Arsenal got their title challenge back on track by beating Nottingham Forest to secure a first win in five Premier League matches.

The Gunners’ form has dipped in recent weeks amid a tough fixture schedule and a number of injuries, which meant Mikel Arteta’s side were nine points behind leaders Liverpool before kick-off on Saturday.

Arsenal dominated from the outset at Emirates Stadium and Bukayo Saka gave them the lead after 15 minutes, when he exchanged passes with Martin Odegaard before beating two defenders and slamming a strike into the top corner.

Thomas Partey, who came on as a half-time substitute, doubled the hosts’ lead when he curled in from 20 yards, before youngster Ethan Nwaneri added a third late on to secure the win.

Forest have been the surprise package of the season so far and came into this match with the same number of points (19) as the Gunners. However, they struggled to get into the game and their best chances were tame headers from Ryan Yates and Nicolas Dominguez.

Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber thought he had put the hosts in front when he tapped in from close range before Saka’s opener, but Mikel Merino was offside in the build-up.

This match was Arteta’s 250th in charge of Arsenal in all competitions – and he will hope victory sparks a run of form that will help his side close the gap on their rivals at the top.

Arteta shocked many with his team selection before the Forest match as he made five changes to the team that drew with Chelsea in the Gunners’ last league game.

However, his side’s display proved he got those calls right – and managed to leave key players Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli on the bench before the Champions League match with Sporting next week.

Odegaard was named in the starting XI for the second time in a row after his lengthy injury lay-off and the captain showed supporters exactly what they missed in his absence.

The Norway playmaker was the hosts’ main creative threat – constantly looking to feed the ball to Saka – and picked up his second assist in as many matches when combining with the England winger for the opener.

Saka also benefited from having Odegaard back and had a hand in both his side’s first two goals – with his assist for Partey meaning he now has eight this season, the most in the league and two clear of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.