Rhythm and flow

A dominant display from start to finish, defensively assured barring one second half wobble, midfield winning their duels with authority, and a reshaped attack flowing with intent.

Arsenal set the tempo early, pressing high and suffocating Forests attempts to build out from the back. The visitors were forced long repeatedly, their passes trickling harmlessly through to Raya or being swept up by the centre backs, who were just as aggressive and front footed.

The tone was relentless. And once again, a nod to Mosquera, are we sure we paid Valencia enough? His tenacity, reading of the game, and composure in distribution make that £13 million fee look like daylight robbery. He’s not just covering Saliba he’s elevating the options in the back line and showcasing the depth in defence.

The bench told its own story. Depth that we sorely missed last season. Rice, back from off his England duties, was afforded a breather, while the goal hungry Mikel Merino slotted in alongside Zubimendi, with Odegaard deployed ahead of them. That said, the captain’s awkward fall on his shoulder forced another early substitution, and up stepped Nwaneri. Slotting into the attacking midfield role once again without missing a beat, just like the last home game against Leeds.

The new look front three, Eze on the left, Gyökeres through the middle and Madueke on the right. Now, to have that talent available, with the likes of Saka and Havertz sidelined, even then Trossard and Martinelli on the bench, in terms of depth is this Arsenals best ever? Arguably it must be.

The team still leans instinctively towards the right flank, almost like muscle memory, but where losing Saka once derailed the attack and flow of the side, Noni stepped up again here, just as he did at Anfield.

Confident, direct, and dangerous, causing the Forest left back trouble all afternoon. Moments where he would stop Morato still, drop and shoulder, then burst away. Other times, dribbling direct, getting to the byline, creating two chances of this nature, one for Timber being blocked and another leading to a corner.

He was dangerous all afternoon, relentless, direct in everything he carried out and again noticeable was his work rate off the ball, tracking back when needed. So far a great addition to the side and needed with the injuries in the side. It was great to see the amount of support he did receive and ovation for a top performance, showing that the online fans or should I say trolls don’t represent everyone.

Eze getting a start on the left brought a fresh dimension. His very first involvement a silky bit of footwork on the byline to skip past the Forest defender was a teaser of what’s to come. As the team get used to his flair and unpredictability, the left side could become just as potent as the right. That balance, that dynamism, is what takes good teams to great ones, and as I mentioned in the summer a little chaos is good.

Gyokeres working as hard as ever for the side, he harries, chases down lost causes and as much as selfish goal getter brings others into play. Early on, a long ball down the right channel looked destined for a Forest centre-back to mop up. But Gyökeres had other ideas, muscling his way in, nicking the ball, and calmly rolling it into midfield to keep Arsenal ticking. It was a moment that summed him up, brute force with a brain.

I noted again, how good he can be at hold up play or bringing others into the game, a couple of well played first time balls into him centrally opened the game, with them fizzed into him, little deft touches into the wide areas for Eze and a memorable one for Merino opening the pitch up, maybe we should of made more of that chance.

He also had a few bright flashes in the first half. One standout chance came at the near post, blocked just in time, after some skilful work from Eze down the left. Eze’s close control and dribbling pulled defenders out of shape, laying it on for the Swedish striker on the pull back, but blocked well by Forest.

And the opener, step forward Martín Zubimendi. I’ll admit, I wasn’t familiar with your game sir. Just after the half hour mark, a Forest clearance from an Arsenal corner looped out to the edge of the box. Zubimendi met it with a spinning volley, caught flush, and from my seat in the North Bank it looked like a pure strike though it may have taken the faintest of deflections on its way into the top right corner. Either way, it was a beauty of volley. A goal that rewarded Arsenal’s dominance, much like the Leeds game pressure, control, and finally, a reward just after the 30 minute mark.

The game petered out towards the half time whistle. Arsenal keeping the ball, controlling the tempo but a rare Forest surge into the Arsenal half did lead to Postecoglous sides only chance of the half, a neat one two on the edge of the box but the resulting shot pulled wide of the right post from Gibbs White.

So 1-0 at the break became two early on in the second half as some fans hadn’t even trickled back to their seats. Calafiori floated a ball downfield, catching the Forest defender off guard with its flight. Eze latched onto it first time, sweeping it across the box for Gyökeres to tap home. Simple, ruthless, and beautifully timed to calm down any Forest fightback early in the half.

The most nervy it got for Arsenal which would of been a mixture of the sublime, abnormal and comical about just after the 50th minute. Ndoye the Forest winger getting away from Calafiori on the wing before crossing a ball to the edge of the box, Chris Wood somehow readjusting and the ball coming off his chest before looping over Raya and some confusion as Timber seemed to miss the ball in attempt to clear, the ball scrambling around and then Mosquera needing to slide in to stop a Forest player looking to capitalise, using a long limb and agility to time his tackle so well.

After this, the game seemed to calm down once again, Zubimendi controlling the midfield, Nwaneri on the turn dictating and moving the ball well. Noni on the right was relentless, running the Forest fullback into the ground. Gyökeres nearly added another, crashing a shot off the post after a slick move that began with Eze on the left. The ball found its way to Madueke after Gyokeres drove across the pitch laying it off to the wide man, who drew three defenders with his close control before Gyökeres peeled off and fired from a tight angle in front of the North Bank. No hesitation here, no cut back, just hunger for another goal. And I love that.

Arteta made changes around the 79th minute, swapping out both wingers for Trossard and Martinelli. With Maduekes last action winning a free kick and resulting from that, our third of the game, Zubimendi once again. Arsenal worked a short free kick around the box, recycled the ball patiently until it reached Trossard, who floated a teasing cross to the back post. Zubimendi, showing off his spring, met it with a header that deflected and looped over Sels, 3-0 to the Arsenal.

All in all, a comfortable afternoon for Arsenal. My takeaways from the game, Mosquera continues to impress again he was calm, composed, and clever in possession. His passing between the lines is measured and mature, a real asset when Saliba is unavailable. The squad depth now gives Arteta the luxury to rotate and compete on multiple fronts. Tuesday’s trip to Bilbao will be another test, but the signs are promising with the amount of quality in the side.

And perhaps most exciting is the team’s ability to shift gears. Sustained possession is one thing, but with Eze’s flicks and touches, and Noni’s directness, Arsenal can suddenly inject tempo and tear teams apart at any point. That unpredictability will be a weapon as the season unfolds.

Champions League next, then a huge clash with City. Let’s hope for two wins, a few returns from injury, and a continuation of this overall bright start, Anfield aside. Until next time, have a great week.