by Martin Odegaard said a lack of aggression in attack had cost Arsenal as they dropped further points in their Premier League title fight with Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Fulham.
The stalemate at Craven Cottage means the Gunners have dropped 12 points from their last eight games and were far from at their best against a Fulham side who controlled their attacking threat with some aplomb.
William Saliba’s equalizer early in the second half briefly looked like it would bring Arsenal back to life as they recovered from a goal down thanks to Raul Jimenez’s early strike.
But the expected rush did not come. Bukayo Saka thought he had won with a late header ruled offside by VAR, leaving the visitors third and six points behind leaders Liverpool, who still have a game in hand.
“We dominated the whole game,” said Odegaard. “They didn’t create anything except the goal. We had some great moments there, especially with the disallowed goal at the end.
“We did a lot, but I think we need to go into the box a little more aggressively and attack the box. We created a few bigger chances there but I think it’s a game we should win.
“That’s why we’re disappointed, we obviously wanted to win. We have to keep going and that’s all.”
Saliba’s goal was Arsenal’s third in a row from a corner as impressive set-pieces continued to cause headaches for the opposition defence.
A deep corner from Declan Rice, who scored the opening goal for Jurrien Timber in Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Manchester United, was headed back across goal by Kai Havertz and onto the foot of Saliba, who shot home from the six-yard box Crate.
It was the ninth time Arsenal had scored from a set-piece in the league this season.
“We are so good at it and everyone believes we will score when we have a set piece,” Odegaard said. “And (against Fulham) we did it and to be honest we could have scored a few more goals. That’s a good thing and we just have to keep it that way.”
Arsenal now face a run of games that are considered winnable, starting with Everton’s trip to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday ahead of games against Crystal Palace and Ipswich.
After an inconsistent period, there is less and less room for error as Mikel Arteta hopes to lead the club to their first title since 2004.
“The mood now is obviously disappointed because we didn’t win, but we have to move on to the next round, it’s coming so quickly now,” Odegaard said.
“We don’t have time to be too disappointed, we have to move on and make sure we win the next game and that’s it.”
