Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings: Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez get the job done for the Gunners
The 2-1 triumph - the Gunners' first league away win for three months - lifted Arsene Wenger's men seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester City
Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings
Show all 22Mesut Ozil kept alive Arsenal's hopes of a top-four finish as Middlesbrough slid closer to the Premier League exit door on Monday night.
The Germany midfielder fired home a 71st-minute winner to finally kill off battling Boro, who had dragged themselves back into the game when Alvaro Negredo cancelled out Alexis Sanchez's first-half free-kick five minutes after the restart.
The 2-1 triumph - the Gunners' first league away win for three months - lifted Arsene Wenger's men seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester City, with a game in hand.
However, the visitors had to fight all the way in front of a crowd of 31,298 at the Riverside, with Steve Agnew's Boro making up for what they may lack in quality with a committed display which for long periods looked like earning them tangible reward.
Check out how the players rated in the gallery above.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies