Nottingham Forest 1-2 Arsenal: 3 talking points as Gunners resurgence continues

Arsenal moved up to second in the Premier League table after a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest as Emile Smith Rowe earned a rare start.

After a poor run of form that saw Arsenal lose three games in all competitions, Mikel Arteta's side have bounced back and, thanks to a 2-1 win over Forest, have won back-to-back games.

While the first half won't live long in the memory, it was all Arsenal as they dominated possession, but without really landing a punch as Forest seemed well set up to deny the Gunners any space to operate in the final third.

The second half saw the game open up to Arsenal's advantage, and after a quick throw from Oleksandr Zinchenko that found Gabriel Jesus, the Brazilian drove into the Forest box and squeaked his shot past former Gunner Matt Turner from the tightest of angles.

Saka doubled the lead just seven minutes later as he was on the end of a sweeping move after Gonzalo Montiel's horror clearance. Arsenal were in complete control until a late goal from Taiwo Awoniyi gave the home side hope. However, the Gunners held on for a crucial win.

Nottingham Forest 1-2 Arsenal: 3 talking points as Gunners resurgence continues

The game provided plenty of talking points; here they are.

1. Emile Smith Rowe starting a sight for sore eyes

The forgotten man in the Arsenal set-up finally stretched his legs from the outset. Arteta handed Smith Rowe just his second league start of the season, and while he didn't sparkle, it was good to see him get quality game time.

He looked neat and tidy on the ball and looked a threat when making runs in behind the Forest defence.

Is this the start of an ESR remontada?

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