Gary Neville has warned Arsenal not to get too carried away with their 2-1 win over Middlesbrough, claiming that the victory will be instantly forgotten if they lose their forthcoming FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.

Arsenal have been struggling for form in the league, with five defeats in their last eight league matches, and until Monday night they had been without an away win since mid-January.

But against Middlesbrough they battled hard to end that dismal run, with goals from wantaway pair Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil sealing a 2-1 win, which moves Arsenal to within seven points of the top four with a game in hand.

Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Brad Guzan – 6 out of 10 Dealt with most that Arsenal threw at him but should have done much better with Sanchez’s free-kick. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Antonio Barragán - 6 Solid if unspectacular night on the right side of defence. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Ben Gibson – 7 Marshalled Giroud well and handled the Frenchman’s physicality without too much trouble. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Daniel Ayala -7 Capable in defence but should’ve done better with second-half header. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings George Friend - 6 Exposed by Oxlade-Chamberlain at times but solid enough in relief of the injured Fabio. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Adam Clayton – 5 Typically workmanlike in defence but a poor challenge cost Boro dearly from the resulting Sanchez free-kick. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Marten de Roon – 6 Failed to really assert himself on the game. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Grant Leadbitter – 6 Ugly first-half tackle on Ozil could’ve earned him more than just a yellow but showed well in attack. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Stewart Downing - 7 Rolled back the years with an inch-perfect ball for Negredo’s goal. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Alvaro Negredo – 7 Quiet night as the home side’s focal point but took his goal with a poacher’s instinct. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Gaston Ramírez – 7 Boro’s brightest attacking threat and looked the home side’s most likely to break the Gunners back line down. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Petr Cech - 6 Not tested a great deal and deserved better from his defence for Negredo’s goal. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Gabriel – 6 Always on the edge of an utter calamity the Brazilian managed to avoid any tonight and looked better in a three. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Laurent Koscielny – 7 Arsenal’s best defender but will have wanted to do better with Negredo’s goal. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Rob Holding – 7 Definitely a player for the future if not right now. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7 Pushed on well down the right flank and offered positional discipline going the other way too. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Aaron Ramsey – 7 Neat and tidy as ever and added a dash of quality with a deliciously composed chested knock down for Ozil’s goal. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Granit Xhaka – 7 Doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going but plenty of energy if not so much discipline from the Swiss. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Nacho Monreal – 7 Added some good balance on the left and thrived with the added attacking responsibility. Still a little clumsy in the defence. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Mesut Özil – 7 Took his goal with the composure required and added the class when the Gunners needed it most. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Alexis Sánchez – 8 Not one of the Chilean’s best games yet was still the outstanding performer scoring one and creating another. Getty Middlesbrough vs Arsenal player ratings Olivier Giroud – 7 Didn’t threaten as much as he would’ve liked but added the focal point that Arsenal lack with Sanchez up top. Getty

However, former Manchester United defender Neville says that the victory will ultimately mean nothing if Arsenal lose to City on Sunday, a result which would no doubt inspire more protests against Wenger.

“Tonight was all about preparation for Sunday,” Neville said on Monday Night Football.

Former Valencia boss Neville thinks Wenger has to win on Sunday (Getty)

“It was about making sure the preparation wasn't about another defeat and that run continuing. It would have been a really dark week. If they are to win Sunday then the confidence really would rise.

“If they lose Sunday, I think you can forget about that victory because it will just return back to difficult moments and I think that's where Arsenal are at the moment, they're so finely tuned in terms of one win isn't going to help them.”

Wenger used to a new back-three system against Middlesbrough (Getty)

Neville also thinks that Wenger will be able to briefly pause all of the speculation over his future should Arsenal win against City, which would put the club in their third FA Cup final in four years.

“It will be tough again because ultimately people will say ‘You're not going to win a trophy’, ‘You're not going to finish in the top four’, everything then will come onto Ozil, Sanchez and Wenger,” added Neville.

The Wenger Out protests continued this week (Getty)

“What [winning on] Sunday does is let him concentrate towards the end of the season in terms of winning a trophy, he can almost batter those [contract] questions off.