Former Arsenal star Paul Merson
Pundit Paul Merson believes that Arsenal need to improve in the striking department following their Carabao Cup loss in midweek. The Gunners were beaten 2-0 by Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg of this semi-final tie on Tuesday (January 7).
It was Mikel Arteta's side who enjoyed most of the ball (70%) and also created a fair few chances. Gabriel Martinelli came close to scoring from a one-on-one situation in the first half, where he managed to strike the near post.
In total, the north London outfit registered 23 shots compared to the Magpies seven. However, Arsenal only hit the target on three occasions. Claiming that improvement is needed in forward areas, Merson wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
