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

In a contest between second and third at the City Ground, neither side were able to claim the win needed to boost their lofty ambitions this season.

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

Mikel Merino and substitute Kieran Tierney came close, but Mikel Arteta’s side were unable to find a decisive goal.

Arsenal sit second on 54 points, with their title hopes fast threatening to fade away. Forest are six points behind the Gunners, though now only one ahead of fourth-placed Manchester City.

How the match unfolded

Calafiori was presented with the first chance of the match after brilliantly turning Nicolas Dominguez in the box, but his curling right-footed effort rattled the right-hand post.

Arsenal had to wait until after half-time to test Matz Sels, with Merino’s header from a Declan Rice corner tipped up by the Forest goalkeeper, before Tierney also missed the mark from a set-piece.

Forest were able to withstand the wave of Arsenal pressure and almost went ahead against the run of play in the 70th minute, but David Raya was equal to Chris Wood’s strike.

Martin Odegaard’s blushes were then spared by the offside flag after the midfielder twice was denied from inside the box, first by Murillo’s sliding challenge and then the palms of Sels.

Forest were still a threat, though, with Callum Hudson-Odoi flashing an effort over the crossbar late on before Thomas Partey dragged his strike from the edge of the box wide of the mark as the spoils were shared.

Forest keep European ambitions on track

After back-to-back defeats in the Premier League, Forest knew a big performance was needed. Though the display was not pretty, they have at least stopped a mini rot setting in.

Forest, as they often do, were happy to soak up the pressure before hitting Arsenal on the counter.

That tactic almost succeeded when Morgan Gibbs-White sent Wood through on goal, but Forest’s top scorer was brilliantly halted by Gabriel.

The hosts found themselves on the back foot in the second half, with Arsenal dominating the possession and creating the better chances, with Ryan Yates and Danilo introduced to try and inject some energy into the middle of the park.

That double substitution allowed Forest to wrestle back an element of control, with Wood first denied by Raya before William Saliba’s excellently timed tackle thwarted the New Zealand international once again as he raced towards goal.

Forest can use this point as momentum, with another huge encounter next up at the City Ground on 8 March when Man City roll into town.

Gunners’ striker problems laid bare again

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

Calafiori endured an eventful start to the game, picking up a yellow card in the third minute for a tug on Hudson-Odoi’s shirt before being faced with the Forest winger again, who went down in the box under his challenge, which went unpunished by referee Andy Madley.

The Italian also hit a post while Rice saw a strike deflect over. Though Arsenal looked better in the final third compared to their defeat to West Ham United, their makeshift frontline, with Merino at the top, was unable to muster a shot on target in the first half.

But the Gunners’ improvement after the interval was stark, with back-to-back corners seeing Merino and Tierney heading narrowly wide. But apart from Odegaard’s two missed chances in an offside position, Partey’s dragged effort late on summed up a frustrating time in front of goal.

Arteta will continue to try and find a solution to his attacking problems, and will be hoping to kickstart his side’s revival away at Manchester United next.

Club reports

Forest report | Arsenal report

Match officials

Referee: Andy Madley. Assistants: Eddie Smart, Craig Taylor. Fourth official: Anthony Taylor. VAR: Michael Salisbury. Assistant VAR: Lee Betts.