Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has admitted his side’s lack of goals from open play is worrying him.
The Gunners drew a blank against Leeds United on Sunday as they were held to a 0-0 draw at Elland Road, with Nicolas Pepe being sent off, too.
It means Arsenal have now gone over seven hours without a goal in open play in the Premier League.
Their last strike from open play came all the way back on October 4 against Sheffield United and asked if it was a concern, Arteta replied: “It worries me obviously.
“We need goals and we need a lot of goals to win football matches, and to be the top team that we want to be.
“Without that (goals), it is impossible. It doesn’t matter how good we are defensively. It is not the lack of attacking players we have for sure, or the attacking players that we are putting on the pitch all the time.
“But we need some moments where we have to make decisions there. They have to be better. They have to be more ruthless.
“But it is the most difficult thing in football and sometimes we have to go through these patches. We have to overcome them and I have to help the players to do it as quick as possible.”
A tough afternoon for Arsenal was made worse when Bukayo Saka limped off at the end after a tackle late on.
Arteta has said the teenager must now be assessed and the Gunners will hope any injury isn’t a bad one.
“He was in pain,” he said. “We don’t know. We are going to have to assess with the medical staff how bad it is.
“But it looked a pretty bad challenge and he was in pain, so we decided to take him out straight away.”
Arteta also confirmed Willian was taken off at half-time due to a muscular problem.
