After being appointed Nuno Espirito Santo’s replacement during the international break, new Forest head coach Ange Postecoglou could hardly have asked for a more difficult assignment in his opening encounter.
Their run of just three wins from their last 11 PL games left them up against it too, and they were distinctly second best throughout the first half in North London. Postecoglou’s preferred style of play is considerably different to his predecessor’s, and it seems his new subjects were struggling to adapt to the change in philosophy.
Still, while Arsenal dominated possession throughout the majority of the opening 45 minutes, clear-cut chances were few and far between. Mikel Merino’s close-range shot that was well saved by Matz Sels was one of just two shots on target before the half-time whistle, with both teams’ momentum stunted by injury blows - Gunners captain Martin Odegaard and Forest centre-back Murillo were each replaced.
Ultimately, only a moment of magic separated the two sides at the interval, as Martin Zubimendi’s stunning volley was not only his first goal for his new club, but was also the first time he had scored from outside the box in his senior league career.
It may have taken Arsenal 37 minutes to score the opener, but they needed fewer than 60 seconds of the second half to double their advantage. Viktor Gyokeres was signed in the summer to give Arteta’s men a cutting edge in the final third, and it was the Swede who was on hand to sweep Eberechi Eze’s cross home from close range.
In a busy start to the second period, the visitors almost pulled a fortuitous goal back when Dan Ndoye’s cross bounced off Chris Wood and towards goal, only for David Raya to tip it onto his crossbar.
The woodwork was shaking again shortly after, albeit at the other end, as Gyokeres’ strike from a tight angle struck the post and bounced away to safety.
From that point on, Forest appeared to lose belief that they could find a way into the match, and even after Ryan Yates and James McAtee were introduced, Postecoglou’s men were unable to exert any pressure.
As such, Arsenal were able to see out the game with relative ease and make it three wins from four at the start of this term, with Zubimendi’s header late on adding extra gloss to the scoreline to mark a perfect response to their 1-0 defeat against Liverpool before the international break.
For their opponents, however, this is now a second consecutive 3-0 loss, leaving Postecoglou with work to do as he attempts to turn the tide and make sure this poor run does not become a rot.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal)
