A stout defensive display from West Ham kept the Gunners at bay at Ashburton Grove yesterday and earned the visitors a point in a match in which they had been pinned back in their own half for virtually the whole ninety minutes.

On Arsenalâ..s part, there was plenty of perspiration but precious little inspiration as they plugged away trying to prise open the Hammersâ.. defence but just could not whittle out enough gaps to claim a winning goal. Despite holding huge amounts of possession throughout, they failed to really work Robert Green in the West Ham goal to any significant degree and it was another disappointing outcome for the home supporters who, though refraining from noticeably jeering the team as they left the pitch, were entitled to a few grizzles at the final whistle.

The Gunners have only netted five times in their last six home Premier League fixtures. This statistic highlights where most of the Gunnersâ.. problems have lain in recent months and emphasises how much the team has struggled without the creative contribution of Cesc Fabregas, the width provided by Tomas Rosicky and the pace of Theo Walcott. On the other side of the coin, the team are unbeaten in their last ten Premiership matches, which does at least suggest that the ship has been somewhat steadied from a defensive point of view. That said, even the most positive Arsenal supporter would have a hard time being convinced that the current back four have the potential to be as consistently mean as the famous "One-nil to the Arsenal" defensive line.

The injured players mentioned above will eventually recover, but with the earliest expected return of all three not being for at least a couple of months yet, (and depending on any late action in the last 24 hours of the transfer window), the opportunity for anything to be taken from this season could be long gone by then.

Yesterdayâ..s performance was at least an improvement on the display given against Everton at Goodison Park during the week. Arsenal came up against a tenacious home team and looked second best for most of the match. Tim Cahill gave the Toffeemen the lead with a spring-heeled leap that saw him rise high above Gael Clichy to head firmly past Manuel Almunia. The Gunners deserved nothing from the game and that was the way it looked to be going until Robin Van Persie saved the day with a last gasp equaliser in the depths of injury time. Incredibly, it was the teamâ..s first serious shot on target all evening and, though credit must be given to them for playing until the final whistle, it was a goal that spared their blushes from what was otherwise a feeble showing.

Van Persie has been one bright light amongst the gloom of some of the recent performances. His goals and assists have kept the team afloat through this difficult spell when injuries have diminished the teamâ..s creative resources and some of the players who have been regularly selected are desperately out of form. It was strange then that Arsene Wenger should elect to drop the Dutchman to the bench for yesterdayâ..s visit by West Ham. The explanation that it was to protect him from injury verged on the bizarre. Whilst the team is going through a sticky patch, fielding the one player who is actually delivering at the moment would seem to be something of a given. Though the Dutchman did get 22 minutes yesterday when he came on as substitute, by that time West Ham were firmly dug in and were not going to be breached.

It will be interesting to see if Wenger starts with Van Persie in Tuesday nightâ..s FA Cup Fourth Round replay against Cardiff City at Ashburton Grove. As things stand, the FA Cup would seem to be the Gunnersâ.. most likely route to a trophy this term and Tuesday nightâ..s team selection ought to be a fair litmus test as to whether Wenger is of that opinion too. Certainly, a home tie against either West Brom or Burnley in the next round ought to be an adequate incentive not to take any chances risking a drastically weakened team against Cardiff. Still, with his record in the FA Cup since joining the club, the manager knows what it takes to win the tournament and he will also surely be aware that the Bluebirds will not be coming to the Grove on Tuesday just for a night out in London. Cardiff will be buoyed by the fact they were able to create so many chances in the first game at Ninian Park and are sure to be trying for their lives in this match.

Though the Gunners are finding life hard at the moment, a win on Tuesday could restore some confidence in front of goal - and a resurgence of belief will be much needed ahead of next weekendâ..s visit to White Hart Lane to face Spurs.