Reiss Nelson was the star of the show against Nottingham Forest after scoring two goals and providing an assist off the bench.
Nelson replaced the injured Bukayo Saka in the 27th minute of the match when the England international was unable to continue after picking up a heavy knock on his ankle. The 22-year-old was Mikel Arteta's first choice to replace Saka as he made his first Premier League appearance of the season after suffering a muscle injury back in August.
Nelson settled into the game, and his second-half performance took the game away from Forest as he scored twice in three minutes before setting up Thomas Partey for a brilliant long-range strike just moments after. Martin Odegaard completed the rout with a fine solo effort with 15 minutes left to play as Arsenal moved back to the top of the Premier League.
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Nelson scored his first goal of the season just four minutes into the second half as he danced his way into the Forest penalty box before firing home after his first shot was blocked. Gunners fans spotted the brilliant immediate reaction of both Granit Xhaka and opening goal scorer, Gabriel Martinelli, as Nelson made it 2-0 to the hosts.
As Nelson took aim towards Dean Henderson's goal, Xhaka raised both of his arms as he expected the 22-year-old's shot to bulge the back of the net. Martinelli offered a similar reaction on the edge of the penalty box as he stood still with his arms stretched wide before fist-pumping towards the crowd as Nelson celebrated.
The English winger looks set to gain more minutes leading up to the World Cup next month as he deputises in Saka's absence for the Gunners. It is not yet known how long the Arsenal star will be out, but Arteta will hope that Nelson can replicate his performance against Forest in the upcoming fixtures against FC Zurich and Chelsea.
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