Our young Gunners were beaten 2-0 by Nottingham Forest in Premier League 2 at Meadow Lane on Monday night.
Charles Sagoe Jr had our first chance of the game when Myles Lewis-Skelly chipped the ball into the box after Reuell Walters did well to win a free-kick on the right of the 18-yard box, close to the byline. Sagoe Junior struck straight at George Shelvey on the volley, however, before Esapa Osong fired over the bar on the counter-attack at the other end.
Osong went closer in the 12th minute as he looked to pick out the bottom left corner, but Ovie Ejeheri got down quickly to make the save.
We almost found the opener moments later, Amario Cozier-Duberry and Khayon Edwards linking up nicely before Ethan Nwaneri struck for the bottom left corner from distance, but Shelvey tipped the ball around the post.
Osong got on the end of a ball over the top into our 18-yard box before forcing another save from Ejeheri from a narrow angle.
Taylor Foran headed over the bar from a Jimi Gower corner, before Sagoe Jr went on a powerful individual run, cutting inside from the left wing and shooting just wide having demonstrated some lovely footwork.
Cozier-Duberry had time and space to get a shot away from the edge of the area in the 28th minute, and his curling effort was also tipped past the post by Shelvey as it approached the bottom left corner.
Gower found Foran again with a corner kick with half-time approaching, but again the latter nodded the ball wide of the post and we went into the break level.
Forest took the lead early in the second half, Jamie McDonnell’s cross going all the way to Alex Mighten at the far post to tap in.
Ateef Konate fired high over the bar and then came closer when he wriggled his way into the danger area before seeing a shot blocked by Foran.
Mehmet Ali made his first two changes of the night with just over half an hour remaining, Michal Rosiak and Marcelo Flores coming on for Bradley Ibrahim and Gower.
Sagoe Jr cut in from the right onto his left foot at the other end and curled just high and wide of the far post as we looked for an equalising goal.
With just under 15 minutes to go, Ali made another two changes, Zane Monlouis and Nathan Butler-Oyedeji coming on for Foran and Edwards.
Cozier-Duberry had a shot blocked over the crossbar in the game’s dying embers but we were unable to forge a chance from the resulting corner.
Osong dispossessed Walters late on and lifted the ball over Ejeheri for 2-0 to the hosts.
WHAT IT MEANS
We remain on six points after three games played in Premier League 2.
WHAT’S NEXT
We return to Meadow Park on Sunday for a 12pm kick-off against Reading in Premier League 2.
TEAM NEWS
Nottingham Forest XI: Shelvey, Gardner (Perkins, 69), Powell, Hanks, Abbott, Hammond, McDonnell, Collins, Osong, Konate (Perry, 76), Mighten
Subs not used: Brook, Clarridge, Norkett
Goals: Mighten (48), Osong (90+4)
Bookings: Shelvey (84), Perry (90+6)
Arsenal XI: Ejeheri, Walters, Foran (Monlouis, 76), Ibrahim (Rosiak, 59), Sousa, Lewis-Skelly, Gower (Flores ,59), Nwaneri, Cozier-Duberry, Edwards (Butler-Oyedeji, 76), Sagoe Jr
Subs not used: Hillson
Bookings: Ibrahim (43), Monlouis (82)
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