Manchester United were frustrated in their bid to secure second place in the Premier League and automatic entry into the Champions League when they were held 0-0 at home by Middlesbrough on Monday.
Three first-half goals gave Arsenal a 3-0 victory over relegated Sunderland -- Thierry Henry setting up two and scoring one to keep the Gunners in the hunt for fourth place.
Victory would have confirmed United as runners-up to Chelsea, who captured a second successive title with a 3-0 rout against them at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy wasted several good chances and had a second-half penalty saved by Boro keeper Brad Jones as UEFA Cup finalists Boro held on for a deserved point.
United go into the final round of fixtures with 80 points, one more than third-placed Liverpool. They host Charlton Athletic on Sunday while Liverpool travel to Portsmouth.
Gary Neville, United's captain, was involved in a furious row with a supporter following the final whistle to complete a bad few days for the club following the Chelsea defeat and striker Wayne Rooney's broken foot.
United manager Alex Ferguson said he doubted whether Rooney would play any part in the World Cup, although he was more upbeat about the chances of Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren becoming England's new coach.
"Steve has the knowledge of the squad, he knows all the staff and players, that's why he is favourite," Ferguson told Sky Sports.
McClaren, who has been assistant to current coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, is widely expected to be named as the Swede's successor when the Football Association meet on Thursday.
Sunderland suffered more misery at the Stadium of Light as Henry's free kick was headed into his own goal by Danny Collins after 29 minutes and then the Frenchman set up Cesc Fabregas for the second before tucking a free kick inside the near post two minutes before the break.
Arsenal are four points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the battle to secure the final place in next season's Champions League qualifiers.
Arsenal, who can also qualify for the Champions League by winning the final against Barcelona in Paris on May 17, can cut that deficit to one at Manchester City on Thursday.
Left back Ashley Cole came on midway through the second half for the Gunners after foot, thigh and ankle injuries had restricted the England international to less than an hour of first team football since October.
ANKLE INJURY
However, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was left angry after young midfielder Abou Diaby was carried off on a stretcher with an ankle injury following a wild tackle by Dan Smith.
"The injury looks very serious," Wenger told Sky Sports. "It's frustrating and unacceptable because the player had no intention of going for the ball in my opinion."
Defeat for Sunderland means they will set a record for the lowest amount of points in a Premier League season, even worse than the previous record of 19 they set in 2002-2003.
Should they fail to beat Fulham on Thursday, they will also become the only club in the history of the top four divisions in English football to conclude a season without a home victory.
West Ham United have injury concerns for their FA Cup final against Liverpool on May 13 after striker Dean Ashton limped off during his side's 1-0 victory at relegated West Bromwich Albion.
Nigel Reo-Coker slotted the winner for West Ham shortly before the interval after Bobby Zamora had dribbled the ball into the penalty area.
"It's a hamstring so he's going to be sweating right up until the final," West Ham manager Alan Pardew told Sky Sports.
