Arsenal failed to score in a home game in the league for the third time in a row – the first time that has happened in six years.

Despite dominating possession and creating almost 30 chances, they could not find a way past the Sunderland keeper who was called upon to produce some fantastic saves.

They created the chances, they just didn’t have their aim set right.

Speaking after the game to Sky Sports, Arsene Wenger tried to explain why his side had struggled to find a breakthrough.

“We had given a lot on Sunday to come back and you could see that tonight the legs were not there.

“A lack of freshness,” Wenger said was the problem. “It’s always in cycles, you do not score, you do not score, but we are solid, at least we didn’t concede and got an important point tonight.

“It shows how important the point was at United on Sunday.”

In his press conference after the game, he reiterated the same point.

“We were not sharp enough, not quick enough. We are physically less fresh. We played about 58 games and you can see that.”

Wenger made only two changes to the side that drew at Old Trafford on Sunday with Francis Coquelin and Nacho Monreal making way for Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs but I think it’s safe to say that the fans were expecting a few more.

With Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott on the bench and proving both lively and very effective when they came on, you do have to wonder why the boss didn’t take the chance to rest at least another two of his key men.

In his press conference he admitted that it was a ‘possibility‘ that he could rest players for Sunday ahead of the FA Cup final.

Pretty sure that’s what he said after United as well.