Robert rescues Magpies

Arsenal were unable to repeat last Saturday's win

Newcastle 1-1 Arsenal
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Newcastle and Arsenal cancelled one another out in this entertaining FA Cup quarter-final draw at St James' Park.

The second meeting in a week between the two sides proved closer than last Saturday's Premier League encounter - Arsenal had won 2-0 - as Arsene Wenger's side were made to look distinctly uncomfortable.

The source of much of that discomfort was Newcastle's goalscorer Laurent Robert, whose goal soon after the restart equalised Edu's 14th minute strike for Arsenal.

As well as scoring, the Frenchman also hit the bar and he proved a constant irritant to the Arsenal defence, particularly Lee Dixon.

  Match facts

14 mins: Edu opens the scoring for Arsenal

15 mins: Laurent Robert's volley rebounds off the bar

52 mins: Robert revives Newcastle with a fine shot

With Arsenal on a high in both the Premier League and in Europe after a series of potent attacking performances, Wenger rested Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires and David Seaman.

If it was a team selection that looked forward to Tuesday night's Champions League showdown against Deportivo La Coruna, the 11 players Wenger sent out still had just enough experience - and luck - to grind out a draw.

Robson's side started brightly enough, but after Richard Wright had tipped Alan Shearer's free-kick over the bar, Arsenal took the lead through Edu.

Sylvain Wiltord beat Sylvain Distin on the right and his cross was touched home by Edu, who had managed to get in front of Nikos Dabizas.

Newcastle immediately responded by mounting a succession of attacks that saw Robert strike a volley against the Arsenal bar and then hit a shot that Wright could only parry away.

Then Dixon did well to clear off the line Distin's header and then Dabizas sent a powerful header from a Robert free-kick that went narrowly past Wright's right-hand upright.

Robert scored his seventh goal this season

In the 35th minute Dixon's defensive colleague Igor Stepanovs also had to be alert to head away a Carl Cort header.

Soon after the restart Newcastle's cup hopes were resuscitated by Robert - easily the home side's most impressive player.

Dabizas launched the ball forward and as Stepanovs slipped, Shearer's flick-on sent Robert free and the Frenchman made no mistake with a finely-struck shot.

In the 66th minute Cort was unable to wrap his foot round the ball as he stretched to reach Distin's inswinging cross.

The two teams will now meet on 23 March at Highbury.

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Newcastle: Given, Hughes, Dabizas, O'Brien, Distin, Solano, Acuna, McClen, Robert, Cort (Ameobi 70), Shearer.
Subs Not Used: Elliott, Harper, Lua-Lua, Bernard.
Booked: Hughes.

Arsenal: Wright, Dixon, Campbell, Stepanovs, Lauren, Ljungberg (Pires 58), Vieira, Grimandi, Edu (Bergkamp 61), Kanu, Wiltord.
Subs Not Used: Seaman, Tavlaridis, Kolo Toure.
Booked: Dixon, Pires.

Att: 51,027

Ref: M Halsey (Welwyn Garden City).