Title chasers held as Reds stand tall

A SPIRITED display saw Nottingham Forest claim a big point as they held title-chasing Arsenal to a 0-0 draw at the City Ground.

- By SARAH CLAPSON

Nottingham Forest keeper Matz Sels makes a save to deny Arsenal during the 0-0 draw at the City Ground. PIC: GETTY IMAGES

(GETTY IMAGES)

After their FA Cup humbling at the hands of Wrexham, it was a return to Premier League action for the Reds. They went into the game knowing relegation rivals West Ham United had closed the gap on them to four points with victory over Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the day.

That result cranked up the pressure ahead of kickoff on the banks of the Trent. But some positive moments early on for the hosts saw the crowd raise the volume level as they got behind Sean Dyche's men.

Nicolas Dominguez saw a shot deflected behind in the opening 15 minutes and Callum Hudson-Odoi almost connected with a fine long pass from Murillo as Forest built up some momentum.

Arsenal had plenty of possession but Matz Sels was rarely troubled at the other end of the pitch, although there was a sharp intake of breath from the stands when Gabriel Martinelli rolled an effort just wide on the half-hour mark.

It took until almost an hour gone for Sels to be called into action for the first time but he then made two good saves in the space of barely five minutes.