Arsenal held in Moscow

Lokomotiv Moscow 0-0 Arsenal

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Arsenal secured their first point of this season's Champions League campaign with a goalless draw at Lokomotiv Moscow.

The Gunners were without Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell, Dennis Bergkamp and Freddy Ljungberg but created enough chances to win the match.

Apart from a 30-minute spell in the middle of the opening half, Arsenal carved out the better openings and forced Lokomotiv goalkeeper Sergei Ovchinnikov into several key saves.

Robert Pires wasted a glorious second-half chance to seal the points for the visitors, though Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann was also called into action during the match.

Martin Keown and Tolo Koure were superb in the centre of defence, but their task was made easier by a lack of composure in crucial areas by the opposition.

The Gunners' next match takes them to Kiev, where they will be hoping to finally find the net after two blanks.

KEY MOMENTS 5 mins: Henry denied by Ovchinnikov 30 mins: Lehmann saves Ashvetia's header 44 mins: Ovchinnikov denies Pires 68 mins: Cole's shot is blocked

Thierry Henry stung the fingers of Ovchinnikov after five minutes and drove over the crossbar shortly afterwards after a superb through-ball from Edu.

But Lokomotiv, encouraged by their vociferous home support, soon started to stretch the visitors.

Keown had to make superb blocks to deny Mikheil Ashvetia, Dmitry Izmaylov and Vladimir Maminov as Arsenal allowed their opponents too much space and time.

A whipped corner was then flicked goalwards by Ashvetia, but Lehmann and Ashley Cole combined to clear the danger.

Ashvetia would have been clean through but miscontrolled at the crucial moment and shortly afterwards Dmitry Loskov clipped a free-kick narrowly over the Arsenal goal.

Lokomotiv's failure to turn pressure into goals before the interval was almost punished, but Ovchinnikov saved long-range shots from Ray Parlour and Pires.

Keown defends reputation

After the break Lehmann palmed Dmitry Kokhlov's drilled cross towards the penalty spot and Pires was on hand to bring the ball clear before Arsenal created their best opening of the match.

Midway through the second half Henry dropped deep and played a superb ball through to Pires, whose limp diagonal shot was comfortably saved.

Toure headed against the post from a deep free-kick but was incorrectly adjudged to be in an offside position as the Gunners began to play with an increasing sense of self belief.

Cole then had a shot blocked from short range and the deflection almost fell to Pires as the home team became increasingly desperate.

But the match deteriorated through the final stages and petered out into a limp finale.

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Lokomotiv Moscow: Ovchinnikov, Ignashevich, Sennikov, Gurenko, Pashinin, Evseev, Loskov, Maminov, Izmailov, Khokhlov, Ashvetia. Subs: Nigmatullin, Nizhegorodov, Sirkhaev, Pimenov, Asatiani, Leandro, Wagner.

Arsenal: Lehmann, Lauren, Keown, Toure, Cole, Pires, Edu, Silva, Parlour, Henry, Wiltord. Subs: Stack, Cygan, Kanu, Tavlaridis, Aliadiere, Bentley, Hoyte.

Referee: Jan Wegereef (Holland).