Reiss Nelson was the unlikely hero on Sunday as Arsenal retook top spot in the English Premier League with a 5-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest.
Nelson was introduced for the first time in the Premier League this season after Bukayo Saka was forced off with a concerning injury for England coach Gareth Southgate just weeks ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
Saka set up the opening goal for Gabriel Martinelli after just five minutes before being replaced due to an ankle injury.
Photo: Reuters
Nelson struck his first Premier League goal since July 2020 early in the second half to give Arsenal breathing space.
He added a second just three minutes later and then teed up Thomas Partey to curl into the top corner.
“It couldn’t have got gone much better than that for me after coming on,” said Nelson, who spent last season on loan at Feyenoord. “Once the goals started going in it was a great game to play in. I have been working so hard in training waiting for my chance and I’m delighted to get it.”
Martin Odegaard rounded off a performance that shrugged off doubts over Arsenal’s ability to contend for the title by firing high past Dean Henderson 13 minutes from time.
The victory lifts Mikel Arteta’s men a point above Manchester City at the top of the table.
“It’s great to be there,” Arteta said. “It’s always a difficult to win in this league, and today we had a tricky game after traveling and playing in Europe, and I think the team responded really well.”
The Arsenal players came together to show support to teammate Pablo Mari before kickoff.
Mari, who is on loan at AC Monza, was stabbed during a knife attack in an Italian supermarket last week that left one person dead.
That incident put Arsenal’s bad week on the pitch into perspective after a 1-1 draw at Southampton was followed by a 2-0 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Europa League.
At Old Trafford, Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford said there is a different energy at the club now and that he is feeling fully motivated after poor performances last season cast doubt about his future.
Rashford on Sunday scored his 100th goal for the club in a 1-0 victory over West Ham United, becoming the first Manchester United player to hit that mark since Wayne Rooney in 2009.
His towering header saw him equal his league tally of four goals for the whole of last season in only 12 games. The 25-year-old scored only five goals in 32 matches last season.
“It’s a complete different energy around the club and the training ground,” Rashford told Sky Sports. “That puts me in a better headspace and I feel really motivated now.”
“I was struggling at times with more mental things. It wasn’t really my own performance, but other things off the pitch. That’s the biggest difference from last season,” he said. “I get that it’s your job to speak about what happens on the pitch, but for players, we have to get into the right headspace for every game. Too often last season, I wasn’t... I wasn’t surprised by some of the stuff that was happening.”
Additional reporting by Reuters
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