Arsenal removed any worries about a dip in form by restoring their place at the top of the Premier League and beating Nottingham Forest 5-0 at Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
A first-half header from Gabriel Martinelli was accompanied by two second-half Reiss Nelson goals before he then assisted his teammate Thomas Partey who made it 4-0 to Arsenal through a long-range effort. The Gunners weren't done there though as they struck Late on through Martin Ødegaard who made it 5-0 to the Arsenal, rounding off a perfect day for the home side.
The Gunners went into this tie unchanged from their 1-1 draw with Southampton at St Mary's Stadium, lining up in their regular 4-2-3-1 formation and facing the bottom side in the Premier League Nottingham Forest.
Story of the game
Steve Cooper's side came into this game off the back of an impressive 1-0 victory over Liverpool last weekend but the first half of the tie was largely dominated by the home side. Arsenal enjoyed the majority of the ball with most of the play coming through the Gunners' number five, Thomas Partey who orchestrated the Arsenal attacks from deep.
Gabriel Martinelli fired Arsenal ahead with just five minutes on the clock, celebrating with his teammates in front of the jubilant Clock End. Bukayo Saka chipped in a searching ball which found the grateful head of his Brazilian teammate, putting Arsenal into an early lead.
Mikel Arteta's team were however dealt a blow early on when Bukayo Saka was forced off following a number of rough challenges from the Nottingham Forest defenders. Saka went down twice and tried to carry on but never looked to be moving as freely after. The England international was then substituted for Reiss Nelson.
A goal up at the break simply wasn't enough for Arsenal, Mikel Arteta had his side fired up for the second 45 and they put on an impressive footballing display with Reiss Nelson scoring twice inside the first 10 minutes of the second period to give his side a 3-0 lead. Nelson then went from being the scorer to the provider as he swept a ball into the feet of Thomas Partey who swung a powerful effort into the back of Dean Henderson's Net
The Arsenal number nine Gabriel Jesus gave absolutely everything throughout the match but still couldn't get his goal in the game. The Brazilian forward appears to be suffering with a touch of low confidence at the moment when he finds himself in front of goal but despite this, Jesus' work effort was exceptional, pressing from the front and chasing down every ball for his side.
Four goals up and cruising but Arsenal weren't done yet. The Gunners' captain Martin Ødegaard dribbled past a number of Forest defenders on the edge of the box before rifling a shot into the top left hand corner of the goal to put the home side five goals to the good.
Player of the match
Hale End academy product Reiss Nelson grabbed the headlines in this game, scoring two goals past Dean Henderson and assisting for Thomas Partey's second-half strike.
The 22-year-old was an early first-half substitute, replacing the injured Bukayo Saka In the 27th minute and made himself a threat right away, taking up positions amongst the opposition defenders and always making himself available for his teammates.
His two goals were a result of his intelligent movement and despite not having played many minutes for the Gunners this season, he didn't look out of place on that right-hand side of Arsenal's attack.
Mikel Arteta will hope that Saka will be back and fit for their midweek game in the Europa League when they face FC Zurich however if the 21-year-old isn't available for selection then Arsenal will feel assured that Reiss Nelson slot in as they look to finish top of their group.
Looking ahead
Arsenal are next in action at Emirates Stadium on Thursday night when they welcome FC Zurich to North London. After the defeat to PSV last week, Arteta will be hoping his side can top their group this time around.
Looking further afield, Arsenal next travel to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League to face Graham Potter's Chelsea on Sunday 6th November. Mikel Arteta and his young side will have fond memories of their trip there last season when they beat Chelsea 4-2 at the bridge. Graham Potter will be looking to bounce back in this tie after his side were defeated by his former club Brighton 4-1 on Saturday.