Gunners inch towards title as plucky Forest force draw

Nowhere as good as expected for Arsenal, and yet better than it was. In going seven points clear of Manchester City rather than nine, Mikel Arteta’s team inch forward. A bit like in play here.

- MIGUEL DELANEY AT THE CITY GROUND

While that will frustrate a fanbase so desperate to just get this title done, and the ball did frequently flash across the Nottingham Forest box in a tantalising manner, much of that had to do with Sean Dyche’s side. They needed a point themselves after West Ham United’s surprise 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur and fought defiantly for it.

City’s own evisceration at the feet of Manchester United didn’t quite drive Arsenal in the same way, but it does afford a cushion for performances like this.

A 0-0 at Forest - which is a second such blank in a row, after Liverpool - is just something to get over rather than the emotional crisis it could have been.

Arteta was left complaining about “four massive chances” not taken and “a clear penalty” from an Ola Aina handball not given.

Dyche predictably said that you may as well cancel the game if such decisions are awarded.

There was a bit more to the game than all that – or a bit less to it, as the case may be, from Arsenal’s perspective. They wanted much more.

Arteta’s frustration was palpable.

The regret will only really come if they do actually fail to win this title, and Aston Villa do have the chance to cut that gap back to four points on Sunday.