EPL: Arteta Hails Arsenal Depth As Madueke Seals Win At Forest

Arsenal boss Arteta backs squad depth to be key in title race

Noni Madueke came off the bench to score as Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground to close within three points of Man City.

Arsenal grind out Forest win as Madueke strikes late...

The Arsenal boss believes that depth will be crucial to the Gunners' Premier League title push after substitute Noni Madueke came off the bench to seal the victory.

Arteta's men were far from their best and failed to register a shot on target until Madueke struck the winner 10 minutes from time.

Arsenal may have earned few style points in the East Midlands, but they will not mind too much after closing to within three points of leaders Manchester City.

Arteta has one of the strongest benches in the Premier League at his disposal, and he used it to full effect to turn the game around by the River Trent.

The key change saw him introduce Madueke for the ineffective Eberechi Eze at half-time.

He later brought on Mikel Merino, Viktor Gyokeres and Jurrien Timber as the second half went on.

It was Madueke who made the difference, cutting in from the left to fire a powerful effort that deflected past Matz Sels in the 80th minute.

“We had to earn it until the last second. They are a well-coached team and hard to break down. We had to take risks; they are a dangerous team,” Arteta said.

“We had to manage the emotional part really well. We stayed focused, and the finishers made a huge impact.”

Arsenal are in the middle of a demanding run of games, having beaten Lille in the Champions League in midweek with a trip to Bayern Munich coming up on Wednesday.

Arteta's ability to rotate his key players without weakening the side too much could prove decisive in the title race.

“Some of them played three days ago, and some of them will start the next game, and they know that everyone has to be at it,” he said.

“If you are needed after 60 minutes, 45 minutes and sometimes two minutes. We have a squad now that can deliver in moments and we have to use that.

“Noni, Jurrien, Mikel was brilliant when he came on, and Viktor really changed the game; all of them did, and that's what we need.

“Noni obviously the highlight because he scored the goal and that's the difference.”

💬 "To stay composed, it says a lot about the player.” Mikel praises Ezri's brilliant last-minute challenge 👇

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 18, 2026

After suffering a surprise 3-0 defeat at Brighton on September 19, second-placed Arsenal have responded with three straight wins.

The north London side have not yet rediscovered the relentless consistency that delivered a first title in 22 years last season.

🎶 ONE-NIL TO THE ARSENAL 🎶 https://t.co/CXWmdy38rX

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 18, 2026

Yet they still have that invaluable knack of grinding out results, with this their sixth win in seven league games.

“Sometimes you can get frustrated with teams who are difficult to break down. First half we didn't have a shot on target and that's something we discussed,” Arteta said.

“We had another two big ones in the second half, but the only one on target we had was a little deflection and it's in.”

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