Jesus had already hit the post when he received a throw-in from Oleksandr Zinchenko in the 65th minute, drove toward goal at an acute angle and sent in a shot that deflected into the net off the heel of Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner, a former Arsenal player.

The Brazil striker then turned provider as he led a counterattack and passed the ball across to Saka, who took a touch and shot right-footed into the bottom corner from just inside the area in the 72nd. Taiwo Awoniyi scored in the 89th minute in a rare sight on goal for Forest, whose late rally wasn’t enough.

Arsenal moved into second place above Manchester City and two points behind Liverpool. Both City and Liverpool are in action on Wednesday.

Arsenal built on its 5-0 win over Crystal Palace on Jan. 20, which came after a run of three straight losses in all competitions that led many to doubt Arsenal’s title credentials.

The first half against Forest saw Arsenal have 81% possession but fail to register a shot on target. That all changed after the break.