Arsenal vs. Chelsea: Six Things We Learned in Emirates 0-0 Draw

Arsenal and Chelsea fought out a somewhat uninspired goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League, and though the match itself will quickly be forgotten, it has given us some further valuable insight into the race for the Champions League places.

Here we'll look at six things we learned during the stalemate in London.

The game itself was frantic and end-to-end at times, but both sides lacked the calmness and quality on the ball in the final third to turn half-chances into goals, though Arsenal came close twice when they hit the woodwork.

Robin van Persie first struck the outside of the post on a crossed free kick from Theo Walcott. The Dutch forward turned provider on another set piece, finding Laurent Koscielny, whose header found the crossbar.

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Robin Van Persie Doesn't Score, Arsenal Don't Score?

After blitzing over 30 goals in the calendar year of 2011, Robin van Persie has suffered something of a goal drought recently, posting just a single goal since March 12th.

Against Chelsea he had two or three chances to add to his season-long tally of 34, coming closest when he hit the outside of the post from close range after a Theo Walcott free kick.

Van Persie also skied a volley, which has become something of a specialist trick for him, and put a shot wide off his less-favoured right foot from a narrow angle.

While only the first one was a clear sighter of goal perhaps, it was symptomatic of van Persie's recent dip in form that he finished none of them. Six months ago, he likely would have buried two.

Arsenal didn't really have any major goal threat aside from van Persie, with Koscielny coming closest on a free header which hit the crossbar.

Trying to "Run Off" an Injury Doesn't Quite Always Work...

A common criticism of the "modern-day footballer" is that they are too easily injured or don't have the "stomach" to fight on for the team's cause through the pain barrier.

Theo Walcott today showed exactly why trying to do just that is not always the best idea.

The speedy wide man went down clutching his hamstring in the second half, got some medical attention on the sidelines and then re-entered the pitch.

Moments later, however, his game was over as he was back on the floor, clutching his hamstring again and he is now sidelined until the end of the season with injury.

With the European Championships starting in about six weeks, Walcott may well face a race to be fit in time—and he certainly won't be able to show any killer form heading into the tournament.

Going back on the pitch may well have made the original injury worse than it was, which with muscle injuries is always a bad sign.

Chelsea Putting All Their Champions League Eggs in One Trophy-Shaped Basket?

Following the draw at the Emirates, Chelsea now trail the Champions League places—the top four of the Premier League—by four points, with four games remaining.

Roberto di Matteo could very well be gambling Chelsea's participation in next season's Champions League on winning the title outright this term.

While the difference is not insurmountable, Newcastle's league form has been far better recently than Chelsea's, while Tottenham also have a game in hand with a late kick off against relegation-threatened QPR.

With just a one goal lead to take to Barcelona for the semifinal second leg it could be a risky ploy for Chelsea, but they will take pride in fairly resolute defensive displays against both the Catalan side and North London's red half, as well as a few huge slices of luck along the way—between them, Chelsea's last two opponents have struck the woodwork three times without scoring.

A little more of that kind of luck and maybe Chelsea will lift the European Cup.

Daniel Sturridge Missing out on Games Has Dented His Sharpness

Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge has been in and out of the Chelsea side of late under Roberto di Matteo.

Mostly out.

The young forward has suffered as a result, with his early season form missing at the vital end of the season and he may have real fears about missing out on the England squad for Euro 2012, as well as key Champions League and FA Cup matches, as a result.

With 12 goals this season in all competitions he is Chelsea's joint-second top scorer, but he is behind Didier Drogba, Juan Mata, Fernando Torres and recently Salomon Kalou in the pecking order for one of the forward roles, while Ramires has also played further forward at times.

Sturridge's first touch and assured decision-making in the penalty box were conspicuous by their absence against Arsenal as he spurned three good chances to shoot on goal in the second half, letting defenders close him down by not getting a strike away early.

He will likely be out of the team again for the Blues' next match against Barcelona, leaving him just four Premier League matches and the FA Cup Final against Liverpool to add to his tally and boost his chances of making the England squad.

Wojciech Szczesny Is Improving with Every Match

Though Arsenal's Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was not called upon to make too many heroic saves against Chelsea, he showed his incredible maturity and competence for a young 'keeper still in his first full season in a number of ways.

His collection of high balls and crosses into the area were expertly-taken; while he didn't have the threat of Didier Drogba to deal with, he did still patrol his six yard box and the surrounding area with authority and decisiveness.

In addition, Szczesny's starting position is frequently excellent, allowing him to move off his line and out of his goal area to clear through-balls.

One such occasion might have resulted in a real chance for Chelsea if Florent Malouda had made more contact with the ball as Szczesny came out, but the Pole did enough to put him off and Arsenal did manage to clear.

Good distribution, a willingness to direct and shout at his defenders and safe hands on shots all contribute to making Szczesny a very decent keeper indeed, who will only progress as he gains more experience.

Arsenal's Champions League Charge Not Quite Successful Yet

Though there can be no doubting the excellent work from Arsenal since October to raise to third position in the Premier League, they are not quite yet assured of their place in the Champions League for next season.

A win against Chelsea would have all but ended any doubts that the Gunners will make it, but just two wins from their last five matches will hardly help settle any nerves in the Emirates camp.

The Gunners are three points ahead of Newcastle and six ahead of Tottenham, but both sides could go level with Arsenal if they win their game (or games, in the case of Spurs) in hand.

With Chelsea able to qualify for next season's Champions League if they win the competition this season, that would mean that only the top three in the Premier League would make it.

Stoke City, Norwich City and West Brom are not the most fearsome final three games that Arsenal could have been handed. But with two of those away, Theo Walcott out for the remainder of the season with injury and with Robin van Persie suddenly losing his shooting boots, Arsenal fans and players should be taking nothing for granted.

Spurs and Newcastle might just have a nasty surprise in store for them if they do.