Nottingham Forest 1-0 Arsenal: 5 Talking Points as Gunners suffer shock defeat | FA Cup 2021-22

#3 Nuno Tavares has a night to forget

Nuno Tavares had a game to forget.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is a bold manager, something he proved against Notthingham Forest too. Nuno Tavares was subbed off for Kieran Tierney in the 34th minute.

The Spaniard was not convinced by Tavares' performance on the left. The 21-year-old completed just 65% of his passes, the worst by any Arsenal player on the pitch.

So the manager had no option but to take him off 11 minutes before the half-time whistle.

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#2 Nottingham Forest knock out Arsenal from the FA Cup yet again

Nottingham Forest players celebrate after scoring against Arsenal.

Nottingham Forest have knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup twice in the last five seasons. The previous time they did so was in 2017-18.

It marked only the second time in the last 25 years that the 14-time winners were eliminated in the third round of the FA Cup. Incidentally, both defeats have come against Nottingham Forest.

It was pretty evident from the lineup Arteta fielded that he was not taking the opposition lightly, as Arsenal had a week to prepare for this fixture. However, his players disappointed on the night, culminating in an early exit for the team.

#1 Arsenal need to pick themselves up

Mikel Arteta will have to resolve a lot of issues.

Arsenal do not have the time to brood over their FA Cup exit. The Gunners play Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League next week before taking on Liverpool in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Mikel Arteta will have to get his team up and running, as the next two games could could define the Gunners' season. The EFL Cup arguably represents the only realistic opportunity Arsenal have for winning silverware this season.

The Gunners are fourth in the Premier League. However, they are a whopping 18 points behind league leaders Manchester City, albeit with a game in hand.