Relief as Gunners beat Boro

It may not have been the greatest of performances, but there was a huge sense of relief at full-time as Arsenal claimed a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough.

When Alvaro Negredo cancelled out Alexis Sanchez's opener it felt a bit like it was going to be one of those days, but fortunately Mesut Ozil rescued us with the winning goal 19 minutes from time and kept our slim hopes of a top-four finish alive.

The fact this was our first away win in the league since January says a lot about how 2017 has panned out for us. We have been below par for much of the second half of the season and this really does feel like a massive three points.

We are now 6th and seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester City with a game in hand. There are only seven games remaining so our chances don't look great, but at least we have given ourselves a glimmer of hope. Fourth wouldn't really be good enough either, but it would still be better than where we find ourselves now so we must keep on fighting until the end.

Although I expected some changes following the awful 3-0 defeat at Crystal Palace, I didn't think Arsene Wenger was going to spring the surprise of a totally new formation with three at the back. It worried me a little, but at least something had been changed!

In truth the first half wasn't all that exciting with the only real chances from either side prior to the goal being routine saves for the two goalkeepers - Boro's Brad Guzan and Arsenal's Petr Cech.

Arsenal had a strong shout for a penalty when Daniel Ayala grappled with Olivier Giroud in the box, but nothing was given.

The Gunners continued to push forward and came close when Sanchez tried to release Giroud in the box, but Guzan did well to come out and smother the danger. At the other end Marten de Roon headed into the net, only to see his effort ruled out for offside.

A moment of individual brilliance saw Arsenal finally break the deadlock three minutes before the break as a superbly struck Sanchez free-kick went over the wall and into the net.

Boro levelled matters within five minutes of the restart and left me wondering if it was going to end up being yet another frustrating day for us. Stewart Downing swung in a cross and Negredo got between two defenders to poke the ball beyond Cech.

Downing wasted the chance to put Boro in front when he sent an effort off target before a fine save from Cech ensured the scores stayed level a little while longer. The Arsenal goalkeeper produced a great reaction save to deny Ayala from close range - a big let off for the visitors!

It was a huge relief when Ozil hit the winner after 71 minutes and it was a well-taken goal too! Aaron Ramsey latched onto a deep cross and chested the ball down for Ozil to squeeze a first-time shot inside the post.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Giroud both wasted the chance to extend Arsenal's lead, while Negredo failed to make the most of his opportunity at the other end as the Gunners held on.

OPPOSITION VIEW
Boro fans Kevin Scott and Tom Snowdon were unable to find much to be positive about after a disappointing home defeat.

"In the first half Boro continued to stink the Premier League out," said Scott. "It was a must win game at home against a side low on confidence and again we play with one up front and three defensive midfielders.

"We set up for a narrow defeat and got what we deserved as usual. Our goal difference shows we compete, but Boro never win games as they don't get forward and 0 shots on target at half-time was not surprising.

"We came out second half giving a go because we had to and if Ayala's header goes in it is maybe a different game.

"Adama Traore came on and this lost us the chance of winning. We lost all balance and momentum and there was only one winner. Traore is a player for the FIFA generation as his power and pace continues to make him look like Messi until he has to make a decision or make a pass and then he falls to pieces.

"He cannot play football but so many people think he is great. His close control on the touchline, beating two players and driving into the box was a good example of this as he looks great and, just like Forrest Gump, continues to run into trouble or out of room.

On Arsenal Scott added: "After seeing all the "big clubs" this season you won't be happy to hear that in my opinion Arsenal are by far the worst of them.

"Apart from Sanchez and Oxlade-Chamberlain there was no threat tonight. Every time I see Ozil play away he goes missing. Arsenal have too many players not good enough for a club looking to play Champions League.

"I expect players like Monreal, Gabriel and Xhaka to be at mid-table Premier League clubs like Watford, West Brom or Stoke and Ramsey doesn't look the same player as a couple of years ago. Can't see top four this year or for the next couple of years as a huge rebuilding job is required."

Snowdon was also left feeling frustrated by the direction Boro are heading in, but believes Arsenal will also have an equally as difficult end to the season.

"I was expecting the game to be dead and buried after Sanchez's goal, so was pleasantly surprised when our one striker managed to get away from three centre-backs to score," said Snowdon. "Fair win for the Arse and the ref had a good game.

"I don't think the season is going to end well for either team. Boro are definitely going down and it's time for Wenger. I think if he walks there'll be sighs of relief all around for Arsenal's fan base, but if he signs a new contract there'll be a riot!"

MY FINAL THOUGHTS
That really was a massive win in terms of keeping our slim hopes of a top-four finish alive, but it doesn't paper over the cracks which are still there.

It was a far from convincing performance and the fact there is such a big sense of relief at the result shows how tough things have been in recent months.....but at least we are finally back on track in terms of stopping the rut with a win.

It is now time to briefly forget about the league and turn our attentions to our best chance of silverware this season. Whether or not we were still in it at this stage, I will always love the FA Cup and am delighted we are one game away from the final....shame our league campaign hasn't been as successful.

But there is still one more game to go before we can even think about the final and it doesn't get much tougher than Manchester City. With Tottenham and Chelsea in the other semi-final, it would have been a tough game whoever we'd been drawn against.

If we play like I know we can we might just sneak it, but if we perform like we did against West Brom or Crystal Palace then we are in big trouble, so let's hope it's not the latter.

We need to put in a mammoth performance to try and get a result and, if we can somehow do it, I'd prefer Chelsea in the final as I don't want Spurs anywhere near it! Whatever happens the players need to give us a performance to be proud of as they really owe us one!

COME ON YOU GUNNERS