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Arsenal 1 Middlesbrough 1

If, as Gareth Southgate has suggested, Middlesbrough's humiliating FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Cardiff City created a fissure between the club and its fans, Saturday's spirited showing at Arsenal went an awful long way towards repairing it.

Whatever else can still be levelled at them in the wake of a knock-out defeat that will rankle for months to come, Middlesbrough's players have proved that they care.

Wednesday's performance at Aston Villa began the restorative process, and Saturday's passionate display against the erstwhile Premier League leaders set new standards for commitment. It might have been six days too late, but this was a Boro side determined to be master of its own destiny.

Leading through Jeremie Aliadiere's expertly-taken 25thminute opener, the Teessiders spent more than an hour repelling the best attacking efforts of an Arsenal side that had swept aside Italian giants AC Milan just ten days earlier.

Not a yard went uncovered, not a block went unmade. From Robert Huth, and his bonecrunching challenges on Emmanuel Adebayor, to Tuncay Sanli, and his relentless closing down of Arsenal's defenders, Middlesbrough's players expended every ounce of available energy in a frantic attempt to defend their lead.

Thrillingly, it worked. By the 80th minute, Arsenal had enjoyed 78 per cent of possession, yet save for a couple of fairly routine stops from Emmanuel Eboue and Cesc Fabregas, Mark Schwarzer had barely been threatened in the Middlesbrough goal.

That Kolo Toure eventually squeezed an 86th-minute header past both Schwarzer and substitute Andrew Taylor meant the visitors' Herculean efforts were insufficient to record a first league double over the Gunners in 70 years.

FOOTBALL can be a cruel game, as Middlesbrough have discovered on more than one occasion this season. But rarely can it have been any crueler than this. Eighty-six minutes of incredible defensive work were undone by a failure to deal with one corner. Cesc Fabregas centred, Kolo Toure headed, and despite the best efforts of both Andrew Taylor and Mark Schwarzer on the line, the ball found its way into the Middlesbrough net. That George Boateng had been fouled as he conceded the corner merely added to Boro's sense of frustration. That Mido was then sent off for violent conduct despite kicking the ball before he made contact with Gael Clichy's head rubbed salt into the wounds. Arsenal probably deserved a point given their plentiful possession throughout the 90 minutes, but the final result was harsh on Boro given their magnificent defensive efforts. Mark Schwarzer was razor-sharp when needed, and Luke Young and Emanuel Pogatetz ensured that Arsenal's wingers were unable to make use of Adebayor's aerial ability. David Wheater and Robert Huth were impenetrable in central defence, making countless blocks, tackles and interceptions as Arsenal pushed forward, and Boateng was back to his very best at the heart of midfield. A point at the Emirates is not to be sniffed at, but Boro came close to gaining so much more.

That such an achievement was even on the cards at all, though, represented a remarkable turnaround from the events of the previous weekend.

"I have to be incredibly proud of the players because, last Sunday, we were a laughing stock," said Southgate, who deserves considerable credit for successfully transforming Boro's FA Cup horror show into a rallying point for players and supporters alike. "We lost incredible pride and lost face with our own fans, but we've given two performances since then that have been full of guts and character.

"It was crucial for us to do that because we had two fixtures to restore some pride in our town. That was severely dented last weekend, but I think we've managed to raise the level of our game and do something about it.

"We've proved to ourselves what we're capable of. Now, we have to maintain that in every game between now and the end of the season."

If Middlesbrough can maintain even a semblance of the drive and energy that so frustrated Arsenal when they host Derby next weekend, their relegation fears should be as good as over by Saturday night.

Arsenal's title hopes could be similarly redundant by the time they have faced Chelsea 24 hours later, and if Arsene Wenger's side are to fall short in their pursuit of the Premier League crown, Middlesbrough will have landed two of the most telling blows.

December's 2-1 reverse at the Riverside remains Arsenal's only Premier League defeat of the season, and Saturday's draw was the Gunners' fourth successive domestic game without a win. It also meant that Middlesbrough have now lost none of their last four matches against Arsenal, a record that suggests that Southgate might just have Wenger's measure.

It certainly looked that way on Saturday, as the Boro boss' team selection successfully neutered an Arsenal side that rapidly ran out of ideas once their preferred slick passing style failed to unlock a watertight opposition defence.

Things might have been different had referee Mark Halsey not ruled out Adebayor's fifth-minute strike for offside - the striker was well beyond the last Middlesbrough defender but, crucially, the ball fell at his feet courtesy of a deflection off George Boateng - but the complexion of the game changed entirely when Aliadiere celebrated his return to the Emirates Stadium with a goal.

Schwarzer's quick free-kick sent Tuncay scampering down the left flank and, when the Turkey international centred , Aliadiere had stolen ahead of William Gallas to fire an accomplished half-volley into the net.

The Frenchman scored just one goal in his 29 league appearances for Arsenal. His first goal against them could prove to be the one that costs his former side the title.

"I was at Arsenal for nine years and you can't just forget about that," said Aliadiere. "Even if I didn't play as much as I wanted to in my time at Arsenal, it was still my club and it still feels special to me.

"Every weekend, I always look to see what Arsenal's result is and how they are doing. Obviously, it's very special to come back here and score."

The goal gave Boro's players something to hold on to, and they spent the rest of the game following the manager's pre-match instructions to the letter.

Southgate's decision to field two strikers paid off handsomely, with Tuncay and Aliadiere offering enough of an attacking threat to prevent Arsenal's defenders from pushing up the field and acting as auxiliary midfielders.

"I don't know if people have worked out a way to play against Arsenal, but we certainly looked at the tapes of how Aston Villa played here,"

said Southgate, "Last year, we came here and played with one up front, but we thought we might be able to nick something if we played a little bit more adventurously."

Middlesbrough's policy of packing the central areas also proved successful, with the omnipresent Boateng excelling at the heart of midfield, aided and abetted by the level-headed Mohamed Shawky and the tigerish Lee Cattermole.

With Stewart Downing and Gary O'Neil tucking in from their wings, Arsenal's creative players were ushered down a blind alley in the centre of the pitch, and the home side's lack of an out-and-out winger limited their options severely.

"If you don't leave them too much space in the middle of the park, they have to go wide and try to get crosses in," explained Aliadiere. " It's easier to try to defend crosses than to let Arsenal play through you.

"If you let Arsenal play through you, they will kill you. But if you make them play in a different way, you give yourself a chance."

Toure's header proved a sting in the tail - Taylor and Schwarzer seemed to get in each other's way as the defender met Fabregas' corner - and worse was to come when Mido received a straight red card following a clash with Gael Clichy.

The Egypt international's unfortunate departure left something of a sour taste in the mouth, but it was nothing compared with the aftertaste that accompanied last weekend's cup defeat. Some disappointments are rather easier to swallow than others.

Watch the match highlights from Monday, March 17

7:22pm Saturday 15th March 2008

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