Henry calms nervy Arsenal

Middlesbrough 0 Arsenal

Like the demise of Mark Twain, those midweek obituaries to Arsenal's title challenge may yet prove to have been premature. At the cold and blustery Riverside yesterday, Arsène Wenger's men did enough to put the wind back into the sails of their championship quest. Second-half goals by Sylvain Wiltord and Thierry Henry overcame a Middlesbrough side unbeaten in their previous eight matches – and gave the Gunners some forward momentum after the lost chance to close the gap on Manchester United at Highbury last Wednesday night.

The reigning champions were far from their fluent best but it was a result of crucial significance for them on a ground where United suffered their most recent Premiership defeat, a 3-1 reverse on Boxing Day. It was a victory inspired by some Henry va-va-voom. The Frenchman fashioned the first goal for Wiltord, three minutes into the second-half, and scored the second with a belting free-kick seven minutes from time. It was his 30th goal of the season, one of his best, and it left his manager claiming parity again in the title race.

"Maybe momentum-wise Manchester United had the advantage coming from the game on Wednesday night but in my opinion we have levelled it today," the satisfied Wenger said. "It was a great response from our team. They got the message to our fans that we will be there. Some people in our camp – the fans – might not have had the same belief after Wednesday night. Maybe they had concerns about today's game."

Asked what it might take to win the title, Wenger added: "It looks like every team has to win every game now. It's up to each team not to slip up. On paper this was a difficult game for us, when you look at Middlesbrough's home record, but when you look at the next one on paper that is difficult too."

Arsene's Arsenal go to Bolton next Saturday and they could do so without Ashley Cole, who joined the Highbury casualty list yesterday when he departed with an ankle injury suffered in the challenge (from Colin Cooper) that drew the free-kick for Henry's goal. They were at some way below full-strength yesterday, with David Seaman still suffering from 'flu, Patrick Vieira nursing his injured right knee and Edu, the captain's natural replacement, incapacitated by a troublesome hamstring.

Wenger also chose to drop Martin Keown and Dennis Bergkamp to the bench and, with so many changes, it was hardly surprising that his team took some time to find their bearings. They proceeded to dictate the bulk of the play, probing on the fringes of the Middlesbrough penalty area with their intricate one-touch passing. There was too much gilding of the lily to cause any serious damage, though.

Only twice before the interval did the Gunners even train their sights on the home goal, Henry curling a right-foot shot off target from the left edge of the penalty area and Wiltord having a shot smartly blocked by Gareth Southgate. In fact, the best chance of the opening period came at the other end, where Juninho floated a left wing free-kick into the heart of the box and Malcolm Christie rose to flash a header a foot or two wide of the Arsenal goal.

For Wenger, it must have made pretty frustrating viewing from the visitors' bench. Greater directness was what his team required. Three minutes into the second-half they found it. Henry went scavenging for the ball deep on the right and having dispossessed Doriva made a bee-line for the Boro box. Spotting Wiltord on the left edge of the area, he swept an angled pass to his unmarked colleague, who struck a right-foot shot past Mark Schwarzer and inside the far post. It was Wiltord's first goal in the Premiership since 16 November and it put a more purposeful spring into Arsenal's step.

The double-seekers ought to have doubled their lead in the 61st minute but when Freddie Ljungberg found Wiltord on the right side of the Middlesbrough penalty area the French striker pulled his shot across the face of the home goal. Middlesbrough had their chances too, with Jonathan Greening miscuing a shot and Juninho firing wide, but Arsenal were in the driving seat throughout the second-half.

Cole might have steered them further ahead in the 70th minute but a flagging lineseman ruled the left-back had strayed offside before converting a pass from Henry. It was left to Henry to put the outcome beyond doubt and he did it in style, curling his free-kick high into the far corner from the left edge of the area.

It kept the Gunners a scoring shot clear in the goal-difference stakes. If they win that game in hand, they could well be celebrating when they next return to these parts. Their final day fixture is at Sunderland on 11 May.

Middlesbrough 0 Arsenal 2
Wiltord 48, Henry 82

Half-time: 0-0 Attendance: 34,724