Arteta 're-energised' in reaction to Havertz injury

Mikel Arteta has said that his Arsenal side have been re-energised by their reaction to Kai Havertz's season-ending injury and insists his squad believe they can hunt down Liverpool in the Premier League title race.

Arsenal have been left without a recognised striker after Havertz underwent surgery on a hamstring issue sustained during the club's winter training break in Dubai last week, joining Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka on the sidelines.

The north London club beat Leicester City 2-0 with a late Mikel Merino double last weekend and have the opportunity to move within five points of leaders Liverpool with victory over West Ham at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Asked about the level of self-belief in the squad to win the league, Arteta said: "I don't know if it is recovering or flicking the switch and saying 'OK what is the opportunity now to do something again?'

"Different, special, for him, for the teammates, for all the effort that we have put in for so long again and everything that's happened. And it has been very re-energising as well to say 'OK, let's see if we can do that together again and the gaps we have in the team, we are going to fill them with different players in different ways'."

Arsenal have been pipped by Manchester City to the title in the past two seasons and Arteta suggested those experiences could yet give them the edge, especially given Arne Slot is in his first season at Liverpool and they don't possess the same proven pedigree as City.

"Yeah, we don't know [if Liverpool match City's consistency] but what you are saying is basically because Man City have done it for six, seven years. It is different. But to be fair they [Liverpool] have been very consistent, they have been exceptional in what they have been doing. But it is a long journey for everybody and we have to be there.

"The margins are so small and everything counts. We had numbers that any other Premier League title probably you could have won it and we didn't. That shows you the level and the difficulty of it but the fact we have experienced it obviously helps because we know what it takes to do it."

Ben White could be in contention to make his first appearance since November as the defender steps up his recovery from a knee injury.