For Arsenal, there is little room for error. They still sit on top of the table (two points ahead) but power has shifted to the Red Devils with a game in hand. Wenger can seek solace in the miserable pitch condition at JJB Stadium for disrupting their fluent, passing game but since Wigan played on the same pitch, this excuse doesn’t hold much water.

There is an increasing tendency of lowly teams hampering Arsenal this season when they adopt a tough, physical approach. We do not need to look far, just the recent three consecutive draws (2-2 with Birmingham, 1-1 with Aston Villa, and 0-0 with Wigan) exemplified this undesirable trend.

Arsenal must set things right, starting from Middlesbrough to maintain their hopes of keeping Manchester United and Chelsea at bay. But it is not going to be easy despite the disparity in their league positions.

Middlesbrough are languishing near the relegation zone because they behave very much like a Jekyll and Hyde team – rising to the occasion against the big guns but falling to average teams. The Boro squad which successfully claimed Arsenal’s scalp in December at Riverside was impressive, as Arsene Wenger learned to his surprise.

That game was easily Boro’s best display. They outfought their illustrious opponent and dispelled their air of invincibility. The question is which team will we see at the Emirates Stadium?

After being dumped out by Cardiff in the FA Cup (deserved for being outmuscled in every aspect), I believe Middlesbrough will be anxious to get over their disappointment by achieving another glorious victory. Boro also need to pinch every point for a looming relegation battle, so it will be an epic match with the last man standing.

Arsene Wenger revealed that Robin van Persie, Kolo Toure and Theo Walcott are fit but Rosicky remains a 50-50 situation. His presence will be missed as he has forged a good understanding with van Persie in the early stage of the season.

I am not sure when he will be back but in his fragile condition, if he continues the Euro 08 campaign with his country, Wenger can expect to welcome him back in the treatment room for the new season.

Robin van Persie may not start in the first XI as he still lacks match fitness but if he is fielded in the second half and can last the pace, Wenger will have a trump card up his sleeves for the Champions League clash with Liverpool.

Most likely, Wenger will opt for the “trusted” partnership of Adebayor and Bendtner upfront. Bendtner is keen on getting more games under his belt, saying: “I need to obviously get more games. The more you play with the team as a regular starter, then the more you get to learn and know the team.”

He won’t be having much competition currently, due to a lack of better options, so he can enjoy his time with Adebayor. Fostering a strong relationship with the Togolese, instead of nursing grudges against each other, will help to cement his position.

Philippe Senderos may end up on the bench with the return of Toure and it is a pity since he is regaining confidence and a few matches away from establishing himself as a mainstay. Wenger is likely to go for an experienced hand to man the fort but he will hardly complain about having able defensive options on the bench.

While Arsenal need to snap back to winning form, Manchester United are not having it easy either. Their form cannot be said to be consistent and with their opponent’s weakness exposed, the pressure is actually on the Red Devils to move in for the kill. They have to mount a sustained challenge and win all the remaining matches.

Under such circumstances, I believe United, or rather, both teams will crack. More points will be dropped and a superior goal difference will prove to be crucial. On paper, there is no doubt that United will enact Chelsea’s 6-1 demolition of Derby. With their attacking talents, anything less than three goals, is a set-back.

The worry for Alex Ferguson is that Derby give the fight of their life after the drubbing and gain inspiration from the performance of Portsmouth. Chelsea and Liverpool will be well poised to take advantage of any slip-ups.

Liverpool, especially, have settled into a winning 4-2-3-1 formation and hopefully, Rafa Benitez is not inclined to tinker. More than just securing a fourth position and displacing Everton, a third position is now likely with their razor-sharp form.

Liverpool are good for another Champions League medal and Arsenal should not be much of a hurdle for them. The clash has been described as an “interesting and challenging draw” by Wenger. In the Premier League, Arsenal are more consistent but in the Champions League, Liverpool, the five time European champions, have the upper hand.

Nevertheless, the Champions League actions will take place two weeks from now, and Arsenal will be strictly focussed on getting three points from Boro. Put it this way, failing to win will cast doubts on the character of this team. The Young Turks are nowhere near the quality of the 1998 squad, even if they win anything, it is down to the mistake of others rather than the ruthless manner in which their predecessors swept the double.

I hope Arsene Wenger is more aggressive in the transfer market this summer, buying utility players or raw diamonds are prudent investments but getting in a couple of world-class talents is inevitable, unless he wants to grapple with an embarrassingly thin bench again.

Boro chief executive Keith Lamb was also upset at the decision, branding it “a travesty of justice.” Lamb added: “How can nameless, faceless people on a commission decide that our genuine claim for equality and justice be dealt with in such a flippant manner? It is a disgraceful comment to suggest our claim was frivolous. Who are they to know our minds when we made this appeal?”

The saga began in last week 3-2 loss to Liverpool. Aliadiere was dismissed for slapping Javier Mascherano and subsequently suspended for three matches. Middlesbrough felt it was harsh and, well within their rights, they appealed. After a review (which I doubt was carefully considered), the FA judged the claim was “frivolous” and they went a step further to punish this profligate waste of their time by increasing the ban to four games.

Well done!! I am convinced that the FA has the ability to create debacles of mega proportion – the appointment of England managers is a case in point. The bigger issue at stake here is whether the top guns in the Premier League possess more clout, deserve more protection and have it easier in their appeals to maintain their advantage.

A bone of contention is Liverpool have escaped pretty much unscathed from this incident. Javier Mascherano first put his hand over the Aliadiere’s mouth in a muzzling manner. Aliadiere merely retaliated with a light tap on Mascherano’s face and this should not warrant a classification as “violent conduct.” If there was shoving, punching or kicking, or whatever actions carried out in a malicious manner, then I have no problems with the punishment.

When the referee decided to dismiss the French striker, he should not have left Mascherano on the pitch since he provoked the response. Though I have a soft spot for the Argentine, I feel a penalty claim may even be valid in such circumstances.

I think there is a loophole in the system where the provocateur gets away scot-free while the person who retaliates get the hard end of the stick. In the 2006 World Cup, Zidane’s head butt of Materazzi was instigated after the Italian hurled abuses at his mother and sister. To protect the family honor, any man will have reacted under such circumstances.

Self-restraint is important in this game where passions can run high but how do we draw the line to curb the unsportsmanlike behavior of the instigator?

Liverpool desire the fourth spot which will guarantee them Champions League action and for Boro, every point counts in their relegation battle. It is bound to be a hotly contested match. Understanding the nature of this game, both players should have been separated and given a stern warning.

As it happens now, Aliadiare had his unfair suspension increased by another game. That is a big blow to the club. While the forward doesn’t have many goals to his name, his pace and passing is important for Boro as he attracts defenders and creates space for his team mates to run into positions to shoot.

Boro must have agonized over the decision to appeal and even if they know the FA will come up with such an action, they will still have risked it. They cannot afford to sacrifice such an important player in this critical stage of the season. They have every right to be incensed with this mockery of a ruling. What do you guys think?

Against Middlesbrough, a team barely keeping afloat, Liverpool mustered their third consecutive draw, and leaves them twelve points behind Manchester United and Arsenal.

Midway into the first half, Middlesbrough skipper George Boateng scored from close-range and broke the deadlock with his first goal of the season. Boro were to rue a great chance to increase their lead as Stewart Downing’s shot was denied by the post. It was even-stevens when Liverpool’s striker Fernando Torres equalized with a stunning 25-yard finish 20 minutes from time.

Middlesbrough remain in relegation danger after just two home wins all season. Manager Gareth Southgate, rebuffed the speculation linking Downing with a 12-million-pound transfer to Tottenham Hotspur.

He added: “We were good value when we went ahead, and had we got the second when we hit the post we would probably have gone on to win. But when you look at it I think Torres cost about as much as our whole squad of 16, so we can’t be too disappointed.”

In a way, yes, Middlesbrough were lacking a player of Torres’s class in their rank and file, who can craft goals from half-chances and win matches single-handedly. Even if Torres cost as much as the entire Boro squad, it is still money well spent for Liverpool when compared to the other signings by Benitez. This is already Torres 17th goal of the season and to that end, he has repaid a substantial portion of his hefty transfer fee.

Liverpool may be disappointed but getting a point is better than being empty-handed. They do not deserve to lose if only for their spirited display and desire in the final 20 minutes. After a promising opening 10 minutes, Liverpool lost the plot for an hour. Key players like Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres were bereft of dynamism and the team drifted in wonderland.

But as in so many matches, when people least expect them to, Liverpool roared back to life and showed why they were former champions of Europe. In the last 20 minutes, with Ryan Babel introduced on the left, the Reds stretched a previously compact Middlesbrough to breaking point with his pace and energy, and there was suddenly an urgency that offered much hope.

The problem now is to maintain the same determination and hunger in every match once they stepped onto the pitch and not wait until they are backed into a tight corner. That will require a rethinking of Benitez’s philosophy, else they can only succeed as a cup-winning team but remain the also-ran in the Premier League. The Boro match saw them adopting a cautious counter-attack approach when a direct style will be more effective.

These days, Benitez prefers to take it by the game instead of thinking how to mount an unlikely title challenge. He said: “In our position you can’t think about the leaders, you have to think about the next game. You can talk and talk but at the end of the day you must win out there on the pitch.”

The only thing keeping Benitez’s job untouchable is his impressive track record in the Champions League. Ironically, despite Liverpool’s pedigree in Europe, there is absolutely no guarantee of them featuring in the competition next season if they do not distinguish themselves soon. The top ten is packed like sardines and any slip-ups can have dire consequences.

Everton, Aston Villa and Manchester City are all on the same points (39) as Liverpool. Interestingly, Liverpool are closer to 10th placed West Ham than third placed Chelsea. This simply implies that closing the gap with the leaders is increasingly tough but it will not take too much effort to tumble all the way down to mid-table.

Benitez’s uneasy truce with American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks is also hurting Liverpool’s hopes of ending the Premier League title drought. The strained relationship has seen the Anfield club linked with potential managers, one of which is the former German national coach Jurgen Klinsmann. The lure was unsuccessful as Klinsmann had opted instead to join Bayern Munich.

Benitez shrugged-off the uncertainty, and he insisted: “I don’t find the constant speculation that surrounds the club difficult to deal with. I’m just concentrating on the next game because you can’t do anything at all about that speculation.”

The players are also peeved by the distraction over their manager’s future. Sami Hyypia, a veteran in his ninth season at Anfield, said: “The players hope, if there are some arguments, that they can be sorted out. We seem to be becoming like Newcastle. Every time we pick up a paper, there seems to be something new.”

Deep down, Benitez must be slighted that the owners had offered his job to someone else whose achievement as a manager at club level is ziltch. While the American owners will not make the first move to sack Benitez, without consecutive victories from the Reds, he will always be in a precarious position.

It is Villa this week at Anfield, and it will be a tough battle which will determine the owner of the fourth spot in the league table. However, I have a suspicion that Benitez has lost a bit of fighting spirit. With no support in the transfer market and his job up for grabs (behind his back and subsequently disclosed by the owners), not many managers can be motivated in such circumstances.

Don’t be surprised if Benitez turned up at St James Park, the offer is attractive, transfer kitty is at his disposal and he should be able to steady the ship there. But long term, he is expected to play attractive football which is beyond him, so he will have to seriously consider whether it is worthwhile forsaking the Anfield fans for the Magpies.

Not since 1907 have they scored four goals in in four successive games. After Wigan, Villa, Kiev and now, Middlesbrough, the free-scoring champions piled on the pressure on Arsenal ahead of their match with Liverpool with another devastating display.

A thunderbolt from Nani, a Rooney strike and a second-half double from Tevez earned United a 4-1 win at Old Trafford on Saturday and pole position in the table.

Ferguson was all praise for his team. He said: “They’re fantastic. As they get maturity and develop as experienced players, hopefully we will see a complete partnership.”

“For weeks we’ve been talking about one-nils, now it’s fours!”

The advantage of having such a strong team is when one guy is having an off day, others can step up to the task. Ronaldo did not perform well, having missed two glit-edged chances. Luckily, Rooney was in phenomenal form, scoring six goals in five games and masterminded his team’s upturn in fortunes.

Not surprisingly, given the level of Manchester United’s play currently, the England centre-forward is relishing the prospect of next weekend’s visit to the Emirates Stadium to play Arsenal.

“It’s brilliant to play in this team, a real honor,” said Rooney. “The way we play every week, fast and attacking, that’s the football I want to be involved in.”

“Hopefully, I can continue in this form. I try to score in every game and it is brilliant playing with Carlos, he is a clever player, very intelligent. I think we both work off each other and are scoring goals together. It’s good.”