Arsenal handed the Premier League title to Manchester City as they slumped to a defeat against Nottingham Forest.
City were preparing to secure the title at home to Chelsea on Sunday, but the Gunners allowed them to pop the champagne early by putting in a poor performance in Nottingham, which left them with an unassailable four-point gap to the top. The win also ensured Forest will play in the Premier League next season, with their survival secured thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi's first-half goal.
Awoniyi gave Forest the lead in the 19th minute, latching onto Morgan Gibbs-White's through ball to beat Aaron Ramsdale thanks to Gabriel Magalhaes' tackle after Martin Odegaard gave the ball away. Arsenal had 81 per cent possession in the first half but rarely threatened.
Mikel Arteta rang the changes after the break, bringing on Eddie Nketiah, Kieran Tierney and Fabio Vieira, but the Gunners remained lacklustre in attack. Keylor Navas was rarely troubled and the outstanding Gibbs-White could have made it 2-0, but hit the side-netting after a mistake by Ben White.
Here are the talking points from the game.
Limping over the line
This may have been the final nail in the coffin, but really the title was not in Nottingham. The successive draws against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton, compounded by the 4-1 mauling by City, spelled the end of Arsenal’s title challenge.
Yet this game encapsulated their problems over the past few months. Ponderous possession, no cutting edge, a lack of depth in key positions – the unwanted characteristics were all there.
While City have marched relentlessly onwards, laying waste to all the teams in their path, Arsenal have faltered. This version of Arsenal looks unrecognisable to the one we saw for the first three quarters of the season. Forest sat deep with their five-man defence and looked pretty much impenetrable, which is a fairly damning indictment for Arsenal.
Awoniyi on fire
Forest signed so many players this season - 29 by my count - that it is unlikely Steve Cooper can even name every one of them, but now he has settled on a consistent line-up it is clear there was some good business in there. Awoniyi is chief among them.
The Nigerian forward cost the club £17.5million from Union Berlin in the summer and that now looks like money well spent. Awoniyi was fortunate that Gabriel’s tackle rebounded into his shin for the opening goal, but his goal was in keeping with his recent form.
Awoniyi has now scored five goals in three games, following his braces against Southampton and Chelsea. He has come up trumps at the perfect time for Forest.
Arteta’s tactics fall flat
Arteta raised eyebrows with his team sheet, which many fans assumed meant Granit Xhaka lining up at left-back. But when they kicked off, it became clear that it was Jakub Kiwior who had been entrusted to fill in for Oleksandr Zinchenko, leaving Tierney on the bench. Thomas Partey played at right-back, moving White to centre-back.
It did not work at all. Kiwior and Partey were nowhere to be seen for Awoniyi’s opening goal and offered absolutely nothing going forward. Former Arsenal defender Tony Adams summed up the mess well at half-time on Sky Sports.
“Ben White’s been brilliant with Saka on the right-hand side and all of a sudden he’s gone to put Partey in there,” he said. “We’ve got Tierney on the bench. What is Arteta trying? Do we want Partey to play there next season? Do we want Ben to play central defender? Kiwior – is he a left back? I don’t get it, to be honest with you, and they’re exposed again and again and again.”
Tierney was brought on for Kiwior in the second half, but it was too little too late.
WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF THE GAME? Have your say in the comments section below.
More VAR controversy
Gabriel Jesus was booked by referee Anthony Taylor after protesting too vociferously against his decision not to award Arsenal a penalty. The Brazilian striker was incensed after he was pulled back by Joe Worrall in the area.
Arsenal supporters were equally furious after replays suggested he had a point. VAR did not recommend Taylor look at the pitchside monitor and the game continued.
In the grand scheme of things, the non-awarding of a penalty does not mean a great deal. But it is yet another example of VAR controversy, following the decision to rule out Cody Gakpo ’s goal for Liverpool against Aston Villa. PGMOL chief Howard Webb might have some explaining to do.
Credit to Cooper
It's been a rollercoaster season for Forest, who have been up and down with regularity. But they have come good at the end of the campaign to pull clear of the relegation trap door. Their performance against Arsenal showed just how well-drilled and resilient they have become.
It is some achievement and Cooper deserves a huge amount of credit for masterminding it. The Forest boss has been forced to juggle a silly number of players and mould them into a cohesive side while operating under a ridiculous amount of pressure.
Forest put out a public statement backing Cooper in April and owner Evangelos Marinakis - who was in attendance - got it right. While many of their rivals have pulled the trigger, sacking managers to try and spark a revival, Forest stuck by theirs and have been richly rewarded.
