Ethan Nwaneri tells Mikel Arteta exactly where he went wrong as major Arsenal title gamble pays off

Arsenal recorded their first Premier League win in more than a month to get their title hopes back on track and did so in convincing fashion. Goals from Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey and Ethan Nwaneri were enough to sweep aside Nuno Espirito Santo’s team.

There has been ever-increasing pressure on Mikel Arteta as manager, with expectations higher than ever before at the club. The results prior to the last international break raised questions but the return of some key players transformed the club’s look even though the manager made some interesting tweaks.

The decision to change the line-up so drastically from the last game was, of course, due to several factors. The return of Riccardo Calafiori and Martin Odegaard from fitness problems was always going to see them recover to the starting XI.

READ MORE: What Martin Odegaard did before Thomas Partey goal as Arteta outlines Arsenal steps for Nwaneri

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However, the starts for Jorginho and Gabriel Jesus were particularly eyebrow-raising. Even the inclusion of Leandro Trossard over Gabriel Martinelli, especially considering he came off injured over the break with Belgium, was a surprise.

Yet there was a balance seen through the team, which had simply not been present in previous weeks where the Gunners had gone winless for four league matches. That was evident to a degree at Chelsea with Odegaard back in the side but combined with the Italian and Jesus, there was movement and trickery we wanted to see more of.

The goal itself came from the good combination play between Odegaard and Saka which was a theme throughout the game. Teams have been joyous in only needing to deal with Saka while the Norwegian has been out and in the case of Bournemouth, not having to cope with either due to injury.

It is normal for teams to double up on Saka in an attempt to stifle the England international, and Trossard’s deputising failed to have a significant impact. Odegaard’s return gave Forest nightmares trying to cope with both players on the evening and this is what allowed the space for both to work their magic.

The passing from Odegaard was sublime, there was a particular ball while falling he played to Saka with his “weaker” right foot down to the winger which stopped me typing, just so could clap – just don’t tell anyone! Yet he was replaced by a player who could or rather should have been getting more minutes by now, in my view.

Ethan Nwaneri scored his first Premier League goal, slamming into the near-post from a Raheem Sterling cut-back. Nice to see him with a goal contribution too.

Yet, as the excitement and joy dissipated as I made my way back to the station, I couldn’t help but think what could have been. With Odegaard missing it was evident how much the Gunners were missing.

They were timid and predictable and many, including myself, called for Nwaneri to start games. The Shakhtar Donetsk game seemed like a no-brainer but still Arteta remained cautious.

While great to see him score, there will be plenty asking the ‘what if?’ question of the Spaniard. Let us see if these minutes have finally made something of a breakthrough in the Spaniard’s mind.