LONDON • Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal were suffering from fatigue, after their recent revival ground to a halt in a scrappy 0-0 Premier League draw against Crystal Palace on Thursday.
The Gunners had won their previous four matches in all competitions, but they were fortunate to extend their unbeaten run to five games.
Palace were unable to convert several first-half chances at the Emirates Stadium and, although Arsenal improved after the interval, they missed a chance to climb into the top half of the league.
"I wanted to see a win and a few goals but we were fatigued. I cannot fault the spirit but it wasn't enough," Arteta said.
"We created a lot of situations against the low block but there was a period when we gave the ball away too much.
"We are playing a lot of games and you can see fatigue. Many players aren't fresh. We lacked the quality in the final third to win the game."
Arsenal sit in 11th place, eight points adrift of the Champions League places, as they continue to pay the price for their worst start to a season since 1974-75.
Just before Christmas, they were on a seven-match winless run, including five defeats, and only four points above the relegation zone.
Their current position 12 points away from the bottom three therefore affords Arteta some much-needed breathing space.
But this disjointed display underlined the attacking flaws that have stopped Arsenal building on last season's FA Cup triumph.
Emile Smith-Rowe, Arsenal's promising young midfielder, started after scoring against Newcastle as a substitute last weekend.
But Kiernan Tierney was absent with muscle tightness and the Gunners missed the Scotland left-back's busy presence.
"Tierney is a real threat and the way we attack on the left is really important but he is injured and we have to find a solution. He will have an MRI scan tomorrow," Arteta said.
With the locked-down capital reeling under the Covid-19 surge, this was perhaps a good night for fans to have no other option but to watch the game on television.
Incessant drizzle all day created the perfect, zippy playing surface, but rather than inspire a feast of attacking play, it was a cagey affair as Palace stretched their unbeaten league run against Arsenal to five.
The main positives for Arsenal were a first home clean sheet in the league this season - also their third straight league clean sheet - and the return of Thomas Partey as a second-half substitute after recovering from injury.
Palace have won only one of their past eight matches in all competitions and are one point behind Arsenal in 13th.
But their manager Roy Hodgson was happy with a point.
"I am more than satisfied. We created opportunities and in the second half we wasted positions on the break. We defended excellently and I am very proud of them," he said.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
