Arteta: Arsenal must improve to stay in title race

Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal cannot win the Premier League title if they do not improve at both ends of the pitch.

Arsenal missed a chance to go top of the table on Thursday after losing 2-0 at home to West Ham despite registering 30 shots to the visitor’s six.

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Tomás Soucek and Konstantinos Mavropanos scored for West Ham, while Saïd Benrahma had a stoppage-time penalty saved by David Raya to leave Arteta’s side with just two points from their last four matches.

Although Arsenal have the second-best defensive record in the division — only behind leaders Liverpool — they have scored the fewest number of goals in the top five (36).

Arsenal had 77 touches in their opponent’s box — a record for a team that failed to score in a Premier League game since records began in 2008 — and asked if his team can win the title playing the way they did against West Ham, Arteta replied: “If we don’t improve in the boxes, no. Because at the end that is what it is. But generating the rest, yeah. You say it is a record, no? I don’t think there are many teams in the league who have done that for many years. Something very positive, I think.”

Bukayo Saka has scored just one league goal since September while Gabriel Martinelli has struck just twice in all competitions since October.

Pushed on whether the pair needed a rest with Sunday’s trip to Fulham fast approaching, Arteta said: “I don’t know. Obviously there are a lot of games but they looked really good, looked fresh. When you win, you don’t look at that. They are young. If they were 35 maybe it would be a different question. They are young, they have a lot of energy. They can keep going, that is for sure.

“Without a spark you don’t generate what the team generated today. It is impossible. But it is the final thing, the final touch, the final action that puts the ball in the net or not. That is what we need.”