Martin Odegaard urges Arsenal to become more ruthless in front of goal after wastefulness cost them in defeat at Aston Villa

To take the lead in the title fight, Martin Odegaard has challenged Arsenal to cultivate a killer instinct in front of goal.

The Gunners had the opportunity to at least tie with Unai Emery’s team, but they lost the top spot in the Premier League on Saturday due to a 1-0 loss at Aston Villa.

“We have to take our chances,” stated Odegaard. It’s never easy to arrive somewhere like this. You must therefore be merciless when it comes to goals; I know I missed a few significant ones, which irritates me.

But the only thing we can do is work hard to improve and bounce back in the next one-on-one.’

Arsenal are now only a single point ahead of Villa, who are two adrift of leaders Liverpool.

Emery’s men announced their credentials by beating both Manchester City and Arsenal in the space of four days.

Odegaard added: ‘The record is unbelievable. So I think everyone knows the quality in their team. They’re very, very well organised, good on the ball.

‘They have some really good individual players. So it’s a tough team to play against.’

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