Madueke strikes late as Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 1-0

Arsenal secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday, 18 October 2026, thanks to an 80th-minute winner from substitute Noni Madueke.

• The England winger broke the deadlock when his shot took a deflection off Forest defender Jair Cunha, wrong-footing goalkeeper Matz Sels and finding the net.

• 
  

The goal came from Arsenal's only shot on target in a closely contested Premier League encounter, giving Mikel Arteta's side three valuable points despite a frustrating attacking performance.

The result moved Arsenal to 18 points, three behind league leaders Manchester City, while Nottingham Forest slipped into the relegation zone following another disappointing home result.

Arsenal struggle to break down resilient Forest defence

Arsenal dominated possession for much of the opening half but struggled to create clear scoring opportunities against a disciplined Nottingham Forest defence.

The visitors threatened from set pieces, with Gabriel's effort in the 26th minute taking a deflection before Ousmane Diomande cleared the ball near the goal line.

Kai Havertz had another opportunity in the 37th minute, but his header from a Declan Rice free-kick went wide.

Forest, meanwhile, looked dangerous on the counterattack.

In the 19th minute, a mistake by Riccardo Calafiori presented Dan Ndoye with an opportunity, but the Forest forward could only direct his effort into the side netting.

Despite Arsenal's greater share of possession, neither side managed a shot on target before half-time.

Madueke delivers decisive breakthrough

Arteta introduced Madueke at the beginning of the second half, replacing Eberechi Eze in an attempt to inject greater attacking urgency.

Forest continued to frustrate the visitors, with Liam Delap going close in the 54th minute when his effort took a deflection and went wide.

Arsenal made three further substitutions in the 66th minute, introducing Jurrien Timber, Viktor Gyökeres and Mikel Merino.

The breakthrough eventually arrived in the 80th minute.

Madueke moved inside from the left flank and struck towards goal. His effort deflected off Jair Cunha, leaving goalkeeper Sels unable to adjust as the ball entered the net.

The goal rewarded Arsenal's persistence, although the visitors had struggled to create meaningful chances throughout the match.

Forest miss late chances to rescue a point

Nottingham Forest responded by pushing forward in search of an equaliser, creating several opportunities during the closing stages.

In the 89th minute, Callum Hudson-Odoi set up Chris Wood, but Declan Rice intervened to block the striker's attempt.

Forest defender Murillo then produced one of the most threatening attacking moments of the match in stoppage time.

The Brazilian carried the ball forward through Arsenal's defensive lines before curling a shot narrowly wide in the second minute of added time.

Moments later, Ezri Konsa made an important defensive challenge to prevent Liam Delap from creating another clear opportunity.

Those missed chances proved costly for Oliver Glasner's side, who finished the match without scoring and remained without a home league goal this season.

Arsenal maintain pressure on Manchester City

The victory strengthened Arsenal's position near the top of the Premier League standings as they continued their pursuit of leaders Manchester City.

Arteta's team had entered the fixture following victories over Leeds United and Lille, results that helped restore momentum after an earlier defeat to Brighton.

Although Arsenal struggled to convert possession into clear chances against Forest, their ability to secure a win from a difficult away fixture demonstrated the importance of decisive contributions from substitutes.

For Nottingham Forest, the defeat added to growing concerns about attacking efficiency.

Before the match, Forest had scored only five league goals from 106 attempts, according to Sky Sports' pre-match analysis.

Their inability to capitalise on late opportunities against Arsenal continued that pattern and left the club facing further pressure near the bottom of the standings.

Arsenal will next host Everton in the Premier League on 24 October, while Nottingham Forest are scheduled to visit Ipswich Town on 23 October.