Arsenal showed their intent of going for the ultimate in the new season of the competitive English Premier League (EPL) by brushing off Nottingham Forest in their first opening game.
Eddie Nketiah and Saka both scored in the first half, but the home team was unable to extend its advantage and were pegged back by Taiwo Awoniyi as they hung on to win 2-1.
Due to a problem with the turnstiles, the kickoff was delayed by 30 minutes, but this did not pose a threat to the excited atmosphere as Arsenal aimed to surpass their runner-up finish from the previous campaign.
When Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner, who had just joined from Arsenal earlier in the week, saw Nketiah charge down a clearance as the ball whizzed wide, a recurrence of the defeat at Forest in May that ended that title challenge never seemed conceivable.
Nketiah was let free by Gabriel Martinelli in the Forest penalty area, and shortly after the halfway mark of the first half, Arsenal took the lead thanks to a deflection from Joe Worrall.
After receiving a pass from William Saliba, Saka assumed center stage and quickly doubled the lead just before halftime. However, it wasn’t all joy for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta as summer acquisition Jurrien Timber hobbled off with what appeared to be a knee injury after only 50 minutes.
The Dutch defender had fallen to the ground in agony on the final play of the first half after fouling but had later returned for the second half before being removed. Declan Rice appeared to be playing the majority of the second half with Arsenal controlling possession, prompting Turner to make a low save with a deflected attempt before the £105 million player had another shot blocked.
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