Arsenal's Jesus and Saka end Arteta's unhappy run at Nottingham Forest | first division

Mikel Arteta could feel his City Ground nightmares floating away. He had been here twice before as Arsenal manager, losing both times and with degrees of ignominy. He was Exit from the FA Cup in 2022, after which he ranted in the locker room about his players' attitude (footage courtesy of Amazon Prime). And then him Defeat in the first division at the end of last season, officially ending his team's title fight.

Arteta needed something to keep the spark of Arsenal's challenge for the trophy they so covet going. And during the first 45 minutes, when his players passed and passed but seemed curiously reluctant to shoot, it was possible to fear that more frustration might arise.

Arsenal shattered that idea, proving that patience is a virtue, launching quick strikes after the hour that proved enough, even though Nuno Espírito Santo's Nottingham Forest fought until the end. The Portuguese coach has led his team to victory about Newcastle and manchester united so far in his brief mandate. Arsenal went too far.

The opening goal was Arsenal's 14th from a set-piece in the league this season, an Oleksandr Zinchenko throw-in that found Gabriel Jesus in space, but in truth it will be remembered as a horror show for Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner, a former Arsenal player.

Jesús knew the angle was unfavorable when he shot, near the baseline, but the ball went between Turner's legs and grazed the inside of one of them. It seemed as if Arsenal were trying to score the perfect goal; an ugly one tasted just as sweet.

Jesús, who overcame the pain of a knee injury to declare himself fit, became the creator of the second, playing in Bukayo Saka for a clinical finish after Gonzalo Montiel had invited a quick transition with a careless pass and that seemed be everything.

For a while he was, although Forest made him very nervous in the final minutes, Arsenal's investigation after the final whistle showed a heated confrontation between Zinchenko and Ben White. They had to be separated. Arteta said he loved how his players “demanded more from each other…they weren't happy with the way they conceded”.

Arteta certainly wouldn't have been delighted if Taiwo Awoniyi, at half-time in his first match since mid-November, had scored an injury-time equaliser. The striker had made it one in the 89th minute after seeing Montiel head past William Saliba before beating David Raya.

Now he volleyed towards goal, the ball coming to rest after Morgan Gibbs-White returned a half-cleared corner into the area. A decent save from Raya was needed to prevent Arteta's “bad experiences” at this stadium, as he had called them on Monday, from continuing.

“What happened last year was still in our stomachs,” Arteta said. “I could feel the players talking about it. Coming to that locker room really reminds you. “We wanted to fix it.”

Forest were happy for Arsenal to play in front of them, even looking for low passes down the channels. What they knew they had to do was defend their area, gather men around any visiting player who made it that far. Not many did in the first half, and Forest's hard work saw Arsenal do the same.

There was a moment midway through the first half when a high ball fell to Arteta in his technical area and he killed it with a Cruyff-style control. It was tempting to wonder if it would be better for him on the field because his players were struggling; too slow with their movements, too predictable with his patterns.

Forest offered little in the way of attacking force before the interval, save for a Chris Wood shot that was blocked by Zinchenko after a Gibbs-White burst and a Danilo shot that rose too high.

Arsenal dominated territorially but the chances in the first half were few. The pulse-pounding moment came in the 44th minute, when Zinchenko poked in a low ball and, after Murillo failed to clear, Emile Smith Rowe, starting in just his second league game all season, pushed in Saka. His shot was blocked by Murillo.

Nuno wanted Awoniyi to link up in the second half with Gibbs-White, who looked good when advancing with possession. But it was Arsenal who raised the urgency. Saka worked with Turner and Jesus announced the breakthrough, hitting the post as he set himself gloriously after an excellent team move involving Saka and Martin Ødegaard.

Arsenal would assert their superiority. The next game for them is Liverpool at home on Sunday. “Now we have some momentum,” Arteta said. “Now go, go, go.”