LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 09: Arsene Wenger the Arsenal manager prepares to bring on Thierry Henry as a substitute during the FA Cup Third Round match between Arsenal and Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium on January 9, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Mesut Ozil scored the winner, as Arsenal defeated Middlesbrough 2-1 at the Riverside Stadium on Monday night, to keep their top-four hopes alive.
It was Ozil’s seventh league goal of the season and it sealed three points for the Gunners, after Alvaro Negredo cancelled out Alexis Sanchez’s exquisite free-kick.
Arsene Wenger’s side were hammered 3-0 at Crystal Palace in their last league fixture, promting the Frenchman to tweak his formation to a 3-4-3.
Captain Laurent Koscielny who was back in the team after injury, started along with Rob Holding and Gabriel Paulista at the base of the defensive set-up.
The new system seemed to help the Gunners achieve stability, as they won on the road for the first time since February, when they crushed Swansea 4-0.
