Petr Cech
Petr Cech had a complicated Premier League debut with Arsenal. Getty

Petr Cech has said the lack of cutting edge in the final third of the pitch was the main reason Arsenal lost 2-0 to West Ham in their premier league opener, amid ongoing speculations linking the Gunners with Real Madrid hitman Karim Benzema.

The former Chelsea goalkeeper was singled out by some fans and pundits for the defeat after being at fault for both Hammers goals during the tie.

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But the Czech international believes the lack of incision up front and the absence of control in the first half of the game were the two main ingredients missed by the Gunners.

"Our first half was not too bad but we lacked a bit of control. We lost a lot of balls, we weren't patient enough at times, our possession was not that great and they scored at the right times," the keeper said to the club's official website.

"They didn't have a lot of chances but they scored at the right times and punished us from a set-piece and in the second half when we lost the ball. They didn't create too many chances but overall we weren't decisive enough, especially in the final third. It looked like the last ball was always the wrong decision."

Arsene Wenger claimed after the game that the Gunners will only sign another number nine before the end of the transfer window "if an exceptional solution turns up", but the Daily Mail reports the French boss has been given the green light to launch a £45m ($69.7m) bid for Benzema.

Whether with the Real Madrid star or without him, Cech has urged his side to come back from the defeat with a positive response in their next game against Crystal Palace on Sunday 16 August.

"The first half was OK, not decisive enough, especially not in the final third. We can only blame ourselves for today's game. Hopefully we can come back from that disappointment. The confidence was high, everyone felt great but we had a couple of misunderstandings, especially in the first half. We lost the ball a lot, we were not patient enough at times, so there is a lot to work on. We have to work more," the former Chelsea keeper said.

"That's our job now. That was the first game of the season. It's a bad start but sometimes you need a bad start to come back and realise that you have to give more than just what we did."