Arsenal spoiled Ange Postecoglou’s first match in charge of Nottingham Forest with a commanding 3-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, powered by a superb brace from Martin Zubimendi.
The Spanish midfielder, who joined from Real Sociedad in the summer, opened the scoring in the first half and sealed the win with a header late on. Viktor Gyokeres netted Arsenal’s second less than a minute after the restart, taking his tally to three goals since arriving from Sporting Lisbon.
The result gave Arsenal their third win in four matches, sending them top of the Premier League table on goal difference ahead of Liverpool, who face Burnley on Sunday.
Arsenal bounced back in style after their pre-international break 1-0 loss to Liverpool, which had halted an early-season winning run against Leeds United and Manchester United. Manager Mikel Arteta hailed the dominant display that is sparked by an eye-catching performance from Noni Madueke which serve as an evidence of their title credentials.
The only setback came when captain Martin Odegaard left the pitch with a suspected shoulder injury after just 18 minutes. He joins an already packed treatment room that includes Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and William Saliba.
For Postecoglou, it was a frustrating return to north London, just three months after being dismissed by Tottenham Hotspur despite guiding them to a historic Europa League title, their first trophy in 17 years. Hired earlier this week following the exit of Nuno Espirito Santo, Postecoglou faces high expectations from Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, who has publicly tipped the club to compete for silverware.
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