Aryanews- Arsenal climbed above Manchester United into second place in the Premier League with a 3-1 home win over Burnley on Saturday but if Nicklas Bendtner had shown any sort of finishing ability they would have been top.
The Dane missed a hatful of increasingly easy chances as Arsenal sought the four-goal victory that would have taken them above Chelsea on goal difference.
As it was, goals by Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott and Andrei Arshavin took them to 61 points, the same as leaders Chelsea, who are in FA Cup action against Stoke City on Sunday.
Arsenal, who were 11 points off the pace in December and nine behind a month ago, could drop back to third later on Saturday when United, on 60, seek to go top with a win or draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
With Burnley managing just one draw and 13 defeats from their 14 previous away league games this season, it was no surprise Arsenal were on top from the start.
Burnley seemed content to sit deep and allow Arsenal to do all their neat passing in front of them.
The onus was on Walcott to find a way through and show himself worthy of a place in England's World Cup squad but though the winger had some early success against his full back he failed to provide much in the way of convertible crosses.
Instead it was the eye-of-a-needle passing of Fabregas and Samir Nasri that eventually opened the massed Burnley ranks and enabled the Spaniard to cleverly tuck in the opener after 34 minutes.
HAMSTRING STRAIN
The mercurial midfielder limped off a few minutes later with a hamstring strain and manager Arsene Wenger said later he would not know until Sunday whether it would rule him out of Tuesday's Champions League game against Porto.
Arsenal paid for their profligacy when David Nugent was given space to run through the middle and lift the ball over keeper Manuel Almunia five minutes into the second half.
Walcott restored the lead 10 minutes later with a well-taken curling shot but while the fans sat back to await the goal rush that would take them top, the misses left them nervous before Arshavin finally killed it off in stoppage time.
With a kinder-looking run-in than either of their two title rivals, Arsenal remain in the hunt for their first title success since 2004.
"We have a great togetherness, that is for sure. When you have gone through what we have this season and stand where we are you have to be mentally strong," manager Arsene Wenger told Sky Sports News.
"Everybody buried us 10 times and we are still there. We have belief and hunger so we will fight."
Wenger said he was worried the missed chances might have cost his team but remained confident in Bendtner.
"Nicklas's game was quite strange today, his overall contribution was quite good but he missed the finishing and he knows that," he said. "But the team didn't pay for it and next time he'll put them in."
Bolton Wanderers collected a hugely welcome first away win since September when they triumphed 2-1 at West Ham United to edge further clear of the relegation zone.
Early goals by Kevin Davies and on-loan Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere -- his first in the league -- made the difference though West Ham pulled one back a couple of minutes from time after Bolton had Tamir Cohen sent off.
(Editing by Tony Jimenez/Kevin Fylan.