Arsenal failed to fully capitalise on Manchester City’s defeat as Nottingham Forest held the Premier League leaders to a 0-0 draw at the City Ground.

Arsenal missed a golden opportunity to open up a 9-point gap at the top of the Premier League table as they were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by a stubborn Nottingham Forest side battling at the other end of the standings.

Nottingham Forest showed early intent and almost caught Arsenal cold when Dominguez saw his close-range effort deflect wide after being picked out by Neco Williams. It was a brief warning for the Gunners, who struggled to settle in the opening stages.

Arsenal’s best chance of the first half fell to Martinelli, who will feel he should have done better after his angled effort slid narrowly past the far post. As the half wore on, Mikel Arteta’s side began to find a bit more rhythm, though Zubimendi’s miscue after a clever ball from Madueke summed up their lack of sharpness in the final third.

Forest remained disciplined and resilient, finishing the half strongly without carving out any clear-cut opportunities, but doing enough to keep Arsenal at arm’s length and visibly frustrate the league leaders.

Arteta looked to change the dynamic just before the hour mark, introducing Saka, Merino, and Jesus. Saka made an immediate impact, first helping Declan Rice test Sels, before being denied himself when the Forest goalkeeper produced an excellent save to tip his header wide.

Despite late pressure and a near miss from Merino, Forest held firm and even threatened a smash-and-grab winner when Gibbs-White fired wide from Hudson-Odoi’s cross. 

In the end, the spoils were shared, leaving Arsenal seven points clear at the summit and unbeaten in 11 games, while Forest can take heart from a hard-earned point that keeps them five clear of the bottom three.