Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka scored for Arsenal on an injury hit afternoon in their season-opening victory against Nottingham Forest.
All three of the team’s summer acquisitions were given starting roles by Mikel Arteta. But he unexpectedly benched Gabriel for tactical reasons, breaking his streak of 73 straight Premier League appearances.
Tens of thousands of supporters were kept outside after the club’s new ticketing system crashed just before kickoff. Consequently, the delayed kick-off time was 30 minutes. The victory was well-deserved for Arsenal, but the Gunners had to sweat out the last minutes.
Forest replacement Taiwo Awoniyi scored off a cross from teammate Anthony Elanga to give his team hope. The away depart a defeated team but with several encouraging takeaways to ponder on the journey back to Nottingham.
Arsenal await nervous injury wait on Jurrien Timber
Meanwhile, the wonderful start to the season for Arsenal was overshadowed an injury. Summer addition Jurrien Timber was substituted out of the game after just 50 minutes of action.
On Saturday, the Dutchman made his debut for his team when they took on Nottingham Forest. After colliding with Reds’ standout Brennan Johnson in the first half, he seemed to have picked up a problem.
Two minutes after coming out from the locker room after the break, Timber was seen holding his calf and then falling to the floor. Helped off the field by medical personnel, the defender had to be replaced by Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Arsenal lacking in alternative options
Due to Timber’s absence and Oleksandr Zinchenko’s calf injury, Arsenal’s defensive depth has been significantly eroded.
Arteta will be worried about his injury as the Dutchman seemed to be in discomfort while he was being treated.
