It was a thin game until it suddenly was not. BBC Sport’s ratings piece describes Arsenal as struggling to create clear chances against a Forest side that sat in and made the afternoon feel narrower with every passing attack. The winner arrived with 10 minutes left, Madueke’s effort clipping Jair Cunha on its way in, which felt fitting for a match that never had much room for clean flourishes.
Madueke changed the tone more than the scoreline suggests. Introduced for Eberechi Eze at the break, he was credited by BBC Sport with bringing energy and spark before settling the game with the only goal. Arsenal had spent much of it with the ball and without much incision, their midfield busy rather than especially dangerous, their wide threat blunted by the lack of space Forest allowed.
That is why the BBC’s line on Eze lands rather sharply. This was, it said, a big chance for him to make the left wing his own, and he did not take it. Madueke did.
Forest will look at the same match and see how close they came to dragging it where they wanted. Matz Sels was said to be largely untroubled until the resistance broke. Ousmane Diomande looked settled again, Jair Cunha unlucky on the decisive deflection, and the whole defensive effort had the shape of a side beginning to believe a point was there for them.
Arsenal still had to survive their own waste. Declan Rice, who supplied the pass for Madueke’s goal, also missed what BBC Sport called a big chance. In matches like this, those misses linger because they keep the other side alive.
And Forest were alive until the end. Murillo almost found an injury-time leveller after some sharp skill, and Liam Delap was stopped by what BBC Sport called a brilliant injury-time tackle from Ezri Konsa. Arsenal’s attack finally found one opening; their defence had to preserve it.
That left the game looking exactly like many awkward away wins do: not much beauty, one decisive touch, and a clean sheet that needed protecting to the last moments.
Harvey Jr. 
Sophia Borg 
Dua Mifsud 
Gabriel Fenech