Manchester United's Gabriel Heinze (centre) is tackled by Portsmouth's Lomana Tresor LuaLua (right) and Gary O'Neil during their English Premier League soccer match at Fratton Park in Portsmouth on Saturday. Portsmouth won 2-1. - Reuters

LONDON (AP):

Arsene Wenger knows what is causing Arsenal's poor season. He just wishes he could fix it.

Arsenal lost 1-0 to West Ham on Saturday, its third straight league defeat and the first at Emirates Stadium. But there is not much time for the Arsenal coach to think about the loss - the Gunners are at Newcastle today.

"It is very difficult to find a logical explanation to our defeat ... because we produced the performance I expected," Wenger said. "That is a little bit of the disease we have shown all season - creating, creating, creating, and not finishing."

Finish in the top four

Another incentive for Arsenal to beat Newcastle is to finish in the top four of the Premier League, which would ensure a place in the Champions League next season.

"For me it (fourth place) was in danger before this game," Wenger said after losing to West Ham. "It is important to keep the focus. I think we will make it, but we have not got to waste any points now."

Manchester United lead the league with 78 points, followed by Chelsea with 75 and Liverpool with 60. All three play in Champions League quarter-final second legs tomorrow and Wednesday.

Arsenal are fourth with 55 points, with Bolton fifth with 53.

There are five other games scheduled for today - a public holiday in Britain - and Bolton could get closer to a first Champions League spot if it beats Everton.

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce has mixed feelings about taking the step from the UEFA Cup - which it entered for the first time in the 2005-06 season and failed to progress from the group stage - to the Champions League.

"It would destroy this club if we went into the Champions League," Allardyce said.

"We are not big enough for that. It would be too much for us. But at the end of the day if it comes along then we will take it, of course we will."

Arsenal host Bolton on April 14.

The relegation fight will also continue. Last place Watford host Portsmouth, which reignited the Premier League title race by beating Manchester United 2-1 on Saturday.

Charlton, who are just outside the relegation zone in 17th place, host Reading. Wigan, two points ahead of Charlton, play at Aston Villa. Fulham host Manchester City in today's other match.

Arsenal are without its top two strikers - Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie - as well as attacking midfielder Theo Walcott for the rest of the season with injuries.

The Gunners had a disastrous 10-day spell starting late February when they lost the League Cup final to Chelsea, and were eliminated from the FA Cup and Champions League.

Since then, Arsenal have won one game, a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa, then lost to Everton, Liverpool and West Ham.

"When you lose a game like that (West Ham) you are tempted to blame the players who missed the chances, but we just have to keep going and not put too much pressure on the players who missed," Wenger said.

Charlton moved out of the relegation zone for the first time since September with a 0-0 draw with Manchester City on Friday. It was its fifth consecutive unbeaten game, but manager Alan Pardew knows it cannot rely on other rivals to slip up.

"We have six games left, why can't we win them all?" Pardew said. "We have shown to ourselves that we have the resilience and character. With a bit of luck, we can do it."

Wigan lost 3-1 to Bolton on Saturday despite scoring first.

"We are most certainly in a dogfight," manager Paul Jewell said. "We have to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and try to get a result at Aston Villa."