Aston Villa edged out of the relegation zone with a drab goalless draw against Arsenal at rain-soaked Villa Park.<br /><br />In an uneventful first half, Andreas Weimann saw a strike ruled out for offside and Laurent Koscielny shot over when well placed.<br /><br />The second half was far more open and Aaron Ramsey went close before Brett Holman's drive was tipped on to the bar by Wojciech Szczesny.<br /><br />Arsenal pushed for a late winner but were forced to settle for a point.<br /><br />It meant they missed the chance to replace Everton in fifth, while Villa go above Reading in 17th, although the Royals have a game in hand.<br /><br />If Arsene Wenger truly believes his team are in contention for the title, he must be disappointed to see them fall 10 points behind leaders Manchester United.<br /><br />Villa boss Paul Lambert, by contrast, will take heart from his side's display following defeats by United and City, and heading into crucial meetings with Reading, QPR, Stoke and Norwich.<br /><br />He knew a response was needed following last weekend's 5-0 loss at Etihad Stadium and, while it duly arrived, they could have taken all three points with the help of a proven goalscorer.<br /><br />Some may point to Darren Bent's omission from the matchday squad when he was fit to play after an ankle injury.<br /><br />Promising forwards Weimann and Christian Benteke were a constant threat, yet neither carry the potency of an in-form Bent.<br /><br />Weimann tested Szczesny with an early cross-come-shot and Benteke headed wide from Ashley Westwood's corner.<br /><br />Arsenal took 20 minutes to create a chance, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shooting wide and Brad Guzan saving well from Ramsey.<br /><br />An uninspiring half almost came to life as Ciaran Clark's drive made its way to Weimann, only for his strike to be disallowed.<br /><br />At the other end, an unmarked Koscielny wasted a glorious opportunity with a wayward finish from Olivier Giroud's low cross.<br /><br />Villa's trend this season has been to impress in the first half before fading in the second, and for Arsenal it has been the opposite.<br /><br />The
