Arsenal suffered their 1st defeat

Arsenal FC suffered their first English Premier League defeat of the season as struggling Middlesbrough FC overcame the leaders 2-1 while there were also good wins for lowly Tottenham Hotspur FC and Bolton Wanderers FC.

One-point gap
Liverpool's loss at Reading FC on Saturday had left the Gunners with the last remaining unbeaten record in the division, but Arsenal were behind at the Riverside Stadium within four minutes as their former striker Jérémie Aliadière was fouled in the box by Kolo Touré and Stewart Downing converted the penalty. The home side kept up the pressure throughout and with 16 minutes left the lively Tuncay Şanlı doubled the lead after pouncing on a loose ball. Tomáš Rosický pulled one back at the end, but Arsenal, last beaten in the Premier League 22 games ago in April, remain just one point clear of Manchester United FC, who defeated Derby County FC 4-1 yesterday.

Strugglers win
Middlesbrough are out of the bottom three but two teams that could have replaced them, UEFA Cup contenders Tottenham and Bolton avoided that fate with wins today. Spurs defeated high-flying Manchester City FC 2-1 as substitute Jermain Defoe struck late on to restore the Tottenham lead after Rolando Bianchi had equalised Pascal Chimbonda's opener.

Ashton clincher
Bolton secured a 4-1 win against second-bottom side Wigan Athletic FC. Paul Scharner's early own goal was cancelled out for Wigan by Denny Landzaat but Kevin Nolan, Kevin Davies and Nicolas Anelka sealed the victory. Sunderland AFC drop into the relegation zone, while West Ham United FC climb to tenth after Dean Ashton's goal sealed a 1-0 win at Blackburn Rovers FC.