Scoreless Arsenal lost more points in their increasingly hopeless pursuit of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League after drawing 0-0 at Nottingham Forest.
Manager Mikel Arteta insisted that his team would not give up on the title “under any circumstances,” but he might now have to come to terms with the end of their challenge following this draw.
The Gunners, playing without a designated striker, only managed to hit the target once at the City Ground, with Riccardo Calafiori also hitting the post in the first half.
Forest's unexpected push for a spot in the Champions League has stalled with just one victory in their last five matches, and they seem to be losing momentum, with Manchester City and Chelsea close behind them.
Both teams cautiously assessed each other in a balanced opening 20 minutes where scoring opportunities were scarce.
The match sparked to life shortly after when Forest appealed for a penalty after Callum Hudson-Odoi was brought down by Calafiori, although referee Andrew Madeley dismissed the claims.
Moments later, the Italian player was involved at the other end when he came agonizingly close to giving his team the lead by getting past Nicolas Dominguez but saw his shot hit the post.
That was the closest either team got to scoring in a lackluster first half.
Arsenal recorded their first shot on target six minutes into the second half from a corner kick.
Mikel Merino connected with Declan Rice's cross, but Matz Sels managed to parry the header away.
The Gunners dominated in the Forest's final third and posed a threat from set-pieces, with Kieran Tierney missing the target from one corner kick, while Sels did well to punch away another.
Forest have become accustomed to not having a lot of possession this season but have been effective on the counter-attack.
However, they struggled to trouble Arsenal, frequently faltering during transitions.
They finally tested David Raya with a significant save in the 70th minute when Morgan Gibbs-White set up Chris Wood, but the striker's shot went straight to the goalkeeper.
Wood had another chance shortly after as Dominguez's long pass evaded Gabriel, but the striker's control was poor, and the Arsenal defender made a strong tackle to recover.
Neither team showed enough quality to score, as another blow was dealt to Arsenal's hopes of winning the title.