Arsenal spoil Ange’s return as Nottingham Forest lose 3-0 at the Emirates

Ange Postecoglou got a harsh reintroduction to the Premier League on Saturday. Nick Woltemade’s first taste of English soccer couldn’t have been sweeter.

A trip to Arsenal was among the hardest possible starts for Postecoglou following his hiring by Nottingham Forest this week and the former Tottenham manager saw his new team get brushed aside 3-0 at Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal’s new signings did the damage, with defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi scoring twice and Viktor Gyokeres — a prolific striker expected to transform the team’s fortunes — delivering exactly what is expected of him with a close-range finish. It was a third win in four matches for Arsenal, one of the top title contenders.

It was also a day when a slew of the Premier League’s late-summer signings made their debuts and one of the them was Woltemade, who headed home Newcastle’s goal in a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton.

Woltemade is a lanky Germany international who joined Newcastle for a reported club-record fee of 69 million pounds ($93 million) to replace Alexander Isak. The 6-foot-6 (1.98 meters) striker became an immediate favorite at St. James’ Park by leaping at the far post to plant home a powerful header.

In other results, Fulham was gifted an own-goal in stoppage time to beat Leeds 1-0, Antoine Semenyo’s penalty secured Bournemouth a 2-1 win over Brighton, Aston Villa was still without a goal this season after a 0-0 draw at Everton, and Crystal Palace and Sunderland also played out a goalless draw.

Postecoglou’s misery

Zubimendi, the Spain midfielder recruited from Real Sociedad, volleyed home spectacularly from the edge of the area in the 32nd minute to put Arsenal in front before Gyokeres tapped in a cross from Eberechi Eze — another summer signing — to double the lead inside the opening minute of the second half.

Zubimendi headed in the third in the 79th minute to complete a miserable return to English soccer for Postecoglou, the former Tottenham manager who was hired by Forest on Tuesday as a replacement for the fired Nuno Espírito Santo.

“This week, it’s fair to say, was fairly disruptive for the players,” Postecoglou said. “International week as well, so they didn’t get in until Thursday, Friday — they see a new manager and I’m trying to implement new things.

“So it’s only understandable that they probably haven’t got clarity of thought at the moment. But that’s my job to try to bed that (in) over the next few weeks.”

Arsenal has won three of its first four games, losing the other to likely title rival Liverpool.

Postecoglou was fired by Tottenham in June despite Spurs winning the Europa League title and securing qualification to the Champions League. Domestically, though, Tottenham finished 17th, just one spot above relegation.

Forest offered little at Emirates Stadium aside from a chested effort from Chris Wood that Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya tipped onto the crossbar.

Otherwise, it was all Arsenal despite manager Mikel Arteta being without star players Bukayo Saka and William Saliba because of injuries, starting with Declan Rice on the bench and seeing captain Martin Odegaard go off in the 18th minute with a shoulder injury.

AP

Nobody really expected Forest to make a dent in one of the league’s frontrunners today, but the reckoning begins away to Burnley next weekend and then against Sunderland at home, with a Europa League trip to Real Betis sandwiched in between.

Postecoglou looked tense at full-time, all the positive pre-game energy drained from his face. He probably couldn’t have cared less about the “are you Tottenham in disguise?” chants - there was enough on the pitch to process.

Wonder if he’s still happy this job offer interrupted his 60th birthday celebrations?

For the neutrals, please do watch Zubimendi’s incredible goal again.

Four minutes of added time brings with it more Arsenal incursions but no more goals. That was, in the end, an impressive display from Arsenal and a routine win. Gunners go top of the table. Forest are 11th.

From Ange, who appears deep in thought with his hand to his mouth. From Nick Montgomery, who is one of a few Tottenham staff the Australian has already reunited with alongside fellow assistants Mile Jedinak, Sergio Raimundo and Rob Burch named as goalkeeper coach.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest after 90 minutes

He has not scored many top-flight goals. Before today he had scored no goals for Arsenal and no doubles.

The provider this time was substitute Trossard, who whipped in a cross seconds into his shift for the Spaniard to head home. It came from a free-kick.

Arteta had just introduced Trossard along with Martinelli, who replaced the excellent Madueke and Eze. Both were applauded off the pitch.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest after 79 minutes

Wood and Hudson-Odoi take their leave and are replaced by Kalimuendo and Bakwa.

The Emirates crowd tells Postecoglou he’ll be “sacked in the morning”, about which he looks distinctly unfazed.

Then Arteta rings his own changes by taking off Calafiori and Gyokeres and introducing Lewis-Skelly and Rice. Rice was notably dropped for this home game, with Arteta citing rotation amid a heavy set of upcoming fixtures.

Arsenal 2-0 Nottingham Forest after 65 minutes

The crossbar, to be precise.

Ndoye provides the pass, which may not have been meant for Wood but ends up with him, at such speed he basically has enough time to thrust his chest into the ball and turn towards the goal as he does.

It would have gone in, too, but for Raya’s body-bending leap and Inspector Gadget arms that help his fingertips divert the shot onto the crossbar.

That was weirdly enjoyable to watch, with the caveat that it did not look like a training drill.

Arsenal 2-0 Nottingham Forest after 52 minutes

The player on the pitch with effectively the least number of touches basically kills the game. The Swede has been a shaky focal point since moving to the Emirates just before the start of the season, and his influence on this match has been no more pronounced than the previous.

Except, of course, the fact that he’s just ensured he was in the right place at the right time when Eze gets his first assist for his new club. The former Crystal Palace man sends in the cross for his teammate’s tap-in, about 45 seconds after the restart.

The VAR checks for offside against Eze but given the all-clear.

Arsenal 2-0 Nottingham Forest after 46 minutes