Arsenal have not won a trophy for 3½ years and the natives are getting restless in the red corner of North London. But for the fingertips of Lukasz Fabianski, their second-string goalkeeper, and the width of the crossbar, they could be facing another barren season at the Emirates Stadium.

With four minutes remaining at Ninian Park yesterday, Arsenal’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against Cardiff City was drifting towards a tedious conclusion and a replay at the Emirates on February 3. Then, when Ross McCormack stepped up to propel a 30-yard free kick goalwards, Arsenal’s campaign almost suffered a mortal wound.

The flying Fabianski applied the merest of touches — so much so that Martin Atkinson, the referee, awarded a goal kick and no Cardiff player complained — and Arsenal survived. Perhaps they did not deserve to lose against spirited opposition from the Coca-Cola Championship, but on such small margins do seasons flounder or flourish.

Had McCormack’s bullet found its intended target, Arsenal would have left South Wales with the prospect of collecting silverware almost extinct. A title challenge in the Barclays Premier League appears out of the question and few observers expect them to land a place in the Champions League final in Rome let alone win it.

Qualifying for the Champions League next season, via a top-four league finish, might be beyond them, too. Still, they stretched their unbeaten run to eight matches, kept a clean sheet and left the pitch with a clean bill of health. Arsène Wenger, the

Arsenal manager, had reason to be thankful on many fronts, the McCormack near-miss especially.

“At 0-0, of course anything can happen,” Wenger said. “But I was not too worried in the second half. Cardiff did not create many chances. Yes, we could do without a replay because we have so many matches, but if that’s the price to pay for staying in the competition, then we’ll take it.”

Swansea City had given the Principality a head start in the Anglo-Welsh confrontations, defeating Portsmouth, the Cup holders, 2-0 at Fratton Park on Saturday. Attempting perhaps to emulate their bitter rivals, Cardiff opened at a frenetic pace, peppering Fabianski with a variety of efforts.

Most of them, though, were wildly off target. Chris Burke, McCormack, twice, Jay Bothroyd, the former Arsenal youngster, Joe Ledley and Paul Parry all took pot-shots and all failed. Fabianski hardly had to make a save, such was the lack of accuracy.

Arsenal occasionally offered glimpses of their Premier League pedigree, mostly through the instant control and clever touches of Robin van Persie. Yet Aaron Ramsey, the midfield player, endured a torrid return to the land of his fathers and was booed mercilessly — and ridiculously — by the fans who used to idolise him.

It appeared to unnerve the 18-year-old, with a string of his passes going astray. He never hid — many a teenager might have disappeared — and Wenger persisted with him in the second half but it did not get any better. When he was replaced by Abou Diaby in the 58th minute, it was an act of mercy by the Frenchman. “Yes, I think it got to him a bit,” Wenger said. “He’s young and it was a very emotional day for him.”

Cardiff, beaten by Portsmouth at Wembley Stadium last May, eased off in the second half and seemed to settle for the draw. Arsenal improved — it was hard for them not to — but the squandering of chances, a theme from both teams, continued. This time, Van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor and Samir Nasri were the culprits.

The last time Arsenal won anything was after a draw in Cardiff in 2005. They overcame Manchester United 5-4 on penalties after their encounter in the Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium ended 0-0. At the moment, the club, manager, players and fans will cling to any good omens they can find.

Cardiff City (4-4-2): P Enckelman 7 - K McNaughton 6, R Johnson 6, G Gyepes 6, M Kennedy 5 - C Burke 6, G Rae 5, J Ledley 7, P Parry 6 - R McCormack 6, J Bothroyd 5. Substitutes: A Capaldi (for Burke, 78min), E Johnson (for Bothroyd, 90). Not used: T Heaton, D Purse, S McPhail, M Comminges, D Blake.

Arsenal (4-4-1-1): L Fabianski 6 - B Sagna 5, K Touré 5, J Djourou 5, K Gibbs 6 - E Eboué 5, A Song 5, A Ramsey 4, S Nasri 6 - R van Persie 6 - N Bendtner 5. Substitutes: A Diaby 6 (for Ramsey, 58min), E Adebayor 4 (for Eboué, 66), J Wilshere (for Bendtner, 87). Not used: M Almunia, W Gallas, C Vela, Denilson.

Referee: M Atkinson Attendance: 20,070

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