After consecutive away defeats, the Reds secured a valuable point while limiting the Gunners’ attacking threat.
Forest finished strongly, looking the more likely side to snatch a late winner despite Arsenal’s spells of pressure.
“The most important thing was to realise how we do things, how we play and our strengths. Today it was there,” Forest boss Santo said post-game.
“We were compact and didn’t allow Arsenal too much. Arsenal had chances, of course, because they are a very good team. But at the same time, we were compact, solid and aggressive.
“Maybe we could have found better transition points but it is always difficult. The positive is the clean sheet and, more than anything, finding ourselves as a team again with the way we do things.
“In the last moments of the game, we were the team getting the set-pieces and the dangerous momentum. That is a positive, also.
“It is important that we can never abandon this desire to avoid the ball going over the line and getting bodies behind the line. It is important.”