Gunners again fail to fire

Arsenal 1 Panathinaikos 1

Arsene Wenger had admitted that "when you have been flying, it takes you time to get back up to 2,000 feet" and how worryingly true that appeared to be in this home draw against Panathinaikos.

Arsenal may have benefited from a controversial penalty award after 16 minutes, which was converted by Thierry Henry just three days after missing a spot-kick against Southampton.

They may have even been fortunate enough to see Greek international Angelos Basinas strike his own penalty way over the crossbar on the hour-mark.

However, so haphazard can their defending be on occasions, especially in Sol Campbell's absence, they squandered a lead for the third consecutive Champions League tie with 16 minutes left.

Just as against Rosenborg and Panathinaikos away, the Gunners allowed their opponents back into the game and were duly punished when Loukas Vintra's long-range strike was deflected in off the hapless Pascal Cygan.

And so, while Arsenal remain unbeaten after four group games, they still have just six points and need a result away to runaway group leaders PSV Eindhoven, whose advantage is three points, in their next tie.

Even more tellingly, their first team away from the Carling Cup have lost one and drawn three of their past four games, with the scars of that defeat at Old Trafford clearly still being felt.

Panathinaikos coach Zdenek Scasny may have been late for his own pre-match press conference after being lost on the streets of London, admitting that "I expect to find more traffic on the pitch", but it was slow-moving traffic, however, in relative terms for an Arsenal side who continue to frustrate in Europe.

Indeed, while the Greek side were not exactly bearing gifts, Arsene Wenger's team had to rely on a seemingly generous present from referee Luis Medina Cantalejo to take the early lead.

After Dennis Bergkamp and the impressive Basinas had traded long-range efforts, Patrick Vieira crashed to the ground after being challenged by Sotirios Kirgiakos for a header.

There was slight contact but if Campbell had felt aggrieved after hardly touching Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford, the Arsenal defender should have empathised from the stands with Kirgiakos. Up stepped Henry and unlike his miss against Southampton, this time made no mistake, albeit after stopping on his run-up at one point to send the keeper the wrong way.

The bitterness of the Greek side's players was shown by Ezequiel Gonzalez's booking for a foul on Vieira, although a push on Fredrik Ljungberg looked slightly more clear-cut but went unpunished.

Otherwise, however, Arsenal once again suffered from a strange inability to capitalise on an early lead in Europe.

Although Ashley Cole did his best to provide penetration down the left flank, while Cesc Fabregas again displayed his rich potential in midfield, the Gunners were again looking decidedly flat.

The home side were slightly more energised after the restart but although Henry had the ball in the net, he had already been flagged offside.

Indeed, once again, Arsenal failed to make their pressure tell as Panathinaikos were almost handed a route back into the game, just as they had been twice in Athens.

For with an hour gone, Arsenal's vulnerability to set-pieces was again all too vividly displayed.

Having failed to win the first header from a floated free-kick, Cole was adjudged to have fouled Dimitrios Papadopoulos, even though the midfielder had already seemingly missed his volley.

Papadopoulos seemed to twist his leg as he fell and, while he was being carried off on a stretcher, Basinas duly skied his penalty over the crossbar.

Not that Arsenal could rest on their laurels, with Jose Reyes brought on in an effort to spice up their attack with 18 minutes left.

Indeed, they were punished two minutes later when Vintra's speculative 25-yard shot deflected off Cygan's head, taking it past the stranded figure of Jens Lehmann.

Arsenal's response was immediate but inconclusive as Reyes saw his first effort from Cole's cross well saved and then struck his follow-up effort against the crossbar from just a few yards out.

Robin van Persie, who struck the late equaliser against Southampton, was also introduced and tried his best to make another dramatic impact as Arsenal pressed once again for last-gasp salvation.

This time, however, it was not to be.

This is not yet a crisis for a side on top of the Premiership and still in contention for the Champions League group stages. But lift-off has yet to be achieved again.

ARSENAL: Lehmann, Lauren, Cygan, Toure, Cole, Ljungberg (Van Persie 82), Vieira, Fabregas, Pires, Henry, Bergkamp (Reyes 72).

PANATHINAIKOS: Chalkias, Vyntra, Kirgiakos, Henriksen, Kotsios, Konstantinidis, Maric (Morris 89), Basinas, Skacel, Gonzalez (Konstantinou 59), Papadopoulos (Mitu 62).

Ref: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain).