Robson gets cold comfort in defeat

For the time being the anti-Bryan Robson faction at Middlesbrough has been muzzled, although how long before it bares its teeth again will remain open to debate.

The likelihood is that things will get worse before they get better. Robson's return to Manchester United on Saturday promises to be a degrading experience but the following two weeks promise to be more testing.

If Middlesbrough have clambered out of the quicksand after successive home games against Leicester and Bradford, Robson will get another chance to prove that Steve Gibson's assertion that "Bryan's the diamond in our crown" was not merely the sound of a chairman living in denial. Should their slump continue, even Gibson might have to concede his diamond is actually a dud.

Perhaps it is a measure of Middlesbrough's predicament that so many people felt that their fifth consecutive defeat merited something between sympathetic applause and a condescending pat on the back.

Their supporters just seemed happy that Operation Damage Limitation had succeeded and Robson attempted to talk up his over30s club. "The commitment and work rate were excellent," he repeated over and over again. Yet, against that, his teeth must have ached from the lack of quality.

There were times when Arsenal's lackadaisical approach threatened to backfire, particularly with John Lukic in goal displaying a bandy-legged uncertainty. But in truth the outcome was a foregone conclusion from the midpoint of the first half, when Gary Pallister overhit a pass for Steve Vickers and Fredrik Ljungberg was left clear on goal.

There was no disputing that Mark Crossley pole-axed Ljungberg and, even though Pallister had lolloped into the six-yard area as Middlesbrough's last man, the referee Andy D'Urso was theoretically correct to send the goalkeeper off for denying "a clear scoring opportunity". Thierry Henry tucked the penalty beyond the substitute goalkeeper Marlon Beresford.

Many of D'Urso's colleagues would probably have opted for a yellow card rather than red and, looking at the bigger picture, why should a goalkeeper who has given away a penalty while making a legitimate attempt to win the ball be punished more than that anyway? "Once you send a goalkeeper off, it completely ruins the game. We need some common sense," said Crossley.

So where does Robson go now? Old Trafford, alas, and the likelihood of public humiliation from his old employers. "We were the last team to win there in the league, so why not be the next as well?" he said. And if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

Middlesbrough: Crossley, Fleming, Vickers, Pallister, Deane, Campbell (Festa 74), Ricard (Beresford 24), Summerbell, Stamp, Whelan, Cooper. Subs Not Used: Gordon, Karembeu, Job. Sent Off: Crossley (23). Booked: Summerbell, Cooper.

Arsenal: Lukic, Dixon, Vieira, Keown, Adams, Ljungberg, Bergkamp (Lauren 86), Henry, Parlour, Silvinho, Grimandi. Subs Not Used: Wiltord, Vivas, Kanu, Taylor. Goal: Henry 25 pen.

Referee: A D'Urso (Billericay).