Nick Pope made some superb saves and Alexandre Lacazette missed an open goal as Arsenal were held to a 0-0 draw by lowly Burnley at Emirates Stadium.
Playing in the Premier League for the first time since a defeat to Manchester City on January 1, Arsenal would have moved into the top four with a victory over a side that had conceded six goals across their last two away games.
Yet Pope's resistance and Lacazette's profligacy saw Sean Dyche's team come away with a potentially vital point in their bid to stay up.
Mikel Arteta's side, meanwhile, are now without a win in five games in all competitions as they failed to bounce back from their EFL Cup loss to Liverpool.
Aaron Ramsdale was somewhat caught cold for Liverpool's goals in Thursday's defeat, but Arsenal's goalkeeper made a fine stop to keep out Dwight McNeil's cross-shot.
Arsenal had 78 per cent possession in the opening 15 minutes, but it was not until the 20th that they troubled Pope, who made a smart save to deny Martin Odegaard, with follow-ups from Lacazette and Ben White blocked.
Having only just been booked for a foul on Kieran Tierney, Ashley Westwood was fortunate not to receive his marching orders when he flung an arm out at Gabriel Magalhaes.
An Odegaard free-kick landed on the roof of the net as Arsenal upped the pressure after the restart, before Pope pulled off a fantastic save from Emile Smith Rowe's low effort.
Smith Rowe turned provider for Arsenal's best chance, cutting back for the onrushing Lacazette, only for the striker to prod wide of an open goal as Arsenal's winless run rumbled on.
What does it mean? Big point for Burnley, big miss for Arsenal
Arsenal do not have a game for 18 days now and will have to lament an opportunity missed to head into the winter break in the Champions League spots.
Burnley, who were looking to win consecutive away league games against Arsenal for just the third time following a 1-0 victory in last season's corresponding fixture, well deserved their point, however. They remain bottom but have between two and four games in hand on their relegation rivals.
Pope proves his worth
Arsenal's Ramsdale has been one of the goalkeepers to move ahead of Pope in the England pecking order over the course of the last season, yet Burnley's shot-stopper was at his best to keep the Gunners at bay.
He made five saves in total, including that stunning one-handed stop low to his right from Smith Rowe midway through the second half.
Lacazette shows up Arsenal's striker needs
With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang still unavailable for selection due to a heart problem, although he had been ostracised by Arteta anyway prior to his Africa Cup of Nations trip being cut short, Lacazette is leading Arsenal's line. His horrendous miss showed up Arsenal's requirement for a top-quality striker, though.
All three of Lacazette's attempts missed the target. The Gunners have been linked with Dusan Vlahovic, who Fiorentina are willing to sell, while they are also reported to have interest in Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Will they make their move before the end of the transfer window?
What's next?
Arsenal return from the winter break with a trip to Wolves on February 10, while Burnley face Watford five days earlier.
Xavi 'convinced' Barcelona U-turn is right decision
Xavi believes staying at Barcelona is the right decision after he performed a U-turn on leaving the club.
Reports emerged on Wednesday that Xavi, who had initially decided to leave Barca at the end of the season, had changed his mind.
Confirmation arrived on Thursday, with Xavi and Barca's club president Joan Laporta holding a press conference.
And Xavi has no doubt he is making the right call.
“You know that I am a very big Barcelona fan and I always try to do the best for the club," he said, as reported by Football Espana.
"The most important thing is to think about the institution. When we met with the president I put my position at his disposal, but I saw that I enjoy great confidence from the president and the entire board.
"The players have been very important, they have made me see that this project has to continue. We are working well, it is a winning project. The project is not finished.
"The fans have also made me see that I must continue. The staff too. I think about what is best for the club.
"In January I thought it was best to leave, but now I see it differently. I think it is the best decision.
"I am 100 per cent committed. The trust they have placed in me again is spectacular. Let's get to work."
Crunch talks with Laporta were reportedly key to Xavi's decision, and Barca's president added: "It's great news that Xavi is staying. Stability is one of the keys to success."
Since taking charge of Barca in 2022, he has taken charge of 137 games in all competitions, winning 85 of them (62 per cent), drawing 24 and losing 28.
His team have scored 261 goals, winning two trophies – the 2022-23 LaLiga title and the 2022-23 Supercopa de Espana.
Barca's last-gasp defeat in El Clasico last weekend saw them fall 11 points behind LaLiga leaders Real Madrid with just six games remaining.
FC Dallas v Houston Dynamo: Arriola says hosts must pay supporters back
Midfielder Paul Arriola says FC Dallas need to start paying their supporters back in Saturday's Texas derby against the Houston Dynamo, having failed to impress in the early stages of the season.
Dallas sit 13th in the Western Conference standings with just five points from eight matches in 2024, their only victory coming against the San Jose Earthquakes in their season opener.
They have only taken two points from seven matches since then, putting head coach Nico Estevez under pressure.
However, Arriola says a clash with their biggest rivals at Toyota Stadium represents a chance to put things right.
"Our fans have been great all season, we haven't shown up for them. It is motivation for us to go and beat Houston on Saturday and obtain three points," he said.
Dallas were beaten 2-1 by the Colorado Rapids last time out, leading Estevez to question his players' character.
"We turned up with fear, lacking in determination and character," the Dallas boss said after that match.
"It is very difficult to play like that because Colorado are one of the hardest working teams in the league on both sides of the ball."
Houston, meanwhile, are preparing for a second straight meeting with a state rival, having suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Austin FC – their third loss of the year – last week.
Star midfielder Hector Herrera made his first appearance of the season from the bench in that match, playing 30 minutes after recovering from a groin injury.
Head coach Ben Olsen said of the Mexican's return: "You can see when he comes on the field, the game changes for the better in some areas.
"Right after he came on, the pressure was turned up on them. We got into so many dangerous spots, but still that connection in the box just wasn't there."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
FC Dallas – Petar Musa
Musa is the only Dallas player with multiple goals to his name in MLS this season, having netted his second goal of 2024 in last week's loss to Colorado.
Can he provide attacking inspiration for a team with just seven goals in eight games this year?
Houston Dynamo – Hector Herrera
While it remains to be seen whether Herrera is ready for a start, he could have a sizeable impact upon his return to action.
Last season, the Mexican led all Houston players for chances created (77), passes into the final third (835) and assists (13) in MLS play.
MATCH PREDICTION – FC DALLAS WIN
Dallas have made their second-worst start to an MLS campaign, only taking fewer than five points by this stage of a season when they earned four in 2009. They did, however, go on to make the playoffs that year.
With home advantage on their side, perhaps things will start to turn on Saturday. The Dynamo haven't won consecutive away MLS matches within a single season for almost 11 years, and they won their last road game 2-1 against Minnesota United.
Dallas tend to turn up for the derby, having gone unbeaten through their last 13 regular-season home matches against Houston (eight wins, five draws) in a run which stretches back to September 2011.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
FC Dallas – 44.6%
Houston Dynamo – 26.5%
Draw – 28.9%
Xavi commits U-turn and elects to stay at Barcelona
Barcelona head coach Xavi will continue in his role next season after an unexpected reversal of his decision to leave at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, according to widespread reports.
The former Barcelona midfielder announced in January that he would walk away from the job at the end of the current season, even though his contract was due to run until the end of the following term.
Xavi acknowledged the Barcelona role had taken its toll but reportedly changed his plans after a meeting with Blaugrana president Joan Laporta on Wednesday.
The 44-year-old was initially appointed as Barca coach in 2021 before leading the LaLiga giants to the top-flight title in the 2022-23 campaign.
Xavi's initial announcement of his intentions to depart Barcelona came after a tough period following defeats to Girona, Real Madrid and Athletic Club before revealing the news in the aftermath of a 5-3 loss to Villarreal.
The Blaugrana turned their fortunes around after that decision became public, though, going 13 games unbeaten across all competitions.
Unsurprisingly, that run encouraged Laporta, vice president Rafa Yuste and sporting director Deco to plead with Xavi to continue until the end of his agreed contract.
Though that undefeated streak ended with a 4-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain that dumped Barcelona out of the Champions League quarter-finals, Xavi has now agreed to stay in his role.
The league title is almost out of reach this term, however, as Real Madrid moved 11 points clear of second-placed Barca with Sunday's 3-2 Clasico victory.
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