Arsenal were held to a goalless draw by Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Wednesday night, losing more ground on Premier League leaders Liverpool.
The Gunners set the early tempo, with both teams receiving early bookings, but the striker-less visitors struggled to break down a resolute Forest defense. Despite their efforts, Arsenal’s front three found little success, prompting left-back Riccardo Calafiori to push forward in search of a breakthrough.
Calafiori came close to opening the scoring midway through the first half, with a curling effort following a deft turn in the box, only to see it crash against the post. Arsenal continued to apply pressure throughout the first half, while Forest had only a few promising counter-attacks, none of which resulted in a shot on goal.
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The visitors threatened from set-pieces early in the second half, with Kieran Tierney heading just wide from a Martin Odegaard corner. Forest struggled to find any rhythm in the opening hour, but eventually forced goalkeeper David Raya into action, with Chris Wood testing him after a combination with Morgan Gibbs-White.
The closing stages saw little in the way of clear chances, though there was an exceptional clearance from Murillo during an offside sequence. As the game wore on, the stalemate that seemed likely from the beginning was ultimately confirmed, with neither side managing to break the deadlock.
