SUCH is the reputation of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink that even Thierry Henry, the most prolific Premiership striker of the past six years, expected the Dutchman to grab Middlesbrough a deserved equaliser against an out-of-sorts Arsenal.

But things have not been going to plan in 2005 for Hasselbaink.

The weight of pressure to deliver goals has rested largely on the shoulders of the muscular forward, with Boro shy of Mark Viduka and Joseph Job through injuries, and the 33-year-old has been struggling to oblige in front of the posts.

Despite scoring 14 in his first season on Teesside, Hasselbaink has found the net just once in his last eight Premiership fixtures and that turned out to be nothing more than consolation against relegation candidates Southampton; something beginning to frustrate the fans as much as the player.

And against the champions, still clinging onto the slim hope that Chelsea will let let slip their 11-point lead at the top of the table, Hasselbaink should have done his former Stamford Bridge employers a favour 12 minutes from time.

With Arsenal holding a slender one goal advantage, Szilard Nemeth's quick thinking sent his team-mate through on goal. With just Jens Lehmann to beat, Hasselbaink, opting against his normal eruption of power from his feet, tried to chip the German keeper.

Instead, Lehmann stood his ground and held the tame shot with ease, much to the anguish and disappointment of the Boro marksman. He fell to his knees, knowing he had missed a great opportunity to earn a respectable draw and apologised in the dressing room afterwards.

Henry, meanwhile, cut a relieved figure in the Boro half but insists Lehmann deserves some credit for thwarting Hasselbaink's advances.

"When Jimmy went through one-on-one I thought he would put it in, I was just standing hoping he would miss," said Henry, knowing how reputable Hasselbaink's goalscoring record was at Chelsea - scoring 18, 17, 30 and 30 in his last four years.

"There was something at the back of my mind saying he would just smash it in, which is what he normally does, but he didn't. Sometimes you blame the striker but Jens did well. It is mind games and Jens won."

Henry - to coin a phrase on Grand National weekend - was never at the races himself and openly admitted that Arsenal were surprised by Boro's cautious approach to the game.

The Frenchman, the most feared striker in the Premiership, may have scored 201 times since signing for the North London club in 1999 but Boro manager Steve McClaren's tactics paid off, restricting the 31-goal forward to harmless long range efforts and mediocre wing play for a change.

Frustrating Arsenal may not have been good to watch but it was done in such a diligent manner that McClaren was nearly left to celebrate his first league success over Arsenal as a boss.

The scoreline was a massive improvement on Boro's previous three Premiership meetings with Arsene Wenger's side, conceding 13 in successive defeats, and that was achieved even though rookie keeper Brad Jones was called up as a late replacement for the injured Mark Schwarzer.

Jones, making only his second top-flight appearance, was never seriously tested and he could do little about Arsenal's fortunate winning goal from Robert Pires after 75 minutes, the away side's first meaningful shot on target that brought up the century of goals this season.

Franck Queudrue's attempted clearance ricocheted off the boot of team-mate Doriva and the ball fell perfectly for Pires, inside the penalty area with just Jones to beat, and he stroked his effort to the right of the keeper.

"They never broke us down or created a clear-cut chance and have got that lucky break," said McClaren. "But if we keep working and performing like that we have six games to go and luck will go our way."

A surprise victory on Saturday would have pushed Boro to within three points of a Champions League place but now, in what is becoming a topsy-turvy battle, the defeat has kept Charlton, Tottenham, Aston Villa and even Manchester City in the hunt for seventh spot.

But with midfielder George Boateng back in the ranks and two successive home games to come - against Fulham and West Brom - hopes remain high that Boro can retain the grip on what could be the final UEFA Cup place or even challenge Bolton and Liverpool above.

Wenger claimed his side lacked the imagination to break down the home team. That may have been true but it was also testament to a back four, well marshalled by Gareth Southgate and Chris Riggott, and the hard-working duo of Doriva and Boateng that restricted Arsenal to just one shot on target.

Boro were more of a threat in the final third. Stewart Downing, on the few occasions he tried to beat full-back Lauren, had the first shot to trouble either keeper after 54 minutes but was never at his best.

Had Doriva's first half 22-yard effort, which shaved the bar, dropped in the outcome may have been a lot different.

Instead Boro, with just one win in six league games at home, were left to rue cruel luck, while Arsenal gained the upperhand over old foes Manchester United in the psychological race for second.

Result: Middlesbrough 0 Arsenal 1.

Read more about Middlesbrough here.