Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal once again faced difficulties against a Sean Dyche team, and this recent setback comes with a toll on their morale.
The Gunners entered the City Ground aiming to extend their Premier League lead to nine points following a loss by Manchester City. With Liverpool also dropping points on Saturday, Arsenal only needed to secure a win against the 17th-placed team in the league.
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However, Arteta’s revamped attack failed to find the net against Forest, prompting him to call upon his star substitutes. While there were some improvements, it wasn’t enough to change the 0-0 scoreline, leaving them seven points ahead of City and Aston Villa.
Dyche’s inaugural match against Arsenal as Forest’s manager mirrored some of his past encounters with the Gunners during his tenures at Burnley and Everton. With this draw, Dyche’s record against Arteta improves to 2 wins, 5 draws, and 4 losses, with the last two being draws in a stretch of six clean sheets.
Mikel Arteta reacts to Arsenal’s struggles and missed opportunity in title race
What are your thoughts on the draw? “We aimed to win. We anticipated it would be a challenging match. We created four significant chances and had a clear penalty.”
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Was the ball in play regarding the penalty decision? “It’s a clear intention to keep the ball in play, so it should be a penalty. I don’t understand why it’s not been awarded.”
Was the outcome disappointing given other league results? “We could have performed better. Similar situations are affecting every team, but we need to improve. When we create four clear opportunities, we must capitalize on them.”
Was your squad unable to find the spark to score? “They are eager to succeed. It’s about creating those moments. Credit to Forest, they were well-organized and effectively disrupted our flow.”
Saka’s near goal thwarted by a great save from Sels? “Absolutely, and there was also a massive chance for Gabby with an open goal. Declan had a big opportunity too, as did Mikel. We need to finish those chances to win, but we couldn’t get the job done.”