'In-crisis' Magpies up for fight
Arsene Wenger's side are still unbeaten, but missed the chance to pull out a six-point gap at the top
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Newcastle gained a hard-earned point against  |
Thursday, 06, Dec 2007 08:57
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Newcastle United's recent "crisis" made them tougher opponents than normal in last night's Premier League draw.
Emmanuel Adebayor's early volley was cancelled out by Magpies defender Steven Taylor, who slotted home from 12 yards midway through the second half to earn a point for Sam Allardyce's beleaguered side.
A late onslaught was not enough to earn all three points for the home team, although the Gunners were left hanging on at the end as they preserved their unbeaten domestic record this season.
Allardyce has faced a barrage of abuse from home fans at recent games, when back-to-back three-goal defeats to Liverpool and Portsmouth caused uproar on Tyneside.
But rather than have a divisive effect, Wenger claims the Magpies looked more united than at any time so far this season.
"They fought for every ball, they were in a crisis. And that crisis made it difficult for us," the Gunners manager explained.
"I feel a point is maybe a fair result, but we are a bit frustrated because we were 1-0 up."
The Frenchman claimed his side "never found fluency" during the game, but he hailed the "great spirit and resilience" shown to hold on at the end.
"Technically we were not at our best tonight," he added.
"We were not quick enough to find the right ball and the right pass."
Arsenal's draw puts them four points clear of Manchester United at the top of the table ahead of the Gunners' tricky Christmas schedule which includes matches against Chelsea, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.