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Sections of Arsenal's fanbase remain disgruntled with the way Mikel Arteta's side are scraping past teams to secure three points, and it's somewhat understandable.
The football can be a hard watch at times, and the first half in particular at the City Ground certainly did make for difficult viewing. The North Londoners had 74% of the ball, but generated just three shots and managed just 13 touches in Forest's box.
The second half was a lot better, with Oliver Glasner's side's slightly more open approach creating some space for the Gunners to exploit. However, the overall ebb and flow of the match left a lot to be desired from an entertainment standpoint.
That said, the gritty nature of this performance shouldn't take away from how impressive the result is, particularly when taking a deeper look at the context.
Games at the City Ground are stodgy
Forest's lowly standing in the Premier League table isn't really a reflection of their performance levels so far under Glasner this season. Prior to this weekend, the Austrian's side were fourth in the league in the expected goals difference table, suggesting that they've actually performed pretty well.
At home, all of their games have been stodgy, low-event ocassions. There have been just three goals in the first four league matches at the City Ground this term, all three of which have gone to the away team. Leeds, Coventry and Arsenal all secured 1-0 wins in the East Midlands, while Glasner's outfit held Tottenham to a goalless draw.
The xG in each of these games (via FotMob):
- Forest 0.7 - 0.5 Leeds
- Forest 0.9 - 1.1 Tottenham
- Forest 1.1 - 0.7 Coventry
- Forest 0.9 - 1.1 Arsenal
While Forest's away games have been significantly more chaotic, there is something about the compact pitch and hostile atmosphere inside the old City Ground which makes it difficult for either side to create chances.
Of course, Arsenal should be producing more than the likes of Leeds, Spurs and Coventry, and delivering a similar display to these sides away at Forest isn't exactly something to shout about. However, it is a bit of context to take into consideration for those who are particularly frustrated with Arteta's team's performance on Sunday.
Arsenal and their rivals have struggled away at Forest
Perhaps the more pertinent context around this game is not what has happened at the City Ground this season, but what has unfolded at the East Midlands stadium in recent seasons.
Arsenal had failed to win in three of their last four visits to Forest, failing to score in three of them. Historically, the Gunners struggle on this ground, so putting an end to this hoodoo on Sunday evening can only be viewed positively.
On top of this, rival supporters berating Arsenal for only narrowly winning this match have no legs to stand on.
Manchester City needed an 83rd-minute winner from Rayan Cherki to win at the City Ground last season, in a game that ended 2-1 to the Citizens. The season before, Pep Guardiola's team lost 1-0 in this fixture, courtesy of an 83rd-minute Callum Hudson-Odoi winner.
As for Liverpool, the Reds needed a 97th-minute winner from Alexis Mac Allister to beat Forest away from home last season. The year before that, they were held to a 1-1 draw in Nottingham. The year before that, they again needed a last-gasp winning goal to secure all three points.
Clearly, playing away at Forest is tough, and if you ever manage to emerge from the fixture with a victory, you should be happy about it, and you shouldn't read too much into struggling at the historic venue.
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