Arsenal dropped two more points and surrendered pole position of the league table to Manchester United as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Former Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere put Middlesbrough in a shock lead midway through the first half before Kolo Toure rescued a point for the Gunners four minutes from full time.

Arsenal struggled to create any real chances in spite of dominating the possession in the opening minutes of the match. With Manchester United and Chelsea winning their respective matches, the pressure was on Arsenal to collect three points as well to remain at the top of the league table but the Gunners were unable to break down a stubborn Middlesbrough defense.

Boro punished Arsenal for not making most of the dominance in the opening minutes by taking a shock lead against the run of play in the 25th minute when Aliadiere slotted home Sanli Tuncay's superb cross from the left flank past a helpless Manuel Almunia.

Arsenal struggled against an organized Boro defense with Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie restricted to half chances. The hosts' best chance of the half fell to Emmanuel Eboue but Mark Schwarzer managed to block his shot.

Fabregas twice came close to restoring parity in the second half but Schwarzer denied the Spanish international on the first attempt while the second one smashed against the post.

With time running out, it looked as if Boro would complete the double before Toure grabbed a point for his side when he headed home Fabregas' corner. Arsenal pressed forward in search of the winner but Boro held on to claim a point though they were reduced to 10 men when Mido was sent off for a high tackle on Clichy.