Arteta hails 'finishers' after Arsenal fells Forest

Mikel Arteta said Arsenal's strength in depth will be key to its Premier League title defense after Noni Madueke came off the bench to clinch a 1-0 win against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Arteta's side was well below its best at the City Ground and did not register a shot on target until Madueke bagged the winner 10 minutes from full-time.

While the Gunners earned few style points in the East Midlands, they will not be overly concerned after moving within three points of league leader Manchester City.

Arteta is able to dip into one of the stronger substitutes' benches in the top-flight, and he made full use of the resources at his disposal to turn the tide by the banks of the River Trent.

Crucially, he sent on Madueke for the underwhelming Eberechi Eze at halftime.

He also introduced Mikel Merino, Viktor Gyokeres and Jurrien Timber as the second half wore on.

It was Madueke, though, who provided the key intervention, cutting in from the left flank to unleash a powerful drive that deflected past Forest keeper 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 is in the midst of a hectic schedule, which included a 3-0 Champions League win over Lille on Oct 13 and a looming trip to Bayern Munich in the next round on Wednesday.

Arteta's ability to rest key players without significantly weakening his team could be a major factor 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 were brilliant when they came on, and Viktor really changed the game, all of them did and that's what we need.

"Noni, obviously, (was) the highlight because he scored the goal, and that's the difference."

After a shock 3-0 loss at Brighton on Sept 19, second-placed Arsenal has bounced back with three successive victories.

The north Londoners have not been able to recapture the relentless consistency that took them to a first title in 22 years last season.

But they retain the priceless ability to grind out wins, and this was their sixth in seven league matches.

"Sometimes, you can get frustrated with teams that 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 (chances) in the second half, but the only one on target we had was a little deflection and it's in."

Arsenal looked toothless in the first half, and, although it was sharper after the break, it still took until the 80th minute for Madueke to produce the effort that finally broke the host's resistance.

The 24-year-old, who came off the bench at the break to replace Eze, said Arsenal's squad depth was proving to be one of its main strengths this season.

"If you look at the quality of our starting lineup and bench, it's absurd. So we know that we're going to start some (games) and finish some, and for me, it's the same mentality every time, I just want to create or score. Amazing feeling (to score), but I feel better about the win," he said.

"We have elite players, all 20-something players are elite and of the highest level. It's great to have that type of competition on the bench. You're ready to have an impact."

Arsenal's total of 11 league goals from seven games is the second-lowest in the top six, eight behind Manchester City and a whopping 12 behind third-placed Brighton &Hove Albion.

Eight of those 11 strikes have come after halftime, and Arsenal again struggled for attacking fluency in the opening 45 minutes against Forest, before Madueke's deflected 80th-minute strike secured the points.