Premier League titles are rarely decided before spring arrives, but Mikel Arteta knows all too well that the hardest part of the journey is often negotiated during the winter months.
Earlier this month, the Arsenal manager told reporters: “Every week we have something to prove. When you’re in a position like the one we’re in, you want to maintain the lead and extend the gap,” according to The Athletic.
While the margin at the top has indeed grown, it has not expanded to the extent Arteta would have hoped, particularly as Arsenal have let clear opportunities slip. After Manchester City drew 1-1 with Brighton & Hove Albion and then lost 2-0 to Manchester United, Arsenal responded with back-to-back goalless draws against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. It marked the first time since 2012 that Arsenal have failed to score in consecutive league matches.
Although the two points gained stretched their lead over Pep Guardiola’s side to seven points, the matches left a lingering sense of “what might have been.” Arsenal paid the price for failing to capitalise on a strong start against Liverpool, and they also had chances away at Nottingham Forest. However, the difficulties that so often arise at the City Ground—where Arsenal have won only once in their last five visits—prevented them from fully exploiting City’s recent stumble.
Arteta said after the match: “It was different (from the Liverpool game). The style was completely different. We didn’t do what we had to do with the ball, especially after regaining it in chaotic situations. We lacked a bit of calm in the next two or three passes to get into the right areas and take control.”
His focus on that aspect was notable for two reasons. The first was how visibly tense he appeared on the touchline during those moments. In the first half, the ball fell to Martin Zubimendi near the halfway line with no pressure on him, yet the midfielder attempted to force a pass forward that went straight to a Forest player. Arteta immediately put his head in his hands as the home crowd roared in approval.
In the second half, Gabriel received the ball in the centre circle with little danger around him, but treated the situation as urgent, clearing it out of play with his weaker right foot. Arteta’s frustration was clear as he shouted towards the defender, before Forest won a free-kick and sustained pressure in the next phase.
The second reason is that Arteta’s emphasis on how Arsenal handle away atmospheres has been central to the team’s evolution into genuine title contenders in recent years. During the 2022–23 season, there was a marked improvement in their away results and in their ability to absorb hostile environments.
This season, Arsenal have won six of their 11 away league matches, but the same sense of composure has often been missing. They have conceded first in six away games, allowed many matches to descend into chaotic patterns, and have won by a margin of two goals or more only once— the 2-0 victory at Burnley.
Failing to calm the tempo at the City Ground only served to reignite Nottingham Forest’s energy. In the 2021–22 season, Nuno Tavares struggled with the hostile atmosphere and was substituted in the first half before Forest—then in the Championship—knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup. A year later, Forest’s 1-0 win over Arsenal handed Manchester City the league title in May 2023. Since the 2022–23 season, every time Arsenal have failed to score in two consecutive league matches, the second game has been away at Forest (May 2023, February 2025, and January 2026).
In tense matches, a team often needs a forward capable of rescuing them. Gabriel Martinelli has done so on several occasions this season, but this time he was unable to steer Noni Madueke’s deflected cross on target. Viktor Gyökeres, meanwhile, had a chance familiar to him from his Sporting Lisbon days, but could not create enough separation from Murillo to get a clean shot away.
Manchester City’s slip in the Manchester derby on the same day Arsenal travelled to Nottingham represented an opportunity to turn long-standing patterns on their head. Instead, it proved a timely reminder of the mental pressure that comes with chasing English football’s biggest prize.
Playing after City made the prospect of moving nine points clear starkly obvious, and that was reflected in Arteta’s reactions during the first half. He made a change at the break, introducing Leandro Trossard for Martinelli, then opted for an unusually early triple substitution in the 57th minute, bringing on Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino and Gabriel Jesus.
Making that many changes before the hour mark is something Arteta rarely does, but he sensed the moment was critical and required something different. Saka did add impetus down the right, yet Matz Sels was sharp and agile enough to deny him, as well as Merino’s header and a strike from Declan Rice.
Arteta felt aggrieved by the absence of a late penalty, but the question remains: did Arsenal do enough to truly pull away from Nottingham Forest? Not quite.
Reflecting on the result in light of City’s defeat, Arteta said: “Every week is an opportunity. We want to win every match, and if we did that, we’d be in a different position (nine points clear). We’ve taken a smaller step than we wanted, but it’s still a step.”
That sentiment echoed in the away end, where Arsenal supporters chanted “We are top of the league” in a tone that sounded more strained than celebratory. On both sides, there was an understanding that Arsenal had edged closer to their objective—but only by a small step, not a decisive leap.
These draws must not become a psychological burden. Manchester City drew three consecutive matches before losing to Manchester United—the same sequence that cost Arsenal the title in April 2023. This was the first time this season that Arsenal have dropped points in back-to-back league games. Now, they must prove that these two goalless draws are merely an anomaly in their 2025–26 campaign
