Gunners held by City

Arsenal all but secured third place in the Barclays Premier League after Champions League-chasing Manchester City held them to a goalless draw at Emirates Stadium.

Much of the pre-match hype had surrounded the return of former Gunners striker Emmanuel Adebayor, but he was left on the bench by City boss Roberto Mancini before being introduced to resounding jeers at the start of the second half.

Arsenal had the better of possession, yet only tested Shay Given a couple of times before the City keeper went off with a suspected broken shoulder.

Robin van Persie has been sorely missed by the Gunners, and he captained the side on his home return following five months out with a knee injury.

The Dutchman almost made an instant impact when he burst into the City box before Kolo Toure came across to make a blocking tackle.

City were forced into a change on 27 minutes when Wayne Bridge was replaced by Micah Richards.

Arsenal continued to press, and Theo Walcott skewed his first-time effort as the ball dropped to him before Samir Nasri's angled shot brought the first meaningful save from Given.

After a low-key opening to the second half, the introduction of Adebayor on 52 minutes was greeted by a cacophony of boos - and there was a flashpoint when Craig Bellamy and Alex Song squared up, with referee Mike Dean calling the respective captains together in an attempt to restore calm.

Tomas Rosicky then drilled a low shot from 18 yards straight at Given, who also tipped wide at full stretch from a shot but appeared to damage his shoulder. After several minutes of treatment, he was carried off on a stretcher taking in oxygen. Faroe Islands goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen replaced him for an unexpected debut.

Van Persie chipped a free-kick over the wall late on, but his shot was wide.