"This game was summed up neatly in the 82nd minute when two Nottingham Forest players hunted down Gabriel Jesus as the Arsenal substitute tried to see the ball out for a throw-in. Elliot Anderson was not settling for that, crashing into the tackle that actually won his team the restart. Sixty yards down the touchline, Sean Dyche's hands went clapping above his head; Mikel Arteta reached his out to either side, palms raised to the skies in incredulity."
"Yet such is the way of this season. Just as the opportunity knocked, with Manchester City losing to Manchester United earlier in the day, for Arsenal to stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points, with Nottingham Forest seemingly on the ropes with only one win in six previous games, up comes the underdog with a performance to sum up this manager."
"Who, 12 months ago, would have thought Arsenal would be seeking to stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points from this game, after both Liverpool and City faltered, or that Forest would be looking over their shoulder at the relegation places? Then again, who would have thought Dyche would be lambasting Matz Sels after his goalkeeper ignored his plea to pass the ball short to his centre-half, going long instead? These are strange times at the City Ground."
An 82nd-minute scramble saw Elliot Anderson win possession from Gabriel Jesus, with Sean Dyche and Mikel Arteta reacting emphatically on the touchline. Manchester City's earlier loss offered Arsenal a chance to extend their lead to nine points, but Nottingham Forest delivered a resilient, disruptive display. Arsenal failed to score for a second consecutive match, a rare occurrence since 2022/23, and both instances involved Forest. Forest moved five points clear of the bottom three and face a Europa League knockout tie at Braga shortly. The match reflected shifting fortunes, surprising results, and the unpredictability of the season.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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