Madueke winner keeps Arsenal three points behind Manchester City

Noni Madueke scored the decisive goal as Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground on Sunday, maintaining their pursuit of Premier League leaders Manchester City. BBC Sport reported that the defending champions collected their sixth league victory of the season and stayed second, three points off the top.

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Neither side registered a shot on target before half-time, leaving Arsenal facing the possibility of their first draw of the campaign. Forest then began the second period more strongly, but their finishing prevented them from turning that improvement into a lead. The hosts remain without a home league win this season.

Madueke replaced Eberechi Eze at the interval and eventually broke the deadlock with a deflected effort, Arsenal's first attempt on target. The match followed a familiar pattern from their August victory at Aston Villa, when a goalless first half without an effort on target was followed by a single winning goal.

In its separate post-match reporting, BBC Sport put Madueke's breakthrough in the 80th minute. The winger moved inside to shoot with his weaker right foot, having previously attacked his opponent on the outside. He said Mikel Arteta had asked him to threaten Forest while also fulfilling his defensive responsibilities after coming on.

Madueke has started only one Premier League match this season, the 2-1 win over Leeds in Arsenal's previous league outing. He also started on the right against Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday and supplied an assist for the opening goal. Arteta said the winger had become more decisive since the international break, praising the greater conviction in his play.

The result also continued Arsenal's run of important contributions from substitutes. According to BBC Sport, their replacements have been involved in 26 Premier League goals since the start of last season, more than any other club. Bruno Guimaraes had come off the bench to score the winner against Leeds. Arteta defended the team's range of routes to victory, saying Arsenal had won 10 of their 11 competitive matches.