Arsenal's scenes of celebration at the final whistle at the City Ground were in the sharpest contrast to their last visit to Nottingham Forest, when defeat brought the curtain down on a season-long Premier League title quest.
Here, on a cold night beside the Trent, Arsenal's title ambitions were not on the line but defeat was unthinkable, especially with Premier League leaders Liverpool the visitors to Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
And this was why there was an outpouring of elation from manager Mikel Arteta, his players and the travelling fans when the final whistle sounded on a hectic five minutes of stoppage time, after what looked like a routine victory until Awoniyi struck for Forest late on.