Arsenal missed a chance to close the gap on Liverpool after being held to a goalless draw by Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Wednesday night.
Following their disappointing defeat to West Ham, Mikel Arteta made one change to his starting XI, bringing Jorginho into midfield in place of Thomas Partey.
Despite an underwhelming display as a makeshift centre-forward in the previous match, Mikel Merino retained his spot, while Ismael Kabia made the bench due to Myles Lewis-Skelly’s suspension.
The Gunners’ task became even more challenging within two minutes, as Riccardo Calafiori was booked for dragging back Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Forest quickly found themselves on the receiving end of a caution as well, with Nikola Milenkovic penalized for halting a quick Arsenal free kick just moments later.
As expected, Arsenal controlled possession in the opening exchanges, while Forest sat deep, absorbing pressure and seeking opportunities to counterattack.
The hosts were convinced they should have been awarded a penalty when Hudson-Odoi breezed past Calafiori, but replays suggested the winger had exaggerated the contact in his attempt to win a spot-kick.
Arsenal nearly made Forest pay seconds later, as Calafiori—now in the opposition’s box—showed brilliant skill to outfox Nicolas Dominguez before curling an effort onto the post.
The ball rebounded into play, but goalkeeper Mats Selz was relieved to see no Arsenal player in position to capitalize.
The visitors kept pushing and created another promising moment when Ethan Nwaneri turned Milenkovic inside the penalty area.
However, the young midfielder hesitated instead of taking a shot, allowing the Forest defenders time to recover and snuff out the danger.
While Arteta’s side moved the ball well and looked sharper than they did on Saturday, a lack of cutting edge in the final third remained an issue. Apart from Hudson-Odoi’s early burst, Forest rarely threatened in the first half.
At halftime, Arteta opted to substitute Calafiori, who had struggled at times and was on a booking, bringing on Kieran Tierney in his place.
Arsenal’s first big chance after the break came from a Declan Rice corner, which found Merino unmarked at the back post.
His header looked destined for the net, but Selz managed to keep it out with support from two defenders on the line.
The visitors maintained their attacking pressure, and Tierney nearly marked his introduction with a goal, heading just wide from an Odegaard corner.
In response, Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo made a double substitution on the hour, introducing Ryan Yates and Danilo in an effort to wrest back some control.
Despite Arsenal’s dominance, Forest finally tested David Raya when Morgan Gibbs-White slipped Chris Wood through on goal, but the striker’s effort was straight at the Spanish goalkeeper.
Wood had another sight of goal soon after, but William Saliba produced a crucial intervention to deny him.
Arsenal thought they had crafted their golden opportunity in the 83rd minute when Merino’s delicate flick sent Oleksandr Zinchenko through on goal.
The Ukrainian found Odegaard in space, but his shot was heroically blocked on the line by Murillo. Replays later confirmed Zinchenko had strayed well offside in the buildup.
Both teams struggled to create clear chances in the dying moments, and the match ultimately drifted toward a frustrating conclusion.
While Arsenal put in a more composed performance than in their previous outing, the draw leaves them further adrift in the title race, solidifying second place rather than closing in on Liverpool.
