Regardless of how it happened, three points are three points for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal as they secured a narrow 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.
It took Arsenal just over an hour to open the scoring through Gabriel Jesus, in what was a controlled and nervy game from the Premier League title-chasers, before Bukayo Saka added a second to make things more comfortable for his team.
But the away side just put extra pressure on themselves by conceding late on, which then resulted in Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ben White clashing at the full-time whistle, which seemingly stemmed from that Taiwo Awoniyi goal.
Ian Wright shared his thoughts on the matter and how ‘there is fire in the belly’ of the Arsenal duo, as well as Oleksandr Zinchenko being a ‘very emotional guy’.
Ahead of the Liverpool game on Sunday at the Emirates, the former striker was sure to put a positive spin on this all and how ‘it will be sorted’, as he told Premier League Productions (30/01/24).
This is a good sign for the team because it proves that, not even conceding a goal is accepted.
Goals win you matches. Clean sheets win you titles. Arsenal shot themselves in the foot last season, in that regard, as games at Anfield, against West Ham United, Southampton and Brighton proved.
Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ben White clash
“Obviously, there is a disagreement,” said Wright. “That says to me that there is fire in the belly.
“Whatever has happened. You know that Zinchenko is a very emotional guy. He is a great player and a very emotional guy. Something has caused a problem for them. It will be sorted. That’s the main thing.
“What it says to me is that we are getting into the crux end. Things are tight now. Emotions are frayed a little bit. That was a tough game. Things are said that sometimes people might take to heart. It’s something you have to get over.
“We are getting into the crux end of the season and this is where you have to deal with that kind of pressure. Whatever that is, you just have to make sure that you sort it out, especially with Liverpool coming as well. You need to win that.”
Perfect preparation for Liverpool
If Liverpool beat Chelsea on Wednesday, then they will retake that five-point lead at the top.
But there is also every chance that, by the time the week is out, Arsenal are top of the tree. They will need their rivals to drop points, as well as doing the job against Liverpool.
So much is riding on this game because a point suits Jurgen Klopp and his men.
Given the poor festive period Arsenal had, if they are, at the very least, two points behind the leaders by Sunday, then it will send positive vibes around the club that their worst form of the season is behind them and now they are going to eat up points for fun.
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