If ever there was a game that showed Arsenal desperately need a proven striker, then Sunday's FA Cup defeat to 10-man Manchester United was the perfect example.
Gunners fans have begun to celebrate the club's surprising set-piece success this season under the expert guidance of Nicolas Jover, but against United they were less happy.
Ruben Amorim's team were a defensive nuisance throughout the match, as they promised not to concede another corner kick, having suffered two corner kicks in their previous 2-0 defeat at the Emirates.
Arsenal were without their usual corner takers as Bukayo Saka remains sidelined with a long-term injury and Declan Rice started the afternoon on the bench, resulting in a lack of usual threat from set pieces.
Mikel Arteta watched in horror as Kai Havertz squandered golden opportunities to put the game to bed once Arsenal had canceled United's opener while set pieces were ineffective.
Altay Bayindir was heroic in denying Arsenal in open play and then during a tense penalty shoot-out in which the visitors ultimately emerged victorious and were a brick wall against the Gunners' attackers throughout.
Arsenal's trip to the FA Cup ended against rivals Manchester United, who were eliminated in the third round on penalties.
Statistics show that Mikel Arteta (right) and his set-piece coach, Nicolás Jover (left), have placed greater emphasis on scoring from set-pieces.
Ten-man Manchester United achieve impressive penalty shootout victory at the Emirates
Despite equalizing through Gabriel, the 1-1 draw only raised more questions about Arsenal's difficulties scoring from open play as opportunities passed on a troubled afternoon for the hosts.
Gone are the days when neutral fans praised Arsenal for playing the most attractive football in the top flight, and Arteta placed even greater importance on scoring from set pieces this season.
The Spaniard and his assistant, Jover, have together cultivated an atmosphere at the club where winning corners is celebrated as much as a match-saving tackle and the statistics show how Arsenal's reliance on set pieces could soon become in an obstacle to his efforts to win the title.
Arteta is now in his sixth season as Gunners boss and is trying to find a winning edge to finally get over the line in the Premier League title race, having twice finished runners-up and is now six points behind the leaders. Liverpool.
He has tried to use both Havertz and the now injured Gabriel Jesús up front this season, but both have had fewer opportunities in open play as more importance is placed on corners and free kicks.
Arsenal are now seeing their highest expected goals (Xg) per game from set pieces under Arteta, with the title-chasing side achieving an Xg of 0.51 per 90 minutes in all competitions this season.
This is a huge increase on last season's efforts, where the Gunners were still a major aerial threat but were only expected to score 0.35 goals per game from set pieces.
Arsenal finished last season with a total of 18.36 expected goals from set pieces, while despite being only halfway through the current campaign, they are already approaching that number with an Xg of 15.68.
Arsenal are now seeing their highest expected goals (Xg) per game from set pieces under Arteta, with the title-chasing side achieving an Xg of 0.51 per 90 minutes.
Arsenal finished last season with a combined average of 18.36 goals from set pieces.
The Gunners struggled to create corner chances against Man United in the FA Cup defeat.
Arsenal are expected to reinforce themselves with a new striker in the January market after the latest injury to Gabriel Jesús
Meanwhile, the damning argument that Arsenal are less effective at creating chances during open play is only fueled by numbers showing a worrying three-year trend.
Over the last three seasons, Arsenal's Xg in open play per game has been on a downward spiral that correlates with the need to sign a new striker.
The Gunners achieved an open play Xg of 1.41 during the 2022/23 season, only to then drop to 1.32 in the following campaign, when they again finished runners-up to Man City.
Arsenal's Xg in open play now sits at just 1.29 per game and Gunners fans are increasingly concerned about their team's lethal lack of finishing in front of goal.
However, Arteta's title-chasing side are achieving more shots on target per game than average in previous seasons, with their efforts recorded at 5.55, highlighting the possibilities that exist for a striker.
Arsenal may look to solve their goalscoring problems with a new centre-forward in the current January transfer window with talks ongoing over several players.
Declan Rice is one of Arsenal's preferred corner takers for set-piece routines
The club were previously linked with a move for former Brentford star Ivan Toney before deciding to reject a move for the England international during the summer and then securing a move to Saudi Arabia.
Now, the Gunners have been considering a move for Newcastle star Alexander Isak, while PSG striker Randal Kolo Muani has also been offered to the club.
Arsenal, and particularly Arteta, are generally not the ones to stray from their primary targets, but injuries to Saka and Jesus have made the need for reinforcements a big priority.
It remains to be seen whether Arsenal will be able to recruit a top striker mid-season, but their reliance on set pieces is not the solution and Arteta knows his team's struggles cannot be overlooked again for fear of another season without trophies.