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Champions League worries grow for misfiring Gunners
NEWCASTLE, England (AFP) - Newcastle further loosened Arsenal's grip on Champions League qualification after holding Arsene Wenger's side to an uninspiring 0-0 draw on Monday.
Arsenal almost snatched the points when they had two late shots blocked on the goal-line by Nolberto Solano. But Newcastle more than deserved a share of the spoils as the Gunners became the latest top four team to miss out on maximum points at St James' Park this season.
Wenger's misfiring fourth-placed team are in for a nervous end to the season as they remain only two points ahead of Bolton, who they face in a crucial match at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Arsenal had not lost four successive league games since 1995 but after three back-to-back Premiership defeats they were facing their worst run of form for 12 years.
But Newcastle were without inspirational captain Scott Parker after the England international suffered an ankle injury against Sheffield United at the weekend.
Turkish midfielder Emre replaced the former Chelsea playmaker as he took the latest step towards rebuilding a career blighted by unproven allegations that he racially abused opponents earlier this season.
The ex-Fenerbahce favourite has insisted he wants to stay with United beyond the summer but Bundesliga giants Bayrn Munich head the list of continental clubs ready to test Newcastle with a five million pounds (9.8 million dollars) offer.
Arsenal's recent run of poor form has coincided with the absence of star striker Thierry Henry and fellow forwards Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott.
Wenger attempted to freshen things up in attack by playing former Auxerre midfielder Abou Diaby just off lone frontman Emmanuel Adebayor with his resources stretched to the limit.
However, it was Newcastle who looked the livelier of the two teams going forward in the first half and Arsenal's German international goalkeeper Jens Lehmann had to be at his best to repel an Oguchi Onyewu snapshot after Emre's free kick had struck a team-mate.
At the opposite end United suffered an unexpected blow when Republic of Ireland international goalkeeper Shay Given was forced to leave the field with a knee injury after just 26 minutes to be replaced by long-serving understudy Steve Harper.
The change appeared to unsettle the hosts and within four minutes Diaby capitalised on a communication breakdown between Irishmen Stephen Carr and Damien Duff to race clear. The Frenchman saw his cross deflected by the retreating Steven Taylor and Harper had to be at his alert best to tip the loose ball over the bar.
Duff wasted two close-range opportunities in the space of a minute before the break as Newcastle briefly regained their stride. And James Milner struck Lehmann's crossbar seconds after the restart as United sought to banish the memories of their previous St James's Park encounter, a dour 1-0 defeat at the hands of struggling Manchester City.
Wenger introduced strike duo Julio Baptista and Jeremie Aliadiere midway through the first half in a belated attempt to take all three points. But it was Baptista's fellow countryman, Gilberto, who almost struck at the death only to see Solano perfectly positioned.
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