Madueke winner keeps Arsenal three points behind Manchester City

Arsenal stayed three points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City after Noni Madueke secured a 1–0 victory at Nottingham Forest on Sunday 18 October. The result returned Mikel Arteta’s side to second place with 18 points, while Forest slipped into the relegation zone after another afternoon without a home goal.

Madueke had replaced Eberechi Eze at half-time and made the decisive contribution in the 80th minute. Moving in from the left, he sent a shot towards the far corner that struck Jair Cunha and changed direction, leaving goalkeeper Matz Sels unable to keep it out.

It was Arsenal’s only shot on target. They had controlled possession without testing Sels before the interval, with Kai Havertz heading wide from a Declan Rice free-kick. Forest threatened an equaliser late on: Rice blocked an effort from Chris Wood, Murillo curled narrowly wide after advancing from defence, and Ezri Konsa intervened to deny Liam Delap.

The visitors have now won six of their first seven league games. Stats Perform noted that Arsenal have reached that mark for the fourth time in the Premier League era, following 2004–05, 2007–08 and 2022–23. Their tally of 32 wins by a 1–0 scoreline since Arteta took charge is jointly the highest in the division over that period, alongside Everton.

For Oliver Glasner’s Forest, this was a third successive defeat. They remain on five points and have failed to score in their opening four home league matches, becoming only the fifth team in English top-flight history to begin a season with that sequence. Their defensive resistance again kept the contest close, but the late chances did not produce an equaliser.

Sources

• Nottingham Forest 0-1 Arsenal: Noni Madueke's late deflected strike wins it with Gunners' only shot on target — Sky Sports (2026-10-18)
• Arteta praises Arsenal’s patience after narrow win against Forest — Stats Perform / SoccerNews (2026-10-18)