So poor were Nottingham Forest at the Emirates Stadium, boss Steve Cooper admitted they would have been in for a challenging afternoon whoever had provided the opposition.
Against Arsenal, who returned to the top of the Premier League with the three points from their 5-0 success, the Reds gave themselves no chance. But there was acknowledgement from the visitors that they were masters of their own downfall in the capital.
Forest were punished for slow starts to both the first and second halves, and positives were few and far between on an afternoon when Cooper was just as frustrated by the lack of fight in his side as by the final scoreline.
