'Confident Arsenal are right in Premier League title race'

Arsenal celebrated wildly when the referee blew the final whistle at the City Ground. This was very different to their last trip to Nottingham Forest. During that game, they lost and it marked the end of their attempt to win the Premier League title that season.

Forest had reason to be happy in May when Taiwo Awoniyi scored a goal that secured their continued presence in the league while also contributing to Arsenal's misfortune. Manchester City became champions after a dramatic late collapse.

On a chilly evening next to the Trent River, Arsenal's pursuit of the title wasn't at risk, but losing was unacceptable. Especially with Liverpool, who are currently leading the Premier League, coming to play at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

That's why manager Mikel Arteta, the players, and the away fans felt overjoyed when the game ended after a chaotic five minutes of injury time. Initially, the match seemed easy to win, but then Awoniyi scored for Forest in the final minutes.

The night's performance was not stress-free as Forest managed to create some tension for Arsenal towards the end of the game. However, the real source of stress for Arsenal was the first half of the match where they seemed to be going through the motions and risking a potentially season-altering outcome.

In the first half of the game, Arsenal didn't show any urgency or ability to attack. They played with a lazy and uninspired attitude, which allowed their opponent, Forest, to easily defend by sitting back and waiting to counterattack.

Arsenal had too many passes and unexciting attempts. They didn't create enough chances. Perhaps Arsenal could argue that they were playing composed and sophisticated, showing responsibility, but it was clear that they required much more.

Arsenal Earns Deserved Win With Second-half Improvement

In the second half, Arsenal increased their speed and managed to score with a bit of assistance. Their previous goalkeeper, Matt Turner, unintentionally let Gabriel Jesus' goal slip between his legs and into the net near the post at the 65th minute.

Arsenal scored their second goal through Bukayo Saka, with Gonzalo Montiel from Forest being the one responsible for conceding. Although Awoniyi's briefly scored a goal that could've potentially caused a surprising comeback, it wasn't enough to override the impact of Montiel's mistake.

Arsenal's win was well-deserved and worth celebrating because this type of challenging game can arise during a pursuit for the championship and cause difficulties.

The game also had a display of intense emotion, as defenders Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko got into a heated argument after the game ended. Arsenal's support staff had to intervene to prevent things from getting physical.

Arteta was happy to see the sight because he believed it was a way for the players to show the public how much the club's potential success means to them.

David Raya, the goalkeeper for Arsenal, did not need to make any significant saves during the match against Forest. Additionally, Forest was not able to put up much of a challenge against Arsenal. Therefore, this win can now be seen as a more significant achievement.

This signifies that Arsenal has reduced the difference in points between them and the top team, Liverpool, to just two points. This boost has come just in time for them to face Liverpool on Sunday in London. Jurgen Klopp's side will first be taking on Chelsea in their next game at Anfield on Wednesday.

Although it may be a bit of a stretch to say that Arsenal absolutely has to win their game against Liverpool, it is definitely important for them not to lose. This is not only crucial for their performance on the field, but also for their mental state.

Losing would be very harmful, but the team's morale has been boosted by their overwhelming win against Crystal Palace and their recent triumph over Forest.

Arsenal Struggles With Scoring Goals

Arsenal wants to win against Liverpool as they have a grudge to settle with them. They lost 2-0 in the previous FA Cup third-round match played at their home ground. Although they had many opportunities to score, they failed to capitalize on them and ultimately lost due to two goals scored by Liverpool in the dying moments.

Although there's a feeling that Arsenal doesn't possess an innate ability to score goals, their performance has many positive aspects and they're firmly in the running for the Premier League championship.

In this game, it was up to Jesus to take charge as the striker, and he successfully did so by hitting the bar with a powerful shot. He also lucked out when Turner made a mistake, allowing Jesus to score.

Arsenal had an easy time during the game except for when Forest's cautious strategy came into play. That made the defenders work a little harder until Awoniyi reappeared after being absent due to injury since October. That added a new element to the mix and made things more challenging for Arsenal's defense.

If we are nearing the critical moments of the second half of the season, Arsenal can confidently consider themselves in a strong position, trailing closely behind the top teams.

After managing to win at the location where they had faced a distressing defeat in the previous season, Arsenal will be content with their achievement ahead of the upcoming massive game against Liverpool on Sunday.