Noni Madueke scored a deflected goal in the 80th minute as Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 in the Premier League at the City Ground on Sunday, 18 October 2026. The winger had come on at half-time in place of Eberechi Eze.
Madueke cut inside from the left and shot, and the ball deflected off Jair Cunha and wrong-footed goalkeeper Matz Sels. Declan Rice worked the ball out to Madueke before the goal, which was Arsenal's only shot on target in the match.
The first half offered Arsenal little. They had no shots on target before the interval. Kai Havertz headed wide from a Rice free‑kick, and Gabriel's effort was cleared almost off the line by Ousmane Diomande.
Mikel Arteta sent on Viktor Gyökeres and Mikel Merino midway through the second half. Forest missed late chances of their own: Chris Wood took too long to shoot in the 89th minute, and Murillo sent a solo run's finish wide of the target in stoppage time.
Murillo's effort curled narrowly wide, missing the target. Arteta, quoted, described Forest's defensive set‑up by saying: "They put a Christmas tree there."
Arteta also spoke about Madueke's contribution after the break, saying the forward showed "another level of anger, another level of conviction as well in his actions" after half‑time.
Madueke, who is 24, spoke about the goal. "Amazing feeling (to score), but I feel better about the win," he said. He added: "we got that extra belief, that extra mentality now".
The result takes Arsenal to 18 points, three behind leaders Manchester City, and it was their 10th win in 11 matches across all competitions this season. Eight of Arsenal's 11 league goals from seven games have come after half‑time.
Forest drop into the relegation zone and are still waiting for their first home league goal of the season. It was their third 1‑0 home defeat of the season and their third league defeat in a row, with no goals in five home matches in all competitions.
