LONDON - Arsene Wenger defended his decision to rest Robin van Persie after Arsenal's bid to reach the Champions League knockout stage was put on hold following a 0-0 draw with Marseille.

Van Persie has been in blistering form for Arsenal recently, scoring a hat trick in last week's stunning 5-3 victory at Chelsea and inspiring a Gunners revival which has seen them march up the Premier League table.

However, Wenger chose to leave the flying Dutchman on the bench for Tuesday's visit of Group F rival Marseille, in a game where three points would have seen the Gunners qualify for the last 16 with two games to spare.

Yet Wenger's gamble in handing South Korean international Park Ju-young his first Champions League start in place of van Persie failed to pay off as a toothless Arsenal attack failed to trouble Marseille.

Although Park ultimately made way for van Persie with just under half an hour remaining, by then the pattern of a disappointing game had been established and Arsenal was unable to test its Ligue 1 opponent.

Van Persie did have one shot on goal after being released by Tomas Rosicky, but the striker's cheeky 77th-minute attempted chip was comfortably gathered by Marseille keeper Steve Mandanda.

Although the result left Arsenal on top of Group F, leading Marseille by one point, the Gunners cannot afford to take anything for granted in their final two group games, at home to Borussia Dortmund and away to Olympiakos.

Wenger, however, was adamant he had been right to rest van Persie.

"He was tired. He was fatigued. That's why I did that," Wenger said. "You know we're playing 50 games in a year - he cannot play 50 games. He had one great chance when he tried to chip the keeper but you just have to accept it."

Agence France-Presse