The Citizens lost 3-1 at Nottingham Forest, while the Gunners needed just a goal from Odegaard to defeat Hull City and escape to Arsenal
struggled against Hull’s excellent defense , but in the 72nd minute
Odegaard capitalized on a mistake by Tzolakis to secure the three points. Arteta thus consolidated his lead at the top of the Premier League just before the international break, also thanks to
Manchester City’s third consecutive defeat . Maresca’s men fell
3-1 to Nottingham Forest :
Cherki ‘s goal wasn’t enough
, as the hosts prevailed thanks to Delap’s brace and a goal from Jair.
De Zerbi’s Tottenham, meanwhile, came to an end after four consecutive victories :
Leeds found their first win since September thanks to former AC Milan player Okafor , who scored two minutes after coming on.
ARSENAL-HULL CITY
The Gunners attempted to impose their dominance from the opening minutes, especially in terms of possession, but were never able to trouble Tzolakis. The most dangerous shots came first with heads, then with feet, from Tzolis, but the former Brugge player was unable to give his side the lead. After half an hour, Raya made the decisive save: the Spanish goalkeeper made a superb save to deny Ajayi’s header. The first half ended 0-0, with both teams locked in despite good intensity from both sides. In the second half, Arteta and his men increased the tempo and, in addition to not conceding any more, became more persistent in their threat. The most dangerous player was Madueke, who in the 72nd minute shot towards Tzolakis’ goal. The Hull goalkeeper parried it short, and Odegaard was the first to get to the ball: the captain made it 1-0 from close range and put his side ahead. The final 20 minutes were pure control for Arsenal, who, with their usual dribbling, managed to control the pace of the game and never conceded. It would be a league-leading break for the Gunners, who have now won their fifth consecutive league match. Fulham and Newcastle, however, finished 1-1: in the 83rd minute, Muniz responded to Murphy’s opening goal, which had arrived just three minutes earlier.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST-MANCHESTER CITY 3-1
Manchester City got off to a shocking start, finding themselves down after just six minutes thanks to a goal from Jair, who brilliantly snatched the ball from Gvardiol in front of the defense and beat Donnarumma with a free-kick. Just 12 minutes later, Nottingham Forest doubled their lead through Delap, who, after receiving the ball from Schlager in midfield, raced to make it 2-0 with a shot from outside the area. The Citizens attempted to respond, particularly through Enzo Fernandez and Haaland, but to no avail. The second half changed: Maresca’s men attacked immediately in search of a goal, which came seven minutes later with a fine volley from Cherki after the Nottingham defense blocked it. City continued to attack with intensity and came close to equalizing three minutes later with a curling shot from Haaland that went just wide of the top corner. The hosts were not satisfied, and following an attacking move by the Citizens, they counterattacked through Gibbs-White: the number 10 found Delap on the left, and the striker crossed to make it 3-1 with fifteen minutes to go. It was the last real shock of the match, which ended with this result: Nottingham Forest secured their first Premier League win since September 12th, while City lost their third consecutive league game after defeats against Aston Villa and Brighton.
THE OTHERS
Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham lost 1-0 to Leeds. Okafor scored for the home side in the 79th minute. The match between Fulham and Newcastle ended 1-1. Murphy (Newcastle) scored in the 80th minute and Muniz (Fulham) in the 83rd minute.
