Arsenal risked losing more ground in the Premier League title race after being held to a 0-0 draw by Nottingham Forest.

It was a result that helped neither side in their ambitions this season, in a match with few clear chances at the City Ground.

Riccardo Calafiori struck the post in the first half for Arsenal, who turned the screw after the break having struggled to break down Forest's stern defensive rearguard.

After failing to register a shot on target in the opening period, Mikel Merino's header forced Matz Sels into a smart save from Declan Rice's teasing corner delivery. 

The Gunners continued to probe with another set-piece moments later, but substitute Kieran Tierney could not guide his headed effort on target from close range. 

But Mikel Arteta's side were unable to make the breakthrough, with Thomas Partey's scuffed strike in the closing stages summing up another difficult game in front of goal. 

Arsenal stay second on 54 points, with their title hopes hanging by a thread. Forest are six points behind the Gunners in third.

Data Debrief: Gunners fire blank once again

Ahead of kick-off, Arteta said that Arsenal would not stop fighting for the Premier League crown despite the gap to leaders Liverpool, but this result seemingly saw the title edge ever closer to Merseyside rather than north London.

Indeed, it has been draws that have seen the Gunners falter in their pursuit of Liverpool. They have now drawn nine of their 27 Premier League games this season (W15 L3), their most stalemates in a league campaign since 2019-20 (14).

But their recent struggles have not been helped by their makeshift frontline in recent weeks, with the Gunners registering just a single shot on target for the third time this season in the Premier League (also vs Bournemouth in October and Newcastle in November).

They have also now failed to score in back-to-back Premier League games (vs West Ham and Nottingham Forest) for the first time since May 2023 (vs Brighton and Forest).