Arsene Wenger has admitted that Arsenal lacked a cutting edge in tonight's 0-0 draw with Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners laid siege to the Black Cats' goal throughout the 90 minutes but struggled to breach the visitors' stubborn resistance as Dick Advocaat's side won the point needed to secure survival.
"We played with three strikers. Two wingers and one centre forward. We had the full-backs going forward. Sebastian Coates especially and John O'Shea defended our crosses very well," he told the club's official website.
"We didn't look like scoring, even if we had 28 shots on goal. There was something missing always and you could see that they would throw their body in every time.
"We needed something special to score tonight because they defended very well."
The North Londoners need a point in Sunday's visit of West Bromwich Albion on the final day to guarantee third place.