The contest is Manchester United versus Arsenal, the rally has now featured 36 strikes each and as we enter the last six days of a compelling, unmissable finale, the score is deuce, advantage Manchester.
Yet it is the skinniest of skinny leads. The north Londoners are level on points with the Mancunians and level on goal difference, but - and it may be telling - United have scored 20 more times than Arsenal.
Attacking football and scoring goals deserve their reward and if this does turn out to be the title-deciding factor then all United fans and those important shareholders can thank Alex Ferguson for breaking the bank in paying Aston Villa £12.6m for Dwight Yorke last August with United's season three games old.
Yesterday on Teesside, Yorke and Teddy Sheringham's serve-and-volley technique delivered an 18th league goal for the Tobagan, his 29th of a stirring season.
It came in first-half injury time and once again bore the element of controversy seemingly attached to all goals presently involving United. On this occasion, Yorke was the central figure for as he sloped away from the Middlesbrough net after a David Beckham free-kick had been cleared, the striker was in an offside position when Nicky Butt's return cross came in.
Whether the linesman did not see this or thought Yorke was not seeking to interfere with play, the flag was kept down, Sheringham nodded the ball across the six-yard box and Yorke's downward header beat Mark Schwarzer.
Middlesbrough were furious and their skipper Andy Townsend was booked for the ferocity of his dissent towards referee Graham Barber. However, afterwards Viv Anderson said: "My initial reaction was I thought it was offside. But I can't really say because I haven't seen the replay." Half an hour earlier Sheringham had had a goal disallowed for offside when television showed him to be on-side, a fact Anderson accepted sportingly.
Steve McClaren, Ferguson's assistant, adopted a similar attitude. "I've not seen the replay," he said, "but I did hear Teddy Sheringham's goal was on-side. It's swings and roundabouts." Both responses were rather more mature approaches to refereeing decisions than McClaren's chairman Martin Edwards had shown at the weekend.
Referring to David Elleray's decisions at Anfield last Wednesday when he dismissed Denis Irwin and awarded Liverpool a debatable penalty, Edwards said: "If Arsenal or Chelsea win the Premiership this season by either one or two points, I trust they will strike a special commemorative medal for Mr Elleray because he will have done it for them." Edwards may shortly be facing a Football Association disrepute charge.
That is a minimal distraction for United, though, compared to Roy Keane limping off after 25 minutes yesterday with an injured ankle and the continued absence of Ryan Giggs. McClaren said Keane's substitution was precautionary and thinks the player should be available for Wednesday night at Blackburn. McClaren even said Giggs might be in the squad - "Giggs is close, over the weekend he's been training quite hard."
United dominated from the beginning and only on rare excursions initiated by long balls did Middlesbrough unsettle their visitors, their best moment of the match coming when Mark Summerbell struck the outside of Peter Schmeichel's post in the 33rd minute.
The second half was a United procession and Schwarzer made saves from Yorke and Sheringham and watched when Andy Cole lifted a lob on to the crossbar 10 minutes from the end.
Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Stockdale (Baker 45), Vickers, Gavin (Campbell 72), Pallister, Gordon, Mustoe, Summerbell, Townsend, Ricard, Deane. Subs Not Used: Beresford, Maddison, Armstrong. Booked: Townsend, Mustoe, Campbell.
Manchester Utd: Schmeichel, G Neville, May, Stam, Irwin, Beckham, Keane (Butt 25), Scholes (P Neville 90), Blomqvist (Cole 66), Yorke, Sheringham. Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, Brown. Booked: Scholes, Sheringham, G Neville. Goals: Yorke 45.
Referee: G Barber (Pyrford).
