Arsenal's title blow isn’t on refs—it's their attack failing to finish teams off

There was no sense of shock among the visiting Arsenal supporters when referee Darren England pointed to the penalty spot on 46 minutes.

Jack Harrison’s tangle with Myles Lewis-Skelly was far too soft to give a penalty. In the end, it earned Everton a point to move them closer to safety, while torpedoing Arsenal’s slim title hopes.

It’s a recurring theme this season, the Gunners being on the end of a questionable call. So to their fans, it’s not something new. Maybe expected, even.

Other occasions include Lewis-Skelly’s red card in their 1-0 win against Wolves in January, which was later rescinded by the FA upon an appeal.

Another was in the 1-1 draw with Brighton in January, William Saliba conceding a penalty after clashing heads with Joao Pedro in an aerial duel.

Then there’s the second yellows for Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard at the start of the season for kicking the ball away, both borderline.

Any team in the Premier League would probably feel aggrieved to be on the end of all of these decisions in one season, and rightly so.

Draws against Brighton, twice, City and here at Goodison have contributed to Arsenal slipping far away from Liverpool and destined for a third straight second-place finish.

Injuries have not helped, either. In periods where the Gunners seem to be back on the right track, they have been scuppered by long-term injuries to significant players - Martin Odegaard, Ben White, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and now Gabriel have all spent major periods out.

But to blame refereeing decision and injuries as to why Arsenal are no longer in the title race would be ignoring the simple fact that they just have not been good enough in attack to turn draws into wins this season.

It is why their desperate need for a striker has been highlighted for many months and drew frustration from fans when the Gunners did not sign one in January.

And it is why a striker is top of the summer transfer window priorities for new sporting director Andrea Berta.

The Gunners have drawn 11 matches — only Everton have drawn more (14) in the league. One team wants to win the title, while the other seeks to avoid relegation. It reflects why there can be little wonder as to why Mikel Arteta’s men have lagged behind Liverpool this season.

In many of the draws, such as against Everton, both on Saturday and in December’s 0-0 at the Emirates, and the 0-0 draw against Nottingham Forest in February, it has been the lack of firepower up front which has been the decisive factor.

Poor refereeing decisions or not, a title-winning team should be able to score the required second goal to win a game at Goodison and Brighton, or any goal at home to Everton or West Ham and away to Forest.

Arsenal can only control so much of their destiny, and if they were more effective in attack then a controversial goal conceded here or there would not cost them so much.

The Gunners remain among the highest scorers in the league but it is very much feast or famine, and they have consistently struggled to find a breakthrough when needed most.

Then there’s the lack of goals from midfield, marked by Odegaard. The Norwegian has registered two goals and four assists in 23 league appearances this campaign, compared to the eight goals and 11 assists he mustered last season in 35 appearances.

His team-mates on the wing, such as Martinelli, who struck 15 league goals in the 2022-23 season but is on six at present, haven’t eased the goalscoring burden, either.

The lineup itself against Everton was an acknowledgement that the title race in their minds had already ended.

Odegaard, Martinelli and Thomas Partey were all benched, along with Saka who only returned earlier this week from injury, with a view to their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid on Tuesday.

That competition remains the Gunners’ last hope of salvaging this season. Their last trophy dates back to the FA Cup triumph in 2020 and silverware is badly craved in north London, so you can understand why Arteta made such big changes.

If Arsenal are able to find a way past Real Madrid — a big if — the selection is justified. If not, the door creeps wider open for the likes of Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Manchester City to sneak past them in the league.

Securing a top-four spot is the broad goal once winning the league becomes impossible but, having finished runners-up for two consecutive seasons, a place lower than second would psychologically feel a step backwards if Arsenal don’t progress further in the Champions League. The draw yesterday already guaranteed that they will finish the campaign with fewer points than the season before for the first time since 2020.

To return to forward progress, Arsenal must focus only on themselves.