Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 at the Emirates today, and here are five talking points from the game.
The Gunners got off to a perfect start to the new season. We looked really good for the most part today, and goals from Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka in the first half sealed the win.
5 talking points as Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 2-1
Gabriel Martinelli looks hungry
Gabriel Martinelli kept his place in the Arsenal side despite Leandro Trossard’s incredible form, and he was fantastic.
Why Pele Is Overrated.
The Brazilian didn’t see too much of the ball very early in the game, but it was his incredible run and outrageous turn that helped Nketiah score our opener. Gabi looked like a man trying to prove a point today, and we think he did.
Put some respect on Eddie Nketiah’s name
Right after Gabriel Jesus’ injury, numerous people started urging Mikel Arteta to sign a new striker. Nobody quite believed Nketiah could deliver – even though he did in the exact same scenario after the World Cup last season.
MORE ARSENAL STORIES
The 24-year-old scored a very good goal and we think he deserves more respect. Darren Bent does too.
Rice Rice Baby
Declan Rice made his Premier League debut for Arsenal today, and he was fantastic.
The Englishman got on the ball well, was tidy with his passes and looked at home. His defensive awareness is truly sensational, and he’ll only get better in the coming years.
What’s going on with Big Gabi?
The biggest surprise going into the game today was Gabriel Magalhaes’ absence. The big Brazilian’s 73-game run of consecutive Premier League starts came to an end, and Arteta made it clear before the game that it was completely tactical.
The Arsenal boss’ tactics definitely worked, but we’re not sure the game would’ve gone any differently had Gabriel started at the back. Really strange decision from Arteta, but we trust him.
Needless chaos
One thing Arsenal did many times last season is giving a dead team some hope. We did that again today by allowing Anthony Elanga to run the length of the pitch and assist Taiwo Awoniyi to score when Forest looked down and out.
That goal didn’t affect the result in the end, but it just made the final few minutes needlessly more chaotic. We can’t keep doing that, especially at home.