August 12, (THEWILL) – Arsenal began their English Premier League campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
A deflected effort from Eddie Nketiah and a fine strike from Bukayo Saka gave Arsenal a 2-0 lead at half-time. However, Forest halved the deficit through Taiwo Awoniyi in the second half and almost equalized late on.
There was a 30-minute delay to kickoff due to issues with the Emirates Stadium turnstiles but Arsenal quickly assumed control when the match got underway. Nketiah capitalised on an error from Forest keeper, Matt Turner, to open the scoring before Saka curled in a superb second goal.
Arsenal, with the lion’s share of possession, looked comfortable until Awoniyi pulled one back for Forest with just over 10 minutes remaining. The away side then piled on late pressure but Arsenal held firm to secure all three points, despite losing new signing, Jurrien Timber, to injury.
The Gunners now turn their attention to preparing for a London derby against Crystal Palace on Monday night. Before that, Forest will take the positives from their away opening game to seek their first points of the season when they welcome newcomers, Sheffield United, to The City Ground on Friday.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
