Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest Timeline & H2H Stats

For fans of the modern game, it is difficult to imagine a time when Arsenal and Nottingham Forest were chasing the same silverware. That is because modern football fans tend to think that the game began when the Premier League was formed in 1992, but Forest fans will remember a time long before that when they were one of the best clubs not just in England but in the world. In truth, the two sides weren’t really competing for the same trophies even when that was the case, mainly because of the fact that their periods of being in the ascendency didn’t occur at the same time as one another but were at different occasions.

In fact, there was only one season when the two teams were even remotely close when one of them was going for the title, which was in the 1988-1989 First Division campaign. Although Nottingham Forest finished third, it was really the battle with Liverpool that defined that season for Arsenal, given that the Gunners won the title in dramatic fashion on the final day. You would be hard-pushed to find anyone referring to this as any sort of major rivalry, with the clubs largely facing each other when they were in the same division. It took until 1979 for them to meet in the FA Cup, with Arsenal knocking Forest out on the way to winning the trophy.

Arsenal
54
Draw
22
Nottingham Forest
29

Stunning the Gunners in the Cup

It is in the FA Cup where Nottingham Forest enjoyed one of their biggest and most surprising wins over Arsenal. There is also an argument that it was one of the final nails in the coffin of Arsène Wenger’s time in charge of the Gunners. The match took place on the seventh of January 2018 and was the fourth time that the two clubs had played one another in the famous old competition. Arsenal won that face meeting in 1979, with Forest getting their revenge thanks to a 2-1 win nine years later. A run-of-the-mill 2-0 win for the Gunners in 1993 was the final time that the faced each other prior to the 2018 clash that left Wenger reeling.

Quite what the most shocking aspect was of the defeat is something that is there to be debated between supporters of both clubs. For starters, Wenger had never lost an FA Cup third round match since taking over as Arsenal manager. Then there’s the fact that Nottingham Forest didn’t even have a manager at the time, with Mark Warburton having been sacked the week before. Another thing that is noteworthy is that Forest scored four times against the Gunners on their way to a 4-2 win over the London club in what would prove to be Arsene Wenger’s final FA Cup match in charge of the side that he’d won an impressive seven FA Cups with during his time there.

Arsenal’s Full Match History Against Nottingham Forest

Date Home Score Away Result Competition
30 Jan 2024 Nottingham Forest 1-2 Arsenal W Premier League
12 Aug 2023 Arsenal 2-1 Nottingham Forest W Premier League
20 May 2023 Nottingham Forest 1-0 Arsenal L Premier League
30 Oct 2022 Arsenal 5-0 Nottingham Forest W Premier League
09 Jan 2022 Nottingham Forest 1-0 Arsenal L FA Cup
24 Sep 2019 Arsenal 5-0 Nottingham Forest W League Cup
07 Jan 2018 Nottingham Forest 4-2 Arsenal L FA Cup
20 Sep 2016 Nottingham Forest 0-4 Arsenal W League Cup
16 Jan 1999 Nottingham Forest 0-1 Arsenal W Premier League
17 Aug 1998 Arsenal 2-1 Nottingham Forest W Premier League
08 Mar 1997 Arsenal 2-0 Nottingham Forest W Premier League
21 Dec 1996 Nottingham Forest 2-1 Arsenal L Premier League
10 Feb 1996 Nottingham Forest 0-1 Arsenal W Premier League
29 Aug 1995 Arsenal 1-1 Nottingham Forest D Premier League
21 Feb 1995 Arsenal 1-0 Nottingham Forest W Premier League
03 Dec 1994 Nottingham Forest 2-2 Arsenal D Premier League
21 Apr 1993 Arsenal 1-1 Nottingham Forest D Premier League
13 Feb 1993 Arsenal 2-0 Nottingham Forest W FA Cup
12 Jan 1993 Arsenal 2-0 Nottingham Forest W League Cup
17 Oct 1992 Nottingham Forest 0-1 Arsenal W Premier League
31 Mar 1992 Arsenal 3-3 Nottingham Forest D First Division
08 Dec 1991 Nottingham Forest 3-2 Arsenal L First Division
20 Mar 1991 Arsenal 1-1 Nottingham Forest D First Division
22 Sep 1990 Nottingham Forest 0-2 Arsenal W First Division
07 Mar 1990 Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest W First Division
16 Sep 1989 Nottingham Forest 1-2 Arsenal W First Division
11 Mar 1989 Arsenal 1-3 Nottingham Forest L First Division
06 Nov 1988 Nottingham Forest 1-4 Arsenal W First Division
12 Mar 1988 Arsenal 1-2 Nottingham Forest L FA Cup
26 Dec 1987 Arsenal 0-2 Nottingham Forest L First Division
12 Sep 1987 Nottingham Forest 0-1 Arsenal W First Division
17 Mar 1987 Arsenal 0-0 Nottingham Forest D First Division
21 Jan 1987 Arsenal 2-0 Nottingham Forest W League Cup
27 Sep 1986 Nottingham Forest 1-0 Arsenal L First Division
08 Apr 1986 Arsenal 1-1 Nottingham Forest D First Division
26 Oct 1985 Nottingham Forest 3-2 Arsenal L First Division
13 Apr 1985 Arsenal 1-1 Nottingham Forest D First Division
29 Aug 1984 Nottingham Forest 2-0 Arsenal L First Division
25 Feb 1984 Nottingham Forest 0-1 Arsenal W First Division
22 Oct 1983 Arsenal 4-1 Nottingham Forest W First Division
05 Mar 1983 Arsenal 0-0 Nottingham Forest D First Division
23 Oct 1982 Nottingham Forest 3-0 Arsenal L First Division
17 Apr 1982 Arsenal 2-0 Nottingham Forest W First Division
21 Nov 1981 Nottingham Forest 1-2 Arsenal W First Division
21 Feb 1981 Nottingham Forest 3-1 Arsenal L First Division
27 Sep 1980 Arsenal 1-0 Nottingham Forest W First Division
05 May 1980 Arsenal 0-0 Nottingham Forest D First Division
01 Dec 1979 Nottingham Forest 1-1 Arsenal D First Division
26 Feb 1979 Nottingham Forest 0-1 Arsenal W FA Cup
13 Jan 1979 Arsenal 2-1 Nottingham Forest W First Division
09 Sep 1978 Nottingham Forest 2-1 Arsenal L First Division
21 Jan 1978 Nottingham Forest 2-0 Arsenal L First Division
03 Sep 1977 Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest W First Division
01 Apr 1972 Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest W First Division
27 Dec 1971 Nottingham Forest 1-1 Arsenal D First Division
13 Apr 1971 Nottingham Forest 0-3 Arsenal W First Division
03 Oct 1970 Arsenal 4-0 Nottingham Forest W First Division
26 Dec 1969 Nottingham Forest 1-1 Arsenal D First Division
23 Aug 1969 Arsenal 2-1 Nottingham Forest W First Division
01 Feb 1969 Arsenal 1-1 Nottingham Forest D First Division
16 Nov 1968 Nottingham Forest 0-2 Arsenal W First Division
23 Dec 1967 Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest W First Division
26 Aug 1967 Nottingham Forest 2-0 Arsenal L First Division
22 Apr 1967 Arsenal 1-1 Nottingham Forest D First Division
26 Nov 1966 Nottingham Forest 2-1 Arsenal L First Division
14 Sep 1965 Arsenal 1-0 Nottingham Forest W First Division
07 Sep 1965 Nottingham Forest 0-1 Arsenal W First Division
13 Mar 1965 Nottingham Forest 3-0 Arsenal L First Division
06 Oct 1964 Arsenal 0-3 Nottingham Forest L First Division
07 Mar 1964 Nottingham Forest 2-0 Arsenal L First Division
26 Oct 1963 Arsenal 4-2 Nottingham Forest W First Division
06 Apr 1963 Arsenal 0-0 Nottingham Forest D First Division
17 Nov 1962 Nottingham Forest 3-0 Arsenal L First Division
07 Apr 1962 Nottingham Forest 0-1 Arsenal W First Division
18 Nov 1961 Arsenal 2-1 Nottingham Forest W First Division
31 Dec 1960 Nottingham Forest 3-5 Arsenal W First Division
27 Aug 1960 Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest W First Division
01 Sep 1959 Arsenal 1-1 Nottingham Forest D First Division
26 Aug 1959 Nottingham Forest 0-3 Arsenal W First Division
04 Apr 1959 Nottingham Forest 1-1 Arsenal D First Division
15 Nov 1958 Arsenal 3-1 Nottingham Forest W First Division
21 Apr 1958 Arsenal 1-1 Nottingham Forest D First Division
09 Nov 1957 Nottingham Forest 4-0 Arsenal L First Division
27 Dec 1924 Arsenal 2-1 Nottingham Forest W First Division
30 Aug 1924 Nottingham Forest 0-2 Arsenal W First Division
22 Mar 1924 Arsenal 1-0 Nottingham Forest W First Division
15 Mar 1924 Nottingham Forest 2-1 Arsenal L First Division
10 Feb 1923 Arsenal 2-0 Nottingham Forest W First Division
03 Feb 1923 Nottingham Forest 2-1 Arsenal L First Division
24 Apr 1915 Arsenal 7-0 Nottingham Forest W Second Division
18 Nov 1914 Nottingham Forest 1-1 Arsenal D Second Division
07 Mar 1914 Nottingham Forest 0-0 Woolwich Arsenal D Second Division
01 Nov 1913 Woolwich Arsenal 3-2 Nottingham Forest W Second Division
25 Feb 1911 Woolwich Arsenal 3-2 Nottingham Forest W First Division
22 Oct 1910 Nottingham Forest 2-3 Woolwich Arsenal W First Division
02 Mar 1910 Nottingham Forest 1-1 Woolwich Arsenal D First Division
09 Oct 1909 Woolwich Arsenal 0-1 Nottingham Forest L First Division
20 Mar 1909 Woolwich Arsenal 1-2 Nottingham Forest L First Division
14 Nov 1908 Nottingham Forest 0-1 Woolwich Arsenal W First Division
14 Mar 1908 Nottingham Forest 1-0 Woolwich Arsenal L First Division
16 Nov 1907 Woolwich Arsenal 3-1 Nottingham Forest W First Division
02 Apr 1906 Woolwich Arsenal 3-1 Nottingham Forest W First Division
25 Nov 1905 Nottingham Forest 3-1 Woolwich Arsenal L First Division
27 Dec 1904 Nottingham Forest 0-3 Woolwich Arsenal W First Division
22 Oct 1904 Woolwich Arsenal 0-3 Nottingham Forest L First Division