Arsenal faces anxious wait on Tierney scan

Kieran Tierney was left out of the contest against Crystal Palace with a muscle problem.

Arsenal's Kieran Tierney. - AP

Arsenal faces an anxious wait to discover whether in-form left back Kieran Tierney will be available for its clash with Newcastle United after he missed the 0-0 Premier League draw with Crystal Palace on Thursday. The 23-year-old Scot has been one of the Arsenal’s most impressive performers in its recent resurgence but he was badly missed in an uninspiring stalemate.

Tierney was left out with a muscle problem and manager Mikel Arteta admitted his side suffered as a result. “He is going to have an MRI scan and we’ll see how he is,” Arteta said after the draw which left Arsenal 11th in the table.

“He’s a real threat and the way we are playing and the way we attack on that left side, he’s a really important player. We didn’t have him, he’s injured, and we have to find other solutions.”

While it was a disappointing end to its winning run, Arsenal kept a third successive league clean sheet and its first at home in the league all season.

'Disappointing'

Compared to where it was a month ago when a seven-match winless run, including five defeats, had some predicting a relegation battle, Arteta had reason to be upbeat. “We took a point, another clean sheet which is really positive, but disappointing not to get the three points,” the Spaniard said.

“The spirit and the attitude the team showed in tracking back, I think the boys were terrific there but we lacked that freshness today and that spark. We’re making it really hard for the opponent. In the final third, we’ve progressed a lot but today there are things that we have to do better.”