Arsenal winners and losers as Gunners hammer Forest to return to the top

Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League with a comfortable victory against Nottingham Forest at the Emirates Stadium despite losing Buyako Saka to injury in the first half, with Reiss Nelson an unlikely hero.

After a relatively relaxed first few minutes, the hosts sprung into action with Gabriel Martinelli stooping to head a Bukayo Saka cross into the bottom corner of Dean Henderson's net. The hosts' 10 outfield players all came together to dedicate the goal to team-mate Pablo Mari, who was discharged from hospital after being stabbed in a random attack on Friday.

Mikel Arteta's side continued to have plenty of joy down Saka's right flank, with the midfielder feeding Gabriel Jesus to curl one past the far post, before switching things up for Granit Xhaka to get free down the left and tee up Martinelli for an effort which Renan Lodi cleared off the line.

With the lead just one goal at the break, Arsenal could have been susceptible to a recovery from the visitors. However, that changed with three goals in the space of 15 minutes after the restart.

Reiss Nelson scored two of them - his second and third in the Premier League - with Thomas Partey scoring a goal which had shades of his effort in the North London Derby. Martin Odegaard rounded off the scoring, and Mirror Football has picked out the winners and losers from a day when the league leaders could have scored even more.

Winners

Gabriel Martinelli

With Bukayo Saka moving gingerly for parts of the first half, Gabriel Martinelli had his fair share of attacking legwork to do. Given the manner in which he started the game, though, this was never likely to be a problem.

The Brazilian started the move which led to his early opener, spraying the ball out wide for Saka before darting into the box to meet his team-mate's cross. He could have had a second, were it not for a goalline clearance, and his constant threat ensured Serge Aurier - a threat against Liverpool last week - didn't cause Arsenal any issues.

Martinelli was given a standing ovation as he left the field shortly after the hour mark. With questions over Saka's fitness, the Gunners may well need him to step up in a big way against Chelsea next weekend.

Who was your man of the match for Arsenal against Forest? Let us know in the comments section

Reiss Nelson

Before this game, you had to go all the way back to August 2021 for Reiss Nelson's last Premier League appearance for Arsenal and November 2020 for his last goal for the club. Now, though, that tally will need to be reset.

The Hale End graduate, who spent last season on loan at Feyenoord, had only one Premier League goal to his name before replacing Saka from the bench. You couldn't tell as he rifled one into the top corner, though, and his hunger to add to the strike saw him pop up in the right place to beat Henderson for a second time.

The visit of FC Zurich on Thursday may well give Nelson a chance to play his way into even sharper form as Arsenal look to stay top going into the World Cup break. When we talk about Arsenal having goals running through the squad, the 22-year-old hasn't always been one of the names we have in mind, but that might be about to change.

Cedric Soares

It has been a long road back for Cedric Soares. The full-back scored his first goal in nearly two years on the final day of last season, netting in the 5-1 victory over Everton which wasn't quite enough for the Gunners to claim fourth spot.

It could have been a platform to kick on, but injuries and the form of others have both been frustrations. Ben White has been preferred at right-back, with Cedric in and out of the squad in the league in Europe.

A substitute appearance against Forest was his first since that Everton game, while he hasn't made a Portugal squad since March. Slowly but surely, though, he might be able to remind people he still has a bit to offer.

Losers

Kieran Tierney

Left-back Tierney has shown himself to be an attacking threat lately, and there were some calls for him to start against opponents who have conceded a fair few chances. Instead, though, it was Takehiro Tomiyasu at left-back again, perhaps as a counter to the dual threat of Serge Aurier and Morgan Gibbs-White down the Forest right.

The Scot wasn't even first in line when Tomiyasu made way around the hour mark. Instead it was Cedric who emerged from the bench, filling in at left-back before switching to the right as Tierney was handed a 15-minute run-out.

Towards the end of last season, Tierney's injury was identified as one of the key factors in Arsenal missing out on the top four. He still has a part to play this term, but the Forest game shows how quickly things have changed.

Gareth Southgate

An injury to Bukayo Saka is last thing England manager Gareth Southgate will have wanted to see. The Arsenal forward has been one of only a handful of England internationals in form for both club and country of late, and is likely to have been among the first names on the teamsheet in Qatar.

Southgate won't be the only boss sweating on star men. France defender Raphael Varane has a big question mark over his fitness, while Argentina are likely to head for Qatar without Paulo Dybala. But that doesn't chance the fact that Saka's potential absence would be a huge blow.

"He's a fantastic talent," Southgate said of Saka over the summer. "He's one that's possibly less appreciated because his profile isn't quite the same as some of our other attacking players." The international boss will now be hoping he's still a talent he can call upon at the World Cup.

Jesse Lingard

Jesse Lingard has been the scourge of Arsenal on many an occasion. Plenty of fans will have nightmares about his contribution for Manchester United in a 2019 FA Cup game, while he also hurt Arteta's side in West Ham colours during a 3-3 draw in 2021.

This time, though, there was no repeat. The England international was gifted a chance by Arsenal defender Gabriel, only for Ben White to block his effort from inside the box, and that was as good as it got.

Lingard made way shortly before the hour mark to a chorus of jeers from the home support. Some, however, may have simply been happy their fears of another painful performance from the 29-year-old had been averted.

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