Martin Odegaard gives Arsenal title fightback hope after Nottingham Forest masterclass

ARSENAL 3-0 NOTTINGHAM FOREST: Martin Odegaard was back to his brilliant best as the free-flowing Gunners skipper helped inspire Mikel Arteta's side to a comfortable victory over high-flying Forest

Martin Odegaard needed just three minutes to wave his magic wand.

One luscious swing of his left boot sent the ball swirling into Nottingham Forest's penalty box, Mikel Merino's header was scrambled off the line by the desperate Nicolas Dominguez and Jurrien Timber stabbed home.

VAR would later rain on Arsenal's parade, ruling the goal out for offside, however, the two weeks' worth of tension that has lingered since the 1-1 draw at Chelsea immediately lifted around the Emirates as the assertive start provided a clear injection of confidence.

The Gunners soon began to go through the gears, Bukayo Saka probed from the right, driving at nervous marker Alex Moreno while captain marvel Odegaard was pulling the strings, cunningly finding glorious, fractional pockets of space in between the lines.

There was a late decision on Saka's fitness due to a niggling groin issue but both he and Odegaard, starting his first home match since the 1-1 draw with Brighton in August, played the game at an entirely different speed to their peers at times.

It was almost hard to comprehend that both have been battling respective injury problems in recent times because they looked as sharp as you've ever seen and certainly not short of any rhythm.

The way Odegaard in particular picked up the ball on the half turn, jinked and skipped past the pressing Forest defenders was a sight to behold and more often than not, he had the final ball to match. He made 15 successful passes into the final third in the first half alone, more than any other player.

It was also no surprise to see him heavily involved in Saka's firecracker that broke the deadlock - a slick one-two inside Forest's box bamboozled the visitors' defensive block before the England international rifled home.

But he was at the heart of two separate free-flowing moves which first saw Gabriel Jesus curl narrowly wide before Odegaard himself had a low, trickling shot cleared off the line.

What is unique about Arsenal's 25-year-old playmaker is he is one of few stars in all of world football that possesses the ability to actually raise the entire level of the team with his stardust.

Saka's brilliance and potency is obviously nothing new but his chemistry and understanding with Odegaard was scintillating and pinpoints exactly what Arsenal have been missing.

Leandro Trossard plugged a gap in the Norway international's absence but no player in Mikel Arteta's squad can replicate the intelligence, IQ, awareness or class of the Scandinavian, who sets the tempo and triggers the press.

And this kind of outstanding performance makes you realise just how badly the Gunners missed him during his substantial two-month injury lay-off, when they dropped points against Bournemouth, Liverpool and Newcastle - losing key ground on their title rivals.

They undeniably have a mountain to climb if they are to somehow claw back the notable points deficit and catch Arne Slot's early-season pace-setters but things are only going to get better from here.

Arteta, who has said this week that it's all about "navigating" the storm, raised eyebrows 75 minutes before kick-off when Jorginho and Gabriel Jesus were handed rare starts.

Declan Rice, Thomas Partey, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz were all benched but Arteta's risky rotation paid dividends and there was a refreshing feel to Arsenal's play, the way they manipulated the ball from side to side, inspired by Odegaard.

And nobody should also underestimate his role as a leader in this Gunners side after personally making the call to withdraw from international duty to prioritise his conditioning.

As Forest looked to wrestle back the game with a series of attack-minded subs, Odegaard sprinted, won back the ball before gesturing to all four sides of the Emirates - supporters duly responded, cranking up the noise levels.

Arsenal's wretched run is now in their rear-view mirror and their influential skipper is evidently ready to inspire a valiant fightback.

Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this link to receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.