Arsenal 5-0 Nottingham Forest: 5 Hits and Flops as Reiss Nelson, Martinelli and Jesus run the show at the Emirates Stadium | Premier League 2022-23

Arsenal defeated Nottingham Forest 5-0 in the Premier League on Sunday, October 30.

The Gunners suffered a 2-0 defeat against PSV Eindhoven in their last game in the Europa League. After a series of narrow wins and one draw, Arsenal were finally dealt a blow with their first defeat in the competition.

Mikel Arteta's men knew a win would take them back to the top of the league table. He fielded a strong lineup for this game.

Arsenal made a quick start to the game as the controlled the tempo of the game in the initial exchanges. They pushed men forward and used their pace in wide areas to their advantage. Both their wingers combined as the Gunners raced into an early lead. Bukayo Saka played a sharp pass into the box and Gabriel Martinelli made a lovely run to head the ball into the goal to make it 1-0.

The Gunners kept 72% possession of the ball and attempted 10 shots, of which just two were on target. Their lack of efficiency proved costly as Nottingham Forest slowly carved their way back into the game. The visitors attempted four shots with one of them on target. However, neither team was able to add to the scoring.

Arsenal carried a slender 1-0 lead over Forest going into the break.

Arsenal made a resounding start to the second period as they came out with all guns blazing. Reiss Nelson scored to double their advantage just four minutes after the restart. He added a second goal just three minutes later following a sublime assist from Gabriel Jesus. Thomas Partey then added the Gunners' fourth from long-range with a piledriver from 25 yards.

Both managers turned to their benches as they made multiple substitutions to rotate their teams. However, the momentum remained with Arsenal as they played some stylish football. Skipper Martin Odegaard rounded off the scoring for his team as he smashed the ball into the goal after 78 minutes to make it 5-0.

The Gunners saw out the rest of the time and secured a comfortable 5-0 win. That said, let's take a look at the five hits and flops from the game.

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#5. Hit - Thomas Partey (Arsenal)

Partey was dominant in midfield and had a great game overall. He completed 103 passes with 92% accuracy, including one key pass and four long balls. He won all three of his duels and made two tackles and one clearance. Partey also attempted four shots, with one on target, scoring a screamer with that shot.

You can watch the goal below:

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#4. Flop - Dean Henderson (Nottingham Forest)

Henderson had a torrid evening in goal as he made four saves throughout the game and still conceded five goals. He was under tremendous pressure from the early exchanges as the hosts raced into a one-goal lead after five minutes.

He conceded all four other goals in the second period as the Gunners ran riot.

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#3. Hit - Reiss Nelson (Arsenal)

Nelson was brought into the action under unfortunate circumstances as Bukayo Saka was forced off with an injury. However, he took the opportunity with both hands. Nelson scored a brace shortly after the second half resumed and also provided an assist for Thomas Partey's long-range effort.

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#2. Flop - Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest)

Awoniyi struggled to get on the ball after scoring the winner in Forest's 1-0 win over Liverpool last time out. He was unable to attempt a single shot on goal and won just three of his eight duels.

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#1. Hit - Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)

Martinelli hit the ground running from the first minute and set the tone for how the hosts played the rest of the match. He scored in the fifth minute to make it 1-0 with a header following a well-timed run into the box.