Nottingham Forest 1-0 Arsenal: 5 Talking Points as Gunners suffer shock defeat | FA Cup 2021-22

Arsenal bowed out of the FA Cup in the third round after losing by a solitary goal away at Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Lewis Grabban came off the bench to score the only goal of the game for the Championship team. The 33-year-old, at full stretch, toed in a perfect cross from Ryan Yates to grab the winner of the night.

The first half was largely a snooze-fest, as both teams failed to create any clear -cut chances. However, the dynamics changed in the second half. The Championship side had Arsenal hanging by a slim thread.

Nottingham Forest upped the ante, and were rewarded for their perseverance seven minutes from time. Arsenal failed to muster a response, and made an early exit from the competition.

On that note, here's a look at five talking points from the game:

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#5 Arsenal show lack of desire against Nottingham Forest

Bukayo Saka in action against Nottingham Forest

Arsenal were the superior side on paper, but they failed to show that on the field. The Londoners lacked tenacity and attacking verve on the night. They failed to have a single shot on target. The only player that tried to make something happen was Bukayo Saka, while the others appeared clueless.

Manager Mikel Arteta's post-game interview pretty much summed up the game for the Gunners. He said that his team's performance was nowhere near what a club like Arsenal should produce. They failed to hit a single shot on target all game.

That marked only the second time this season Arsenal failed to do so. The only other occasion was their defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League a few weeks ago.

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#4 Edward Nketiah fails to capitalise on his opportunity

Edward Nketiah failed to deliver.

Edward Nketiah started the game in the absence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe, who are out representing their nations at the Africa Cup of Nations. Moreover, Nketiah got the nod ahead of Alexandre Lacazette.

Nketiah had the perfect opportunity to shine, but he squandered the opportunity. He had absolutely no impact on the game, and was completely neutralised by the Nottingham Forest backline .

#3 Nuno Tavares has a night to forget

Nuno Tavares had a game to forget.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is a bold manager, something he proved against Notthingham Forest too. Nuno Tavares was subbed off for Kieran Tierney in the 34th minute.

The Spaniard was not convinced by Tavares' performance on the left. The 21-year-old completed just 65% of his passes, the worst by any Arsenal player on the pitch.

So the manager had no option but to take him off 11 minutes before the half-time whistle.

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#2 Nottingham Forest knock out Arsenal from the FA Cup yet again

Nottingham Forest players celebrate after scoring against Arsenal.

Nottingham Forest have knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup twice in the last five seasons. The previous time they did so was in 2017-18.

It marked only the second time in the last 25 years that the 14-time winners were eliminated in the third round of the FA Cup. Incidentally, both defeats have come against Nottingham Forest.

It was pretty evident from the lineup Arteta fielded that he was not taking the opposition lightly, as Arsenal had a week to prepare for this fixture. However, his players disappointed on the night, culminating in an early exit for the team.

#1 Arsenal need to pick themselves up

Mikel Arteta will have to resolve a lot of issues.

Arsenal do not have the time to brood over their FA Cup exit. The Gunners play Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League next week before taking on Liverpool in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Mikel Arteta will have to get his team up and running, as the next two games could could define the Gunners' season. The EFL Cup arguably represents the only realistic opportunity Arsenal have for winning silverware this season.

The Gunners are fourth in the Premier League. However, they are a whopping 18 points behind league leaders Manchester City, albeit with a game in hand.