It was the first day of the rest of their season. After a patchy start to the campaign, littered with red cards and brain fades, double saves and points needlessly dropped, what Arsenal needed more than anything else was a straightforward win.
It’s in the routine Saturday 3pm kick-offs just as much as in the live televised clashes, and in wins ticked off, almost without incident, far more than in the great expenditures of energy, that championships are decided. Arsenal may or may not be challenging for the title in May but this at last was a performance and result that allowed them to believe they may yet be able to recover from a run of two points from their previous four games.
Although Bukayo Saka scored the opening goal and was a constant menace on the right, it was Martin Ødegaard’s presence in midfield that was key. There had been a greater fluidity as he returned in the draw at Chelsea before the international break – before Arsenal’s recent capacity for sloppiness cost them a win – and that sense that the Norwegian brings coherence, that he is the great lubricator of their midfield and forward line, was reasserted.
Related: Mikel Merino insists Arsenal will thrive on pressure of Premier League title bid
Not that this was a return to what might be considered a first team – in as much as any side has such a thing these days – with Kai Havertz left out of a league game for the first time since January, Ben White absent because of his knee injury and Declan Rice restricted to the bench with a toe injury. Squads also are vital to winning titles.
Ødegaard is a diligent captain, forever pointing and guiding. He leads the press. He has a glorious left foot. But most of all, he has the awareness and technical ability to play the sort of deft passes and sharp one-twos that allows Arsenal to flow; his injury problems, surely, have been the main reason Arsenal’s xG created this season has been almost 25% down on last. Saka, in particular, was energised by their partnership on the right, even without White’s overlaps. It was that link-up that brought the first goal, a smart interchange creating the space for Saka to skip by Álex Moreno and James Ward-Prowse before lashing his shot past Matz Sels.
Forest’s plan, presumably, was to do much what they had done at Anfield, stifling the game in the first half before opening up on the counter in the second. But although their offside trap caused Arsenal problems, the home side could easily have been two- or three-up by half-time. As it was, they had to wait until seven minutes after the break for the second, Thomas Partey clipping home an angled 25-yarder. Ethan Nwaneri added his first league goal with four minutes remaining.
For the first time this season, Chris Wood, joint second-highest scorer in the league, didn’t start, a result of his exertions playing for New Zealand in the Oceania World Cup qualifying. Taiwo Awoniyi was dogged enough but, on just his second start this season, he lacked the threat Wood has offered during his recent golden run of form. Wood was finally introduced after an hour, but by then the pattern was set.
There was a very modern moment of controversy as Ola Aina, already harshly booked, did not receive a second yellow card after picking the ball up to delay a restart – the referee Simon Hooper seemed to reach for his pocket before having second thoughts – but that aside this was as uneventful a win as Mikel Arteta could have dreamed of. No drama, no fuss, just a comfortable three points.
Can Arsenal, then, win the title? Obviously, ideally, they wouldn’t be giving anybody a head start, but although they began the weekend nine points behind the leaders Liverpool and four points behind Manchester City, Opta’s data suggested they had had the fifth-hardest start of any club (Forest, who began the day level on points, had by contrast had the fifth easiest). They have already played five of the other six teams who finished in the top seven last season away from home. They will have to get on a run to get back into the title race, but the fixture list means that is at least conceivable.
Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for ‘The Guardian’.
If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
Turn on sport notifications.
