Martin Zubimendi’s Zest A Bitter Pill For Postecoglou As Arsenal Batter Forest

When Ange Postecoglou dreamed it beforehand, he imagined a consequence to kickstart his Nottingham Forest tenure, silencing a group of guidance supporters that person agelong been against him successful nan process. The erstwhile Tottenham head could scarcely person hand-picked a spicer debut assignment. Then reality intervened.

This Arsenal squad are not easy pushed around. They springiness distant adjacent to thing astatine nan back. They crave power of nan shot and nan travel of nan game. Their ngo is to suffocate and punish and they made judge that Postecoglou’s return to northbound London was arsenic uncomfortable arsenic imaginable – and not only because of nan predictable taunts he heard from nan stands.

The juncture was illuminated by break-out capacity from 2 of Arsenal’s summertime signings. Martín Zubimendi does not people galore from his domiciled successful beforehand of nan backmost 4 but present he sewage 2 – nan first a blockbuster of a volley from nan separator of nan area, 1 to tie involuntary gasps arsenic he finessed nan technique. The 2nd was a header. When he slapped his forehead during nan celebrations, location was an constituent of some nosy and disbelief.

The Nottingham Forest head Ange Postecoglou ne'er looked arsenic though he had nan answers connected his return to northbound London. Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images/Reuters

Then location was Noni Madueke, who was fixed a opinionated ovation erstwhile he was withdrawn towards nan end. The winger was move passim and possibly nan top compliment to salary him was that he made ray of nan injury-enforced absence of Bukayo Saka.

Forest were good beaten, Viktor Gyökeres scoring successful betwixt Zubimendi’s goals, Postecoglou ne'er looking arsenic though he had nan answers. There is truthful overmuch for him to do to instil his ideas astatine Forest, fixed really stark of a opposition he is to his celebrated predecessor, Nuno Espírito Santo. This was an inauspicious start.

Mikel Arteta had needed thing aft Arsenal’s conclusion astatine Liverpool earlier nan world break and nan managerial alteration astatine Forest did not thief his preparations. Unknowns ever annoy Arteta, moreover if he had to deliberation that Postecoglou would not tinker excessively much. There had simply not been nan time.

Arteta’s large action telephone was to instrumentality pinch Mikel Merino successful midfield; Declan Rice was among nan substitutes and nan rotational move advertised nan greater extent that Arsenal person these days. They request it because nan injuries person started to accumulate. Once again, Martin Ødegaard was forced disconnected early successful a game. He was caught by a descent situation from Morgan Gibbs-White conscionable supra nan wrong of his ankle. It was a achy one.

Martín Zubimendi fires Arsenal into nan lead pinch a showstopper thrust connected 32 minutes. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Arteta replaced him pinch Ethan Nwaneri and for nan manager, it was each astir plotting a measurement done successful nan last third, moving those intricate triangles; thing long. The extremity would come, Arteta told himself, arsenic his squad looked successful threat of being a small over-elaborate successful nan opening 30 minutes; their tempo mostly nan same. When it did, it was a showstopper.

The crowd had started to singing nan sanction of Madueke arsenic he went to return a corner, which he had won aft a jet-heeled burst and pull-back for Jurrien Timber. Murillo dived successful to make nan redeeming artifact and astatine awesome individual cost. He wounded himself and would beryllium forced off.

Before Murillo departed, Zubimendi enjoyed his moment. Madueke’s area was half-cleared to nan separator of nan area and Zubimendi’s relationship connected nan dropping shot was impossibly sweet, nan volley fizzing past Matz Sels, whose statement of show was blocked by Elliot Anderson and Murillo. There looked to beryllium a flimsy deflection.

Madueke was speedy and direct, nan shot ever nether his spell. He tormented nan left-back, Morato, who Postecoglou had started because of wounded to Ola Aina – it was nan manager’s only alteration to Nuno’s past Forest lineup. Postecoglou moved Morato into cardinal defence aft Murillo had limped off, asking Neco Williams to switch sides and reside nan Madueke problem.

Martin Ødegaard struggles pinch a enarthrosis wounded aft landing heavily, which forced him disconnected successful nan first half. He was replaced by Ethan Nwaneri. Photograph: David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Arsenal controlled nan first-half pinch Forest constricted to precious small successful attacking terms. Gibbs-White worked a give-and-go pinch Chris Wood earlier shooting wide successful stoppage-time, but that was it from them.

Arsenal did not create overmuch themselves earlier nan interval. There was a clear chance connected 7 minutes for Merino aft a set-piece fell kindly for him; Sels made a good block. But location was nan consciousness that Arteta’s squad had higher gears into which to move.

Eberechi Eze had a fewer bully moments disconnected nan near connected his afloat Arsenal debut and it was his assistance that helped to supply nan cushion early successful nan second-half. Riccardo Calafiori went agelong for him, which was a awesome break to what had gone earlier from Arsenal, and Eze’s debased transverse was made to measurement for Gyokeres.

Arsenal would beryllium indebted to David Raya soon afterwards. Dan Ndoye led a uncommon Forest break and his transverse looped disconnected nan thorax of Wood and looked to beryllium dropping successful complete nan goalkeeper. Raya extended his fingertips to brushwood nan shot connected to nan crossbar. On nan 2nd shape of nan move, Cristhian Mosquera jumped into a redeeming situation connected Callum Hudson-Odoi. It was Raya’s 42nd cleanable expanse successful 100 appearances for Arsenal.

Arteta’s squad turned nan screw. Gyokeres smashed a changeable against nan extracurricular of nan station from an acute perspective and Rice, who sewage connected towards nan end, almost stretched to meet a debased Timber cross. Zubimendi’s header pursuing a transverse from different substitute, Leandro Trossard, gave nan scoreline a deserved gloss.