Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta blamed his side’s goalless draw with Nottingham Forest on his players lacking “spark” and a “final pass”. The Gunners fell 13 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool after dropping points again.

Arteta ideally needed his team to respond to Saturday’s defeat against West Ham by beating over-achieving Forest. His players dominated possession but struggled to create clear-cut scoring opportunities.

Injuries have decimated Arsenal’s attacking options, with midfielder Mikel Merino handed another start as a makeshift striker. Arteta said his players fell short in their attempts to win the game, having mustered only one shot on target.

The Spaniard told BBC Sport: “We dominated the game. We tried in many different ways. We insisted but lacked that spark, that final pass to unlock a well-organised team. We have to generate more shots on target. It doesn’t feel good. We were here to win. [We showed] unquestionable character, how much wanted it and tried.

“Very different standard [to the West Ham defeat]. We defended with energy, purpose, fight, willingness to make things happen. It wasn’t because we lacked that. We tried until the end but weren’t able to do it.”

Liverpool took full advantage of another Arsenal slip-up by seamlessly navigating beyond Newcastle. A 2-0 win for Arne Slot’s side is a positive omen ahead of their Carabao Cup final showdown against the same team next month.

Arsenal will need to be entirely perfect for the remainder of the campaign, and hope that Liverpool suffer a drastic dip in form. Arteta accepted last weekend that the title race is no longer in his side’s hands.

That was emphasised even further on Wednesday night. Arsenal have a game in hand over Liverpool but making up the 13-point deficit now seems impossible.

Arteta said on the title race: “It was same a week ago, two weeks ago, three months ago. The only thing we can do is win our matches and see how many points we get.”

Things get even tougher for Arsenal over the coming weeks. A weekend off due to their early FA Cup exit means they next play on Tuesday, visiting PSV in the Champions League. Arteta’s side then head to Manchester United before hosting the return leg of their European last-16 tie against PSV.

Arsenal’s last game before the March international break comes against Chelsea on March 16. The title already seems a foregone conclusion.