Arsenal missed a chance to widen the Premier League gap and left the City Ground frustrated, as Mikel Arteta claimed his team were denied a clear late penalty in a 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest. Manchester City’s defeat to Manchester United had opened the door, yet Arsenal increased their lead at the top to only seven points instead of nine.
Forest’s organised defence limited Arsenal, despite long spells of pressure, and the leaders failed to convert several major openings. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus forced strong saves from goalkeeper Matz Sels, while Gabriel Martinelli wasted a close-range chance before half-time, steering wide from inside the six-yard box when a simple finish appeared likely.
The main flashpoint arrived on 80 minutes,
when Arsenal appealed for a penalty after Ola Aina handled inside the area while attempting a clearance. Replays showed the ball first struck Aina’s shoulder before deflecting onto the arm, and VAR advised that the on-field decision should stand, judging the arm position natural under current laws.
Arteta could not accept that outcome after reviewing the incident following the match. "We obviously wanted to win the game, we knew the game was going to be very tough and very close as well, from the way that they play," Arteta told BBC Match of the Day. "We created four big, big, big chances and a clear penalty, but we weren’t able to win the game. "
The Arsenal manager felt the decision deprived his side of a decisive moment at the Premier League summit. "I’ve just seen the replays, I think it’s a clear intention to clear the ball inside, and it’s a clear penalty, so I don’t understand why it’s not been given. " Arsenal’s players surrounded the referee at the time, but the protest changed nothing.
Across the match, Arsenal recorded 15 attempts, generating 2.1 expected goals, yet only three efforts tested Matz Sels and all came in the second half. Nottingham Forest, content to sit deep, restricted clear space in central areas and relied on quick breaks, but failed to register a shot on target as Arsenal’s defence stayed largely untroubled.
The result means Arsenal have now drawn 0-0 in back-to-back Premier League fixtures for the first time since the opening two games of the 2012-13 campaign, after also failing to score against Liverpool. Arteta accepted some responsibility for the dropped points while noting that wasteful finishing is affecting many sides this season.
"We could’ve been better, but as well, this is happening all around the league for every single team," Arteta added. "We have to improve and be better, especially when we create four big chances, you have to put them away. You have to produce that moment. We’ve created certain moments, but credit to them as well because they are very well-organised and they disrupt your momentum in clever ways as well, all the time. We knew that. We tried to, at the end, find a goal. I don’t think we conceded a single shot [on target], again. But that’s the margins, and we didn’t find a way to win it. "
