Arsenal storm back into winning form.

London: Dominating the game against Nottingham Forest, and hitting three goals without reply, Arsenal secured their first win in five Premier League matches over a seven-week period. It brings them back into a challenging title position with Forest suffering their first away defeat in eight Premier League games.

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, said: “Really happy, I sensed a great energy in the last 48 hours to change the situation, to change what has been a different period for us. There was an enthusiasm and energy about it, total effort.”

He was particularly pleased with the performance of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, mentioning the “chemistry” between the two players. “That’s chemistry. Sometimes you meet somebody, straightaway you make eye contact and something flows.

“That’s the case with these two. When you put them together in the right spaces, things flourish and things happen naturally. With others, you try to force it and it doesn’t work.” He added, with regard to Odegaard who was back after injury sustained in September. “To have this kind of player in the team is always the right time.”

On Saka, whom he substituted shortly before the end of the game, he was concerned about him struggling with a groin issue.

Forest were put under pressure from the start and had the ball in their net after five minutes from Jurrien Timber, but a lengthy VAR check found Mikel Merino marginally offside. But in the 15th minute the Gunners shot into lead. An Odegaard shot at goal was blocked by Murello but soon after the Norwegian exchanged passes with Saka who then beat three defenders to hammer in a left-footed shot past keeper Matz Sels.

Forest missed chances when Callum Hudson-Odoi missed the ball in his attempt to kick when he had only the goalkeeper to beat and then Ryan Yates, the Forest captain, headed over over the bar.

Seven minutes after the break the Gunners doubled their lead. Thomas Partey was brought on to replace Jorginho who had received a yellow card. Saka advanced into the Forest box to lay the ball back to Partey, who from 20 yards, powerfully drove right-footed into the net.

Forest lifted their performance looking to reduce the deficit as they made several advances into the box but the Arsenal defence stood firm. Both sides brought on substitutes, Chris Wood and Ramon Sosa in the 63rd minute and Arteta sent Oleksandr Zinchenko on in the 67th minute and followed that in the 83rd minute with Raheem Stirling for Saka and Ethan Nwaneri for Odegaard.

Seventeen-year-old Nwaneri, made a quick impact. He combined with Stirling whose cut-back to the rookie was converted left-footed inside the far post in the 86th minute for the third goal. On Nwaneri, Arteta said: “I’m responsible for building a career for him. You have to do that brick by brick. If you want to put five in a row, believe me it won’t work.”

Forest manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, said: “They played well and we didn’t play so well. We did a lot of bad things. In two games we have conceded six goals, we should be worried.”