching their usual level and paying the price in the title race opportunity they let slip.
