Nottingham Forest and Arsenal shared 0-0 in a lackluster match at City Ground. This result made the "Gunners" miss the opportunity to increase the gap with Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
Before kick-off, Man City's defeat in the Manchester derby opened up an unprecedented opportunity for Mikel Arteta's team. However, Forest - the team struggling in the lower half of the table - entered the game with high determination and soon caused no less difficulties for the away team.
In the first minute, the home team almost had the opening goal when Nicolas Dominguez rushed in to finish from close range after Neco Williams' cross, but the ball went just wide of the post.
Arsenal controlled the ball superiorly but encountered many obstacles in deploying their familiar playing style. Gabriel Martinelli missed a notable opportunity with a curling shot that went wide of the goal, while Martin Zubimendi could not take advantage of Noni Madueke's delicate pass to create a difference.
Stepping into the second half, Arteta used three consecutive substitutions to strengthen the attacking front, including the appearance of Bukayo Saka. Declan Rice and Saka successively tested the talent of goalkeeper Matz Sels, but the Forest goalkeeper had an excellent match day.
In the opposite direction, the home team also caused Arsenal's defense to falter many times. Morgan Gibbs-White almost created a surprise with a shot that went wide of the goal after a dangerous cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Neither side was sharp enough to decide the match, so the two teams accepted a goalless draw after 90 minutes of scuffle.
With this draw, Arsenal continues to lead the rankings with a gap of 7 points and extend their unbeaten streak to 11 matches in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest may be satisfied with a valuable point, helping them widen the gap to 5 points compared to the relegation group.
