Arsenal beat West Ham United 6-0 at the London Stadium on Sunday to keep the pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool and Manchester City.

It was one of their best performances of the 2023-24 campaign and they proved once again why they are strong title contenders this term.

However, Garth Crooks is not convinced that Arsenal have what it takes to be even better after finishing second behind Man City last term and argues that the lack of a quality number 9 could prove to be their undoing.

“Arsenal cannot win the title ahead of Tottenham, Man City without a top natural finisher in the centre forward position (someone like Richarlison, Haaland, Hojlund), which they do not have,” the BBC said in its column.

With Gabriel Jesus injured, Leandro Trossard came on against the Kladivars and Eddie Nketiah replaced the Belgian in the second half.

Bukayo Saka scored his 10th league goal of the season in the 6-0 defeat and is currently the team’s top scorer.

The England international was ruthless with his goal and will be desperate to keep scoring as Arsenal look to win their first league title since 2004.

However, it is not yet clear whether they will be able to get the job done without the prolific number 9.

Their title rivals have strikers who constantly find the back of the net, which could make all the difference in the title fight.

Arsenal were linked with Brentford striker Ivan Toney in January, but could not engage his services because they had to comply with profit and sustainability rules.

They are expected to seek the Englishman’s services in the summer and his reinforcement will undoubtedly come in handy.

Manager Mikel Arteta and his players will be desperate to prove everyone wrong, but it is up to the players to step up and show that they can win a title without a top striker.