The next couple of weeks could be season-defining for Arsenal in the Premier League title race
15:38, 26 Jan 2026
Bukayo Saka of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on January 25, 2026 in London, England
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Bukayo Saka is one of five Arsenal players that need to improve(Image: Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
If Arsenal are to win the Premier League this season, Mikel Arteta needs his forward players to find their shooting boots. The Gunners squandered the opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the table on Sunday evening, losing to Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium.
The north London outfit could have gone seven points clear of Manchester City and Aston Villa in second and third, respectively, but the Red Devils came from behind to maintain their perfect start to life under Michael Carrick. Despite enjoying the lion's share of possession, Arsenal rarely tested Senne Lammens.
The Gunners managed just four shots on target, with one of which being the late equaliser. Mikel Merino was the only Arsenal player to find the net for Arteta's side, with the first going down as an own goal by Lisandro Martinez, pouncing on a loose ball inside the six-yard box following a corner.
Despite throwing forwards onto the pitch, replacing Gabriel Jesus with Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi with Eberechi Eze, Arsenal showed little to no guile in the final third.
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Arteta was so desperate that, in the final quarter of an hour, he moved Bukayo Saka to the left just to make space for Noni Madueke, who had come on for Leandro Trossard. Attempts to fix the Gunners' broken frontline were to no avail.
While Arsenal retain a comfortable lead in the title race, the Spaniard will need his frontmen to eventually step up to the plate. Saka hasn't scored in each of his last 13 games across all competitions.
Gyokeres hasn't scored an open-play goal in each of his last 11 games in the Premier League. Madueke hasn't found the net in the English top flight in well over a year now, while Gabriel Martinelli hasn't scored since September.
Arsenal were beaten by Manchester United in a five-goal thriller
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Arsenal were beaten by Manchester United in a five-goal thriller(Image: (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images))
Trossard has, however, at least scored once in his last 11 games across all competitions. To make matters worse, no player in the Arsenal squad has managed more than five goals in the Premier League this term – and it's nearly February.
If the Gunners want to crown themselves champions of England in May, each of the five aforementioned players will need to find their shooting boots before the end of the month.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Arteta insisted that his players will 'react immediately'. The Spaniard said: "Doing what we have to do and doing what we've been doing for seven months, exactly that.
Piero Hincapie
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Arsenal squandered a lead against Manchester United and went 2-1 down(Image: Getty Images)
"And the position that we are still in today even though we have lost, I think it's the first time sitting here this season at home and we lost a game, so it's part of the journey to winning and if not, nobody will lose football matches, it's how we react to that and I am very convinced because I know those players in that dressing room and how much we want it that we're going to react immediately."
On the boos upon the full-time whistle, Arteta said: "It doesn't matter, we have to do more so maybe that's not enough and we have to do more, there is nothing else.
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"We have to do our very best, when you do that you can rest in peace, and today we really certainly tried to do our very best, but we weren't efficient enough against a team that is very well organised and we got punished because of our own mistakes as well."
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