Nottinghamshire, Jan 31 (IANS): Second-half goals from Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka gave Arsenal a deserved 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest. With a win Gunners climbed to second in the table, two points off the top.

Despite dominating possession, Arsenal once again struggled to find a way through Forest’s defence in the first half, but Jesus gave them the breakthrough in the 65th minute before setting up Saka in the 72nd minute.

Forest substitute Taiwo Awoniyi pulled a goal back on 89 minutes, but Arsenal held on to make it back-to-back victories ahead of a huge showdown with Liverpool at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

The opening goal duly arrived in the 65th minute as Arsenal caught the Forest defence out. Oleksandr Zinchenko took a quick throw-in down the left to Jesus, who found himself free behind Forest’s defence and advanced to score from the narrowest of angles, through the legs of Turner.

The lead was doubled seven minutes later on the counter-attack. Forest lost the ball in midfield and Odegaard’s ball to Jesus put Arsenal in with four players against two. Jesus played the ball across the box to Saka, whose right-foot shot was dispatched clinically into the far corner.

Awoniyi held off William Saliba to poke in and score against Arsenal for the third match in a row on 89 minutes to set up a grandstand finish.