ARSENAL kept their search for a name alive by beating Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
That means the Gunners are just two league leaders, Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta has flatly rejected rumours that he will leave Arsenal at the end of the season.
And the Gunners will get a boost in their search for Sergi Roberto, as the Spaniard is expected to leave Barcelona at the end of the season.
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Gabriel Jesus has thanked fans for their “trust” after he sparked a victory tonight that sent Arsenal second.
Jesus and Bukayo Saka scored midway through the second half in a well-deserved 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest, with substitute Taiwo Awoniyi responding late.
The Gunners are three things behind Manchester City, who host Burnley in the evening, and Aston Villa, who thrashed Newcastle 3-1 at home tonight.
And Jesus is grateful to the Arsenal enthusiasts for coming to him despite their own setbacks.
TNT Sports: “It’s all about trust.
“I arrived at the club with patience and desire to improve, I think I am doing good. Unfortunately I have been injured.
“I got kicked in training so I still had some problems, but I’m running hard and doing everything I can to be on the field. “
Amadou Onana’s absence from the Everton squad tonight has triggered hypotheses of movement, even if he was injured.
The 22-year-old Senegalese presenter has been linked with Arsenal and Chelsea, as well as Manchester United.
And he was left out of tonight’s Prem game, a 0-0 draw at Fulham that left the Toffees in the relegation zone.
It is believed that Everton would receive at least £70m for Onana.
But boss Sean Dyche had his star player play with a shot in Saturday’s 2-1 FA Cup home game against Luton.
So Onana was completely omitted from the squad tonight as Everton want to ensure he regains full fitness quickly.
They missed a few chances in the first half, but stepped up when it was mandatory to seal Arsenal’s 3 points.
After missing two chances to give the Gunners the lead early in the second half, Jesus came on in the 65th minute with the decisive goal.
It was arguably kept by former Gooner Matt Turner, but Arsenal enthusiasts don’t care.
It used to slow down the game by reducing the attack time.
It’s not his most productive performance, but it’s still a positive demonstration from a player who is potentially questionable for this adjustment due to injury.
He looked very good on his first Premier League start since October.
He played a role in setting up Arsenal’s second goal.
Once again, he pulled the strings and dominated the midfield.
Barely touched the ball during the first half and had very little to do in the second.
I couldn’t have done much to save Forest’s goal.
Brilliant on the right, linking up with Saka in attack.
I didn’t have much to do defensively in the first half, but I made a few interceptions to disrupt Forest’s counterattack attempts.
However, he was bullied off the ball by Taiwo Awoniyi before the striker scored for the Reds.
Like Saliba, didn’t have too much to do in the first half but stepped up when needed in defence.
His move gave Smith Rowe more freedom to move forward while Arsenal were on the attack.
He may have spent too much time on the ball at times, but he recovered well.
His quick thinking while taking a throw-in on the left led to Jesus’ opening goal.
Paul Scholes slammed Oleksandr Zinchenko in an X-rated Instagram post.
The Manchester United legend took aim at the Arsenal left-back during the Gunners’ 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest tonight.
Scholes objected to Zinchenko entering the Gunners’ midfield from left-back, as he does for Mikel Arteta’s team.
A number of Premier League teams are now employing their full-backs as additional strikers, with Zinchenko joining Arsenal’s midfield in possession of the ball.
During the match, Scholes wrote on Instagram: “For a full-back to come into central midfield is an insult to a central midfielder. . .
“I think we tell him to go back and there. . . at night. “
Former United team-mate Phil Neville responded: “We full-backs can play anywhere, my friend. “
And Zinchenko went on to grab an assist for Gabriel Jesus’ opener
Arsenal’s most sensible goalscorer, Gabriel Jesus, believes tonight’s 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest is well deserved.
Victory plus Aston Villa’s home struggle against Newcastle (Unai Emery’s men are currently 3-0 down) has lifted the Gunners to second in the Prem.
Jesus told TNT Sports of Mikel Arteta’s half-time instructions: “First of all to keep trying and in the first half we did good.
“We were there and led the game, but the most productive way for them is to keep the ball in the third part of the field.
“We played well in the first half but didn’t score.
“At the moment we scored, so we controlled the game more. “
Gabriel Jesus says boss Mikel Arteta told Arsenal to fend off Nottingham Forest in the second half of the Gunners’ 2-1 win.
Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka rewarded the visitors’ bossing of possession by striking on 65 and 72 minutes.
But Taiwo Awoniyi, Forest’s replacement, reduced the deficit before almost levelling the score.
However, Jesus told TNT Sports that a verbal exchange at times had put the Gunners on the court.
The Gunners’ moment in the Premier League: having won for a long time, they were forced to hang in there.
CLICK HERE for our MATCH BLOG from the City Ground
The Gunners are seconds from victory – but have faced stoppage-time pressure, including a VAR check.
But Arsenal eased the tension early in the 95th minute.
CLICK HERE to check out our City Ground MATCH BLOG
The Gunners had to wait for a VAR review before substitute Taiwo Awoniyi’s 89th-minute reaction for Forest was confirmed.
This sets the bar for a troubling ending. . . with at least FIVE MINUTES of additional time to play.
CLICK HERE to check out our City Ground MATCH BLOG
CLICK HERE to check out our City Ground MATCH BLOG
Bukayo Saka skilfully scored to make it 2-0 for the Gunners after Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli broke through.
CLICK HERE to check out our City Ground MATCH BLOG
Finally, Gabriel Jesus broke through for the Gunners in the 65th minute, thanks to a mistake by the goalkeeper.
Forest fell asleep on a throw-in, prompting Jesus to shoot at an angle through Matt Turner’s legs.
Meanwhile, a brace from Fabian Schar left Newcastle 2-0 at Aston Villa.
CLICK HERE for our MATCH BLOG from the City Ground
The Gunners will go second if tonight’s scores remain the same.
Arsenal are looking by far the likelier side at Forest tonight- albeit the first period was largely tame stuff.
And Aston Villa are also 0-0 at home to Newcastle, knowing they want to build on the Gunners’ result tonight to overtake them.
The Gunners dominated the first half, to no avail.
Bukayo Saka conceded a goal on the brink of half-time, firing across a crowded pitch that deflected just wide of Forest centre-back Murillo.
For full updates, head over to our fitness blog:
Arsenal could wait until the summer to move for PSG playmaker Xavi Simons.
This is suggested by journalist Dean Jones, while Bayern Munich are also interested.
But PSG are tipped to try to keep their Holland star, 20, beyond the end of the season.
The Gunners set off in their bid to get the timing right in the Prem.
For full updates, head over to our fitness blog:
Arsenal legend David Seaman believes it would be a “disaster” for the Gunners if manager Mikel Arteta left to take charge of Barcelona.
The ex-England keeper reckons the Gunners are ever improving under the Spaniard.
He told his Parimatch-sponsored podcast, Seaman Says: “It’s under construction and construction and it’s getting better, and I think it would be a crisis for Arsenal if I left the club for Barcelona.
“It wouldn’t be a disaster for Mikel Arteta personally… When you’re going on to a club like Barcelona, that’s an incredible opportunity.”
But Seaman added, “I definitely don’t need him to leave! He’s going in the right direction every season, so I need him to stay. “
“To be fair to him, he said in his press conference on Monday that he was not interested in leaving for Barcelona.
“He said that while he was playing for Arsenal. But that’s the popular answer that managers have to give, it’s rarely like that, come or not!
Manchester United and Arsenal are reportedly competing with the likes of Tottenham, Napoli and Real Sociedad for Fenerbahce midfielder Sebastian Szymanski.
Reports in Turkey, via Football Transfers Nederland, imply that the Polish hero with 30 caps is a prime target in the remaining two days of the move window.
It’s already been claimed by Turkish outlet Aksam Spor that Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou is “very keen” on the 24-year-old.
The former Legia Warsaw and Dynamo Moscow star, 24, is rated at around £30million.
Szymanski has nine goals and eight assists for Fenerbahce in Turkey’s best run this season.
Emile Smith Rowe with Declan Rice in Arsenal’s midfield at Nottingham Forest tonight, eliminated at 7. 30pm.
That’s the big news, as the Gunners aim for victory to move from third to second place in the Premier League, eliminated at 7:30 p. m.
TONIGHT’S TEAMS
Nottingham Forest XI: Turner, Montiel, Omobamidele, Murillo, Toffolo, Mangala, Danilo, Williams, Gibbs-White, Domínguez, Wood
Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Rice, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Saka, Martinelli, Jesus.
David Raya’s loan spell at Arsenal will almost certainly be permanent this summer.
That’s according to movement guru Fabrizio Romano despite some rumours in recent months that the Gunners are completely satisfied with Raya and Aaron Ramsdale fighting for the number one spot.
Romano says Arsenal have a “gentleman’s agreement” with Brentford on keeping the Spaniard beyond the current campaign.
And that’s what we heard last summer too, adding from the Bees.
Ex-Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi is “tingling” with excitement as he believes his six-month search for a new club is nearly over.
The 31-year-old German, who has made 20 international appearances, has been a free agent since Levante released him in the summer after missing out on promotion to La Liga in the play-offs.
The former Schalke, Valencia and Sampdoria star told Sport: “There have recently been extensive conversations with the directors of some clubs.
“But negotiations can also drag on. I am waiting and in a position to take on a new task. There’s a lot of impatience.
“I still feel tingling. I noticed it when I was running like an expert and staying away. “
Mustafi insists he would move to any country, but believes he is unlikely to return to Germany at the moment.
He added: “It will probably be overseas. I told my father and my counselor that I’m open to anything. “
“I speak five languages and my time abroad also made me very adaptable. So I’m pretty flexible.”
Arsenal have been regularly watching Leicester midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
That’s the claim of Fabrizio Romano, although the transfer expert believes Brighton have made the first approach for the £40million-rated Englishman.
Championship leaders Leicester are reluctant to sell the 25-year-old in this trade window as they look to book an immediate return to the Premier League.
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