Declan Rice reacts to Eddie Nketiah’s performance as Arsenal kick off new campaign with win over Nottingham Forest

Arsenal kicked off the 2023-24 Premier League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest this afternoon.

Goals from Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka secured all three points for the Gunners, with the former opening the scoring with a brilliant strike.

He took to Instagram to react to the victory and summer signing Declan Rice was pleased with the performance of his mate, reacting thus in the comments section:

With Gabriel Jesus still out injured, Nketiah started the game and put in a top performance to help Arsenal grab all three points.

The 24-year-old grabbed the chance today having been left out of the team that started the Community Shield against Manchester City on Sunday and will hope to keep scoring regularly in order to establish himself in the starting XI.

The North Londoners are back in action next Monday (August 21) when they face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, and Nketiah would be expected to retain his place in the line-up.

Manager Mikel Arteta will expect a better performance from his men after Forest attempted to pull off a late comeback, and the players will be looking to impress him.

None of the players can afford to be complacent given the stiff competition now available for every spot, and Arsenal have done very well thus far this summer with their recruitment.

Winning the Premier League remains the plan this term having come close last season, and while they did not blow their opponents away today, starting the new season with a victory is a huge boost as they look to keep winning going forward.