And unfortunately for the Gunners, missed opportunities and a lack of a ruthless finisher were the story as Manchester City beat them 2-1 to move closer to the Premier League leaders.
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It was heralded by many as the decisive match of the Premier League and, just like in the Carabao Cup final last month, City beat Arsenal.
Erling Haaland held off Gabriel Magalhaes and scored City’s 65th-minute winner to seal a 2-1 victory as the momentum of the race swung towards Pep Guardiola’s side, proving the importance of possessing that killer instinct.
The Gunners pushed City all the way in a tight contest and both managers made reference to the “small margins” of the game, but missed opportunities for Arsenal are the reason the title race is now wide open.
The difference was in the boxes – Arteta
This was not a bad performance from Arteta’s team, but it looks like their lack of killer instinct could hurt their chances of claiming their first league title in 22 years.
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Arteta named a team that attempted to play on the front foot and included Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard in the same team for the fourth time this season as he tried to get his team to dominate the ball.
“The reality is that today there was a difference in both boxes and that is what decided the match,” Arteta said.
Havertz led the line in place of summer signing Viktor Gyokeres and was the man who pulled the Gunners level, minutes after Rayan Cherki’s brilliant opener, with his block on goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s clearance that bounced into the net.
But what will remain in the memory were the two wasted chances by the German international.
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In the second half, with the score tied, Havertz managed to advance towards the goal, but was unable to finish off Donnarumma and missed a header in the 95th minute from inside the six-yard box, leaving Arteta on the ground.
Eze hit the post from the edge of the area as did Gabriel’s header from a second-half free kick, but the Gunners could not find a way through.
Arsenal attempted to address their need for a striker when they acquired Gyokeres from Sporting for £64m last summer.
But, despite scoring 18 goals in all competitions this season, there are still doubts over whether the 27-year-old is suitable for Arsenal and can produce what the Gunners need from him.
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“That’s really difficult,” Arteta said when asked how he could make his players more ruthless.
“I mean, we hit the post and I just look at the footage. It’s amazing how the ball doesn’t go in.
“So there’s an element of luck. There’s an element of timing, of execution. There’s a lot of things that have to go your way.”
“They didn’t go our way and we have to recognize that in the end, winning or not winning will come down to these moments.”
Arsenal strikers struggle
It’s rare for a team to challenge for the title without a striker in the team of the season conversation, but it’s hard to argue against the fact that that’s where Arsenal find themselves.
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Manchester City’s Haaland and Antoine Semenyo will no doubt compete for end-of-season awards, while previous title winners have boasted the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero and Didier Droga.
Arsenal’s available forward options – Gyokeres, Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke, Eze and Gabriel Jesus – certainly have their strengths, but it seems a stretch to call any of them ruthless match-winners.
Gyokeres’ all-round game has been questioned and he is often only effective against teams not at the top of the table.
Havertz’s first goal was his first of the season, Leandro Trossard has not scored in 22 games, Madueke has two league goals, while Eze has six, but five of them have come in two games against rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
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Arsenal were also without Bukayo Saka, who was lost with an Achilles injury, but despite normally being one of Arsenal’s most reliable forwards, his numbers have dipped this season.
Arteta’s side have been criticized throughout the season for their style of play, with their strengths being their threat from set pieces and their excellence in defending cornerstones.
At times during the season, Arsenal have struggled to create opportunities and this is reflected in their goals from open play.
Arsenal have 35.8 expected goals from open play this season, sixth in the league. Manchester City is in second place (42.1) and Chelsea is first (43.2).
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“Teams were starting to get scared of Arsenal’s set pieces,” former Arsenal defender Gael Clichy said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“It’s great when you get points, but the more time goes by, you start to trust it and get comfortable with it. You don’t concede a lot of goals, you don’t create a lot of goals, but you have those opportunities where you feel like you’re going to score.
“The message they are giving is: ‘don’t worry guys, stay strong and if we get set pieces we can count on that.'”
And the former defender believes that if Arsenal played a different style, their forwards would thrive.
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“The more time goes by, the less you think about how you’re going to create and harm people,” he said.
“It’s not about playing ‘free football’ and scoring five goals, but I think the players who signed during the summer could hurt any team if you give them that freedom.
“Over the last few weeks I’ve felt like they’re just not trying to make mistakes instead of trying to take risks and go for the win.”
Can Arsenal win without a fit striker?
The good news for Arteta and Arsenal is that despite losing, the title challenge remains in the team’s hands, even if the momentum is with City.
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The Arsenal manager said his team is “more convinced” they can get over the line after the defeat.
“They were talking about it in the locker room,” Arteta said.
“They have one game less. We have three points ahead and five games to play.
“So there’s still everything to play for. We’re not going to stop and we’re going to keep going, that’s for sure.”
With five games remaining and goal difference potentially playing a crucial role in deciding where the title goes, Arteta will be hoping to get one of his forwards into top form.
