Arsenal must improve to mount Premier League title bid – Arteta

Mikel Arteta says 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 recording 30 shots to the visitor's six.

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Tomás Soucek and Konstantinos Mavropanos scored for West Ham, while Saïd Benrahma saw 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, behind leaders Liverpool, they are the team that have scored the fewest goals among the top five (36).

Arsenal had 77 touches in their opponents' box – a record for a team who have failed to score in a Premier League match since records began in 2008 – and asked if their side could win the title by playing like she did against West Ham, Arteta. replied: “If we don't improve in the boxes, no. Because in the end that's it. But generating the rest, yeah. You say it's a record, right? I don't think that “There are a lot of teams in the league that have been doing this for many years. Something very positive, I think.

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

Asked whether both men needed rest ahead of Sunday's trip to Fulham, Arteta said: “I don't know. Obviously there are a lot of games but they looked really well, they looked fresh. When you win, you don't win. 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 continue, that's for sure.

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