Arsenal regain defensive resolve

Champions' League/Lokomotiv Moscow 0; Arsenal 0: Arsenal stabilised their Champions League campaign last night after the nightmare against Internazionale but a huge improvement on their recent European results will now be needed if they are to avoid the embarrassment of going out in the first round.

A draw at Lokomotiv hardly constitutes disaster, particularly as Arsenal showed the defensive resolve they lacked against Inter and were without Sol Campbell and Patrick Vieira, yet they have now gone seven games without a win in this competition.

They may have to win three of their remaining four matches to progress to the knockout. The next two games, at Dynamo Kiev and then at home to the Ukrainian club, are crucial.

Here Arsenal generally looked solid, with Martin Keown impressive against intermittently dangerous but fairly average opponents, but lacked spark and real conviction going forward. And Robert Pires wasted their only clear-cut chance in the second half.

Arsene Wenger had stressed that his team "had to get something" from this game. He had also expressed confidence in his players, pointing out that the Inter experience was Arsenal's only "disastrous" performance of the season.

But they were also without Dennis Bergkamp and Freddie Ljungberg and it left the squad stretched to the limit. David Bentley and Justin Hoyte, teenagers without a first-team start between them, began on the bench. The starting XI virtually picked itself.

In a hostile, noisy atmosphere Arsenal began by looking to get forward. It was a sign of their intent that Thierry Henry had two shots in the first 10 minutes, though they were to spend much of the half on the back foot.

They had began encouragingly against Inter only to collapse, and here they had to show they could withstand Lokomotiv's best efforts. They defended well before the interval, saved once by Jens Lehmann, and closed down in midfield. Edu, playing in place of Vieira, could not be faulted for effort.

The Brazilian displayed fine vision, too, in conjuring a pass from which Henry might have scored. The left-foot pass sent the striker scampering through the middle but the Frenchman shot over as Sergei Ovchinnikov raced off his line.

Lokomotiv were enjoying the majority of possession and caused problems without forcing Lehmann into a save until just after the half-hour. They threatened a few times down Arsenal's left and had a dangerous, mobile striker in Marat Izmailov, whose willingness to pull on to that flank had to be monitored by the defence.

Lokomotiv's captain Dmitri Loskov also seemed to have the subtlety in passing to worry Arsenal but Keown looked focused. He threw head and body in the way of shots and crosses to ensure there were few clear chances.

When Arsenal's defence were beaten by a corner, in the 31st minute, Lehmann came to their rescue, diving low to palm away a header from Mikhail Ashvetia. Shortly afterwards the goalkeeper was delighted to see a Loskov free-kick fly just off target.

Arsenal found opportunities hard to come by until half-time approached. Sylvain Wiltord was doing little when the ball came his way and Pires had scant influence on the match until he forced a save from Ovchinnikov. Kolo Toure then went close from a corner.

Having ended the first half looking relatively comfortable, Arsenal struggled at the start of the second period.

Lehmann reacted well to clear a dangerous cross with the Lokomotiv strikers looming after Dmitri Khokhlov broke down down the right.

But he looked less convincing when saving from Vladimir Maminov soon afterwards.

Soon Arsenal began to settle and carry the game more to their opponents, and they might have gone ahead in a breakaway. Pires should have given them the lead when Henry put him through but his shot was saved by Ovchinnikov.

"I think we had enough chances today to win the game," said Keown.

"They are a good side and it is a difficult place to come to. You can't blame the lads up front; they score enough goals for us. But it is important we got that solid look back to our team."

LOKOMOTIV MOSCOW: Ovchinnikov, Ignashevich, Sennikov, Gurenko, Pashinin, Evseev (Nizhegorodov 73), Loskov, Maminov, Izmailov, Khokhlov, Ashvetia (Pimenov 65). Subs Not Used: Nigmatullin, Sirkhaev, Asatiani, Leandro, Wagner. Booked: Nizhegorodov.

ARSENAL: Lehmann, Lauren, Keown, Toure, Cole, Pires, Edu, Silva, Parlour, Henry, Wiltord. Subs Not Used: Stack, Cygan, Kanu, Tavlaridis, Aliadiere, Bentley, Hoyte.

Referee: Jan Wegereef (Holland).