Premiership: Arsenal steal points from Boro

Arsenal 2, Middlesbrough 1 (full-time)

Arsenal came from behind with a stunning Robert Pires equaliser and Ashley Cole's decisive header 10 minutes from time to go top of the Premiership.

Noel Whelan had pounced on Sol Campbell's error to give Middlesbrough a shock 22nd-minute lead at Highbury.

Campbell gifted Middlesbrough their lead when Whelan coolly made the most of the defender's failure to clear Gareth Southgate's long ball out of defence on the edge of the Gunners area.

Arsenal, who had dominated the first half but only once looked like breaching a heavily-manned Boro defence, finally levelled when Pires unleashed an unstoppable volley from 25 yards 10 minutes after the break.

Boro players surrounded referee Andy D'Urso claiming Thierry Henry had shoved Paul Ince out of the way to let Pires have a clear shot and Ince was booked for protesting.

But the goal was given and 20 minutes later Pires looked set to put Arsenal ahead until a clash with Robbie Mustoe left him flat on his face in the Boro area.

But instead of a penalty D'Urso showed a yellow card to the flying Frenchman who picked up his second booking in three weeks for alleged diving.

The incident was forgotten though when Boro's heavily-manned rearguard was breached again in the 80th minute with another goal straight from the picture-book of Highbury marvels.

Dennis Bergkamp, on as a substitute for misfiring Kanu, was almost inevitably involved.

Fellow substitute Sylvain Wiltord laid the ball back to him and Bergkamp produced a perfect delivery to the far post where little England left back Cole slipped away from marker Robbie Stockdale and despatched a firmly decisive header beyond keeper Mark Crossley and into the far corner.

Justice was done as Arsenal claimed their sixth win in eight matches, taking 16 shots at goal to Middlesbrough's three.

Yet memories of last season when Middlesbrough plundered a 3-0 victory at Highbury on the back of two own-goals, came flooding back when they broke from deep defence to grab the lead.

Whelan could hardly believe his luck when he ambled after Gareth Southgate's long downfield punt which was designed purely to bring a few seconds of relief to the hard-pressed Boro defence.

But the former Leeds striker raised his game once he spied Campbell struggling to control a ball he should have been able to deal with comfortably.

The big defender panicked alarmingly at a poor first touch and, in desperation tried to turn it back to Stuart Taylor but instead left it dreadfully short and Whelan joyfully ran on to drill it sweetly past the helplessly exposed young goalkeeper.

Arsenal's response was predictable - an even bigger battery of attacks, but so was Boro's answer - even more diligent defending,

A strangely subdued Henry fired wide and Fredrik Ljungberg was also just off target as Arsenal poured one attack upon another but resolute Boro defending continued to frustrate them.

And in an other break the visitors almost went further ahead when Patrick Vieira's foul gave them a 34th-minute free kick 25 yards out. Carlos Marinelli curled it around the wall and gave Taylor a difficult save to make at the foot of a post.

For all their dominance the closest Arsenal had come to a goal by this stage was when Stockdale and Crossley got into a tangle trying to keep out Kanu who had been allowed to pounce on a Ljungberg cross and were relieved to see the ball roll away for a corner.

But it took a magnificent save by Crossley to prevent Pires equalising a minute later when the keeper pushed a studied, angled drive onto a post and away after the Frenchman had been sent clear by Cole's through-pass.

Sheer weight of numbers in the Boro defence continued to defy Arsenal's tide of attacks to the interval although the marauding Vieira was desperately close to making it 1-1 with a glancing header from a corner that dropped just outside a post.

But the dam broke as Arsenal kept pouring on the pressure after the break.

Pires's controversial moments opened up the match and Cole put the cap on it 10 minutes from time although the England defender's joy was marred by a booking in a tit-for-tat exchange with the elusive Marinelli means he will be suspended for the vital home clash with Liverpool in two weeks.