Arsenal 2-1 Nottingham Forest: Player ratings for Gunners as Nketiah and Saka down Tricky Trees on first day | Premier League 2023-24

Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 in their first game of the 2023-24 Premier League season.

Eddie Nketiah opened the scoring for the Gunners in the 26th minute, albeit off a deflection. Another six minutes later, Bukayo Saka doubled their advantage with a fine curling strike after cutting in from the right as the hosts were in cruise control.

As the game progressed, the momentum appeared to shift, with Forest looking more dangerous midway through the second stanza while dominating possession, too.

Mikel Arteta's side, who finished runners-up in the league last season, managed to keep them at bay until Taiwo Awoniyi finally pulled one back in the 82nd minute. That gave the Tricky Trees hope of coming back into the game, but Arsenal held on to take all three points.

On that note, here are the player ratings for Arsenal:

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Aaron Ramsdale - 6.5/10

The Arsenal custodian had little work but had to be vigilant in the second half when Nottingham upped the ante. He was beaten late on when Taiwo Awoniyi scored for the visitors.

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Thomas Partey - 7.5/10

A real force down the right, breaking up Nottingham's movements with crucial interventions while also driving the ball forward, Partey finished with two interceptions and tackles, while completing 94% of his passes.

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Benjamin White - 7/10

He may have started as the centre-back, but White was mainly seen playing on the right, overlapping Partey. The 25-year-old was horribly caught out for Forest's goal late on, though.

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William Saliba - 6.5/10

It was a welcome sight for Arsenal fans to see Saliba back in action after missing out the tail end of last season with injury. He was unsurprisingly not up to scratch but bagged an assist for Saka's goal.

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Jurrien Timber - 7/10

Arsenal's new signing wasn't afraid to put his body on the line, but it caused an injury scare in the opening stanza, which eventually cut his evening short. Arteta will hope that it's nothing serious, as Timber has made a good impression for his new side so far.

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Martin Odegaard - 6.5/10

The Norwegian ace blew hot and cold, misplacing some of his passes and lacking in pace, but his crossing ability was as fine as ever. It's a shame that none of his three attempted crosses came to fruition.

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Declan Rice - 7/10

Another of Arsenal's big money signing of the summer, Rice wasn't at his best, but made excellent tackles and had one great effort at goal parried against the post by the Forest goalkeeper.

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Kai Havertz - 6/10

The former Chelsea man was always in the thick of the things but didn't really stand out for anything. He didn't offer any direct threat to Forest either.

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Bukayo Saka - 7.5/10

Arsenal's joint top scorer last season with 15 goals, Saka is off the mark for the new season with a lovely strike from range and from a difficult angle, too.

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Edward Nketiah - 7.5/10

He put Arsenal in front by taking his chance nicely, but there was a hint of luck involved with the ball taking a deflection on its way.

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Gabriel Martinelli - 7/10

The Brazilian assisted Nketiah's opening goal with a superb backheel after evading two markers. He didn't score but looked dangerous every time Martinelli came into possession.

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Ratings of Arsenal substitutes

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Takehiro Tomiyasu (50' for Timber) - 6.5/10

He replaced Timber after he went off with an injury and kept everything kosher.

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Leandro Trossard (74' for Nketiah) - 6/10

The Belgian was on the fringes of the game, completing just seven passes in 17 minutes of action.

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Gabriel (86' for Martinelli) - N/A

He came on with just a few minutes of normal time left as Arsenal looked to prevent any last-minute concession of goals.