30 January 2024 , 22:51
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed he told his side to be more "positive" in his half-time dressing room team talk after producing an improved second-half performance to earn a 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners failed to create many meaningful opportunities in the opening 45 minutes and struggled to break down a resolute Forest back-line. Bukayo Saka was presented with Arsenal's first real clear-cut chance just before the break, but his effort was well saved by Matt Turner.
However, Arsenal stepped it up a gear in the second period and began to conjure up more opportunities. Moments after hitting the post, the Gunners eventually took the lead in the 65th minute through Jesus, who fired the ball beyond ex-Arsenal 'keeper Turner from a tight angle.
Seven minutes later, Arteta's side doubled their advantage when Bukayo Saka ruthlessly finished off a fine counter-attacking move to edge them closer to three vital points. Although Taiwo Awoniyi pulled one back for Forest, the Gunners held on to secure back-to-back victories.
Asked about what he said to his team to spark a second-half reaction, Arteta said: "To continue doing what they were doing. To have a lot of discipline in what we were trying to do and to have more perseverance and to be consistent and to take chances, be positive and go for it.
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"The spaces are minimal when you have that many players in the box. With the density they’re able to generate it’s really difficult to break them down. But we found a way."
Gabriel Jesus celebrates scoring for Arsenal against Nottingham Forest (Getty Images)The win moves Arsenal up above Manchester City into second, two points behind Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title. Despite not being as ruthless after dominating possession in the first half, Arteta was still pleased with his side's overall performance as they recorded their first win at Forest in eight years.
He added: "I'm really happy with the performance and the result. What happened last year (losing 1-0 to end title hopes) was still in our tummy. We wanted to put it right. We wanted to generate some momentum in the league.
"I think we’ve done that. The performance was good, we dominated the game. We had to be patient, we didn’t allow them to run and we were able to generate chances in various ways which is pleasing.
"I think we showed a lot of maturity to control the game the way we had to. But we conceded a goal and then you have to suffer in this league."