Former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier feels the absence of Theo Walcott has wrecked Arsenal's title chances.

Arsenal were top of the Premier League at the time of Walcott's injury but have since fallen down into fourth and look set to tussle with Everton for the final Champions League spot.

Houllier told talkSPORT: "They lost some key players. Suppose Steven Gerrard, maybe [Luis] Suarez and another defender were out against Tottenham - it could have been a different game.

"At this moment, the big loss for them was Theo Walcott. Theo was giving them some depth and some speed up front and once they lost him the results suffered.

"Particularly in big games he's a threat and he can make goals and score goals. He had improved a lot so it's a shame he's not playing at the moment.

"They lost Theo, [Jack] Wilshere and [Aaron] Ramsey, who had a terrific start to the season. It is too many key players [lost] plus the fact they look a bit more tired than the others."