Martin Odegaard says Arsenal ‘have to keep going’ after West Ham defeat | OneFootball

Martin Odegaard said Arsenal cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves after their defeat against West Ham which leaves the club’s Premier League title ambitions hanging by a thread.

The Gunners failed to pile the pressure on rivals’ Liverpool following a desperately poor performance at the Emirates, with West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen scoring the only goal of the game on the stroke of half-time.

The defeat leaves Arsenal eight points adrift of Liverpool, who have the chance to extend their lead to 11 points with 36 left to play for across the remaining 12 fixtures if they beat Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday.

Following his side’s abject display, manager Mikel Arteta took aim at his players for failing to reach the levels required to end the club’s 21-year wait for a title.

But with Arsenal back in action at third-place Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night, captain Odegaard said: “It’s no time to feel sorry for ourselves.

“We have to keep going. There are still many games to be played. The main thing now is to win the next one and work from there.

“We’re really disappointed. It felt like we had a good chance against West Ham but the overall performance wasn’t good enough.

“We put a lot of pressure on them, but we lacked a bit of efficiency in the final third, the final pass, the final cross and we should have been sharper and better around the box.

“We missed that and that’s a big blow for everyone. But we move on and we have to strike back in the next one straight away.”

Arsenal’s campaign has been beset by injury problems, with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus both out for the rest of the season and Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka also currently sidelined.

But the return of Ben White as a second-half substitute – the defender making his first appearance since Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea on November 10 – was one bright spark on a bleak day for the Gunners.

“It’s great to have Ben back,” added Odegaard. “He’s been out for a while and you could see straight away the quality he brings. That was the good news, but at the moment we’re disappointed.”

West Ham’s statement triumph against Arsenal – their second win at the Emirates in successive seasons – will be viewed as a significant one by Graham Potter as he bids to reverse the club’s fortunes.

Heading into Saturday’s fixture, West Ham had lost three of their previous four games.

“The players gave everything, and left everything out on the pitch, which is what we’ve been trying to instil and encourage,” said Potter following only West Ham’s second win of the year so far.

“When you do that, you’ve got a chance to get results. Talent is one thing, but it’s about being a team, and having a collective mentality. I think we showed that in abundance, so I’m delighted.”