Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insisted his side could still finish in the top four of the English Premier League after a goalless draw away to struggling Bolton Wanderers left them five points shy of a Champions League spot.
Wednesday’s result was made worse for Arsenal by Newcastle beating relegation-threatened Blackburn Rovers 2-0 to leapfrog the Gunners and Liverpool into fifth place, two points in front of Wenger’s men.
At the Reebok Stadium, visitors Arsenal dominated possession but, with Robin van Persie off target, dropped down into seventh – a huge 17 points behind leaders Manchester City.
“When you create six or seven clear-cut chances, it is difficult not to win and we do have regrets but the positives have to be that we didn’t concede,” said Wenger after Arsenal were left with just one point from their past four league games, having lost their three previous encounters.
And the Frenchman said there was still time for the Gunners to secure a place in the lucrative Champions League.
“The belief is there, the desire is there and the confidence is there. We have come through a difficult period and we have, of course, a fight in front of us but we are ready for it.”
Newcastle were sent on the way to victory at Ewood Park when Blackburn’s Scott Dann deflected a 25-metre shot from Ryan Taylor past stranded Rovers goalkeeper Paul Robinson in the 12th minute.
Blackburn, who remain in the bottom three, failed to convert several second-half chances and this was compounded when Gabriel Obertan made it 2-0 to Newcastle in the closing seconds.
“You have got to have resilience, a good keeper and a good captain and we have got that,” said Newcastle manager Alan Pardew.
Sunderland’s revival under Martin O’Neill continued as they beat promoted Norwich 3-0 at the Stadium of Light to climb into eighth position after their sixth win in nine league matches with their new coach.
Elsewhere, Djibril Cisse marked his return to English football by scoring on his Queens Park Rangers debut in a 2-2 draw away to Aston Villa.
The 30-year-old French striker, thrust into the side a day after completing a transfer deadline-day move from Italian side Lazio on Tuesday, took just 12 minutes to open his Rangers account.
Cisse, who had previous spells with Liverpool and Sunderland, struck a fierce shot past Shay Given before celebrating with a somersault.
“We’re delighted that he has such an instant impact so early in his QPR career,” said QPR manager Mark Hughes of Cisse.
Rangers went 2-0 up when Villa defender Stephen Warnock headed a cross from Taye Taiwo into his own net in the 29th minute when under no pressure.
But Villa pulled one back on halftime when striker Darren Bent turned in an Alan Hutton cross for his 100th Premier League goal.
And the resurgent hosts equalised 11 minutes from time when Charles N’Zogbia volleyed in a Stiliyan Petrov cross.
Despite the draw, QPR inched further away from the relegation zone, with Rangers three points above the bottom three.
In London, West Brom manager Roy Hodgson saw his side come from behind to draw 1-1 with Fulham, one of his former clubs.
