“It’s down to the whole team to do that” - Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard explains where Gunners must improve after West Ham defeat

Martin Odegaard has urged Arsenal to be more clinical in front of goal after their 2-0 league defeat to West Ham United at the Emirates on Thursday (28 December).

The Gunners got eight of their 30 attempts on target, while West Ham hit the target with three of their six attempts. More importantly, the Hammers made their chances and possession count, scoring two goals despite keeping just 25% of the ball during the game.

Tomas Soucek opened the scoring in the 13th minute under controversial circumstances before Konstantinos Mavropanos scored against his old club to double the lead 10 minutes after the restart. Odegaard, who took three shots and created six goal-scoring chances against the Hammers, said after the game (h/t Express):

"It's one of those nights. We had a lot of chances but in the box we were not good enough. We have to improve in front of the goal and it's down to the whole team to do that."

The win meant Arsenal were unable to reclaim the top spot in the league table. Liverpool, who won 2-0 against Burnley on Boxing Day (26 December), lead the proceedings after 19 matches with 42 points to their name.

The Gunners, meanwhile, sit second with 40 points, leading Aston Villa by a solitary point. After the win, West Ham climbed to sixth in the table with 33 points, trailing fourth-placed Manchester City by four points, although the latter have a game in hand.

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Arsenal boss tells team to pick themselves up for Fulham clash after West Ham defeat

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his frustration after the 2-0 defeat to West Ham United but urged his team to recollect themselves before another upcoming London derby.

After the game, the Spaniard told BBC Match of the Day:

"We want to be at the top and today we are very, very disappointed. We had so much dominance in the game. We are in a really good position. Today is a disappointing night. We have to pick ourselves up for a big game against Fulham."

With 21 points from 19 matches, Fulham sit 13th in the table at the halfway point of the season. They have a slender six-point lead over 18th-placed Luton Town, who have a game in hand.

Arsenal will fancy their chances against the Cottagers at Craven Cottage on 31 December, given the latter's three-game losing streak in the league. Moreover, the Gunners have lost just once to Fulham across competitions since August 2008.