A harsh debut lesson: Arsenal punish Forest as Postecoglou era begins with a 3-0 defeat

Ange Postecoglou’s first week in charge of Nottingham Forest ended with a 3-0 defeat at Arsenal, a bruising reminder of how little time he has had to install his ideas. Martín Zubimendi’s first Arsenal goals bookended the night — a searing volley from a corner and a late header — with Viktor Gyokeres turning in Eberechi Eze’s crossed second just after half-time.

Forest had moments but struggled to establish control against a side that crave it. Morgan Gibbs-White shot wide from their best first-half opening, and at 2-0 Chris Wood’s chested effort was only denied by David Raya’s fingertip save onto the bar. For long periods, Arsenal’s structure hemmed Forest in and limited transitions.

A brave plan meets an unforgiving opponent

Postecoglou, appointed late on Tuesday, attempted to push Forest higher up the pitch than under Nuno Espírito Santo. Early pressing cues were visible, but Arsenal’s grip on the ball gradually forced Forest backward and starved them of counters. The match-up, away at a venue where Forest have rarely found joy, was a stern opening brief.

The first goal encapsulated the difficulty of the assignment. Noni Madueke’s corner was only half-cleared and Zubimendi met the dropping ball with a sweetly struck volley that took a slight deflection off Murillo and flashed past Matz Sels. Decisions at set plays — and Arsenal’s delivery — kept Forest under pressure.

Murillo’s injury forces a reshuffle as Madueke stays dangerous

Circumstances did not help. With Ola Aina out, Morato started at left-back and had a tough evening against Madueke’s direct running. When Murillo was hurt after making a block and had to come off, Postecoglou reorganised: Morato moved into central defence and Neco Williams switched across to the left in an effort to stem Arsenal’s flow down that flank.

Even so, Arsenal’s set pieces and patience kept pinning Forest back. Mikel Merino and others threatened from dead balls before the opener, while the visitors waited for space to break into. Gibbs-White finally found a pocket in first-half stoppage time, but his shot from inside the box dragged wide — a miss that underlined how few clear looks Forest were granted.

Openings arrive, but too late to change the picture

Any hopes of a reset were hit seconds into the second half. Riccardo Calafiori went long to Eze, whose quick low cross left Gyokeres with a close-range finish. At two down, Forest began to stitch together more promising moments and threatened to halve the deficit.

Their best chance came when a right-sided break produced a cross that looped off Wood’s chest and looked to be dropping in; Raya stretched to tip onto the bar. On the second phase, Callum Hudson-Odoi was denied by a sliding intervention from Cristhian Mosquera. With Arsenal then hitting the post through Gyokeres and carrying set-piece menace, the third arrived late from Zubimendi’s header via a Leandro Trossard free-kick routine.

A reality check, not a verdict

The backdrop matters. It has been a whirlwind week of change, with minimal time on the grass and players returning from international duty. Postecoglou acknowledged the disruption and the step up in difficulty at the Emirates: “It’s a disappointing result… it’s been a very disruptive week for the players… I can’t fault the players’ endeavour and effort… we never really had control of the game.”

There were pockets of what Forest will want to become — a braver line, quicker counters once the game opened — but Arsenal’s control and set-piece threat made the margins thin. Postecoglou also had to contend with the noise from the stands, including predictable taunts, on a night that marked back‑to‑back 3-0 defeats under two different head coaches.

Next steps arrive fast

Forest can pivot quickly to the EFL Cup, travelling to Swansea City on Wednesday. The immediate focus will be basic familiarity — roles, rotations, and the pressing triggers Postecoglou wants — after a debut in which enforced changes and Arsenal’s quality combined to tilt the contest.

Time on the training ground is the commodity the new head coach lacks most. With modest positives to draw from and a candid understanding of where control was lost, Forest’s job is to bank lessons from the Emirates and start laying down the patterns that will define this new era.