Arsenal survive Bukayo Saka injury scare; England international's World Cup hopes appear to remain intact

The Gunners rebuilt their lead atop the league with a convincing display

LONDON -- In the end it could have been much worse for both Arsenal and Bukayo Saka. The Gunners were able to cope quite easily without the transformative force their No. 7 delivers on the right flank whilst it appeared that the player himself evaded any significant injury in the 27 minutes he completed at the Emirates Stadium.

Certainly Mikel Arteta did not seem to be worrying about Saka's potential involvement in the World Cup, a tournament on which he could make a major impact based on current form. But whether he would vocalize it or not, it would only be natural if the Arsenal coach were fearing how many more games like today his young star can take.

From minute one it was apparent that Nottingham Forest were intent on imposing themselves on Saka. Renan Lodi flew into his opponent with a tackle whose aftereffects Saka could never quite shake off. He was limping on his way to take corner kicks, lacking the burst to run at his opponent and dropping to the floor almost whenever there was a break in play. A hindered Saka can still be a deadly force, as he proved with the delicate cross that Gabriel Martinelli flicked into the net for Arsenal's opener in the 5-0 win.