Arsenal dominated against Stoke in an edgy clash at the Britannia Stadium but their lack of a cutting edge saw their stuttering start to the season continue in another frustrating goalless draw.
The Gunners bossed the game in terms of possession but had limited clear-cut chances as they struggled to open their Barclays Premier League account in the absence of Robin van Persie.
Stoke saw a penalty shout turned down as Arsenal's three-pronged attack of Olivier Giroud, Lukas Podolski and Gervinho failed to make a breakthrough.
Gunners manager Arsene Wenger made two changes, dropping Theo Walcott to the bench to hand a first start to Frenchman Giroud with goalkeeper Vito Mannone replacing the injured Wojciech Szczesny.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis made two changes, handing a debut to American summer signing Geoff Cameron with Dean Whitehead suspended while Jermaine Pennant returned to the side after recovering from a thigh injury.
The Potters had an early goal chalked off as Jonathan Walters strayed offside but good linking play with strike-partner Peter Crouch gave the home fans something to cheer in the opening exchanges.
Arsenal then began to enjoy the majority of possession in midfield and displayed warning signs as they began to press, but like last weekend's goalless draw against Sunderland, they lacked a cutting edge.
Santi Cazorla began to pull the strings in midfield for the Gunners after he struck a poor free-kick into the bottom of the wall, but the game continued to ebb and flow with Stoke looking to steal an advantage on the counter-attack.
Cazorla and Giroud then linked up well and threatened the Stoke goal but some calm defending by Shawcross neutralised the Arsenal threat with the sides locked at 0-0 at the break.
Arsenal got back into their stride early in the second half and continued to look more threatening but it was Stoke who were left to rue their chances when they had a penalty turned down in the 58th minute. Gibbs fouled Pennant as he raced down the right with the Stoke winger going down on the edge of the box, but referee Lee Mason waved away calls for a penalty and signalled a goal kick.
Source: PA
