Madueke late winner edges Arsenal past Forest at the City Ground

Noni Madueke came off the bench at half time to score a late winner as Arsenal squeezed past Nottingham Forest at the City Ground in a Premier League match on 18 October 2026. The decisive effort arrived with 10 minutes left in a game that was described as dull.

Madueke was introduced at half-time for Eberechi Eze and scored the winning goal with a deflected effort to break the goalless deadlock. Arsenal struggled to fashion clear chances for long periods before Forest's resistance was broken with 10 minutes remaining, allowing the champions to claim a crucial victory. The match report focuses on individual performances as rated by BBC Sport users.

For Forest, goalkeeper Matz Sels was rated 6 after an otherwise untroubled display until the late breakthrough. Murillo received a 6 after taking a blow to the head that required treatment and nearly producing an injury-time leveller following some fine skill. Ousmane Diomande was given a 6 in only his fourth Premier League start, while Jair Cunha was rated 6 and described as unfortunate when Madueke's shot clipped him and flew in.

Neco Williams finished on 6 after a first-half booking and a game in which he could not supply his usual threatening deliveries. Xaver Schlager was rated 6 for his role in the engine room but could not influence the result, and Nicolas Dominguez also got a 6 in his first Premier League appearance of the season before running out of steam. James McAtee was assessed at 6 for his work rate without providing the decisive creative spark; Daniel Munoz (6), Dan Ndoye (6) and Liam Delap (6) are noted for testing the opposition but not producing clear-cut goals.

Ibrahim Sangare was introduced on 74 for Dominguez and was described as being stopped at a crucial moment that allowed Arsenal to regroup and score. Arnaud Kalimuendo came on at 74 for Ndoye, Chris Wood entered on 85 for Cunha and Callum Hudson-Odoi replaced McAtee on 85; unused Forest substitutes were listed as John Victor, Yates, Netz, Milenkovic and Aina.

For Arsenal, David Raya was rated 6, highlighted for a solid display and a great take from a corner. Ben White (6) offered overlapping runs and defensive solidity before being replaced by Jurrien Timber, while Ezri Konsa earned a 7 for his role in the physical battle with Delap and for a brilliant injury-time tackle that helped preserve the clean sheet. Gabriel Magalhaes was marked 6 after standing up to pressure, and Riccardo Calafiori received a 6 despite a loose pass in the first half that led to a Forest attack.

Declan Rice was rated 7 for powerful running and energy, noted for missing a big chance but for playing the ball to Madueke for the goal. Bruno Guimaraes was given 5 and was substituted for Mikel Merino (6), Martin Odegaard had a 6, Bukayo Saka a 6, Eberechi Eze a 5 and Kai Havertz a 5. Madueke (on 46 for Eze) was rated 7 after scoring the winner with a deflected effort; Viktor Gyokeres (on 66 for Havertz) was rated 6 for his work when introduced, Mikel Merino (on 66 for Guimaraes) 6 for tidy midfield play, and Jurrien Timber (on 66 for White) 6 for providing the cross that led to a late Rice chance. Unused Arsenal substitutes were Meslier, Lewis-Skelly, Mosquera, Zubimendi and Dowman.

After the opportunity to rate players had closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. The match ended with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet.