*Gareth Barry earned a deserved point for Aston Villa after Malcolm Christie controversially put Middlesbrough ahead at Villa Park.*

Christie looked offside as he marked his first start of the season by firing Boro ahead on the stroke of half-time.

In first-half injury-time Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer clipped Stilian Petrov to allow Barry to level from the spot.

Villa came closest to snatching all three points when Milan Baros volleyed wide from 14 yards.

Portuguese defender Abel Xavier made his return to action for the first time in more than a year, following a drugs ban, as he lined up as the right wing-back in Boro’s 3-5-2 formation.

Referee Peter Walton almost set Christie up for an early chance when Olof Mellberg’s clearance struck the referee, but the Boro striker was unable to take advantage.

Juan Pablo Angel faced a testing time in a lone role against Boro’s trio of international defenders.

The Colombian played his part in knocking down Barry’s long cross, but the supporting midfield runners Villa’s system needed failed to materialise.

Angel’s craft and wit enabled him to find space among Boro’s towering defensive threesome and he rose to nod Mellberg’s cross across goal for Isaiah Osbourne to head the game’s first clear chance of the game straight at Schwarzer on 25 minutes.

But in general, it was not difficult to see why both sides were coming off the back of goalless draws, with well-marshalled defences smothering under-manned strikeforces.

Schwarzer clawed Wilfred Bouma’s stinging 25-yard drive away and as Villa upped the pace Gary Cahill connected with Barry’s cross but somehow missed the target from four yards out right in the centre of the goal.

A game that was meandering gently towards the break came to life on the stroke of half-time.

Seconds after Schwarzer plunged at Barry’s feet to deny him six yards out, Boro swept downfield to score.

Christie looked to be offside as Yakubu’s challenge on Bouma landed the ball at his feet to drill home from eight yards and the Boro striker looked almost embarrassed as the linesman kept his flag down.

But Villa drew level from the spot in injury time when Petrov collapsed theatrically under Schwarzer’s challenge and Barry slotted home the resulting penalty.

Mellberg’s challenge took enough of the sting out of Yakubu’s shot as Boro set about their business at the start of the second half.

Things looked nasty for Thomas Sorensen when he collided heavily with the post under Emanuel Pogatetz’s challenge but although the Dane dropped the ball over the line, referee Walton ruled a foul and booked Boro’s Austrian defender.

Villa boss Martin O’Neill adjusted his attacking options by replacing the hard-working Angel with Milan Baros’s pace, but defender Mellberg almost found a way through, planting a header inches wide from Barry’s cross.

Sorensen’s discomfort saw him limp off to be replaced by Stuart Taylor, while Christie was replaced by Massimo Maccarone.

Man-of-the-match Barry drove Villa forward in the search for three points and his accurate cross picked out Baros who volleyed wide from 14 yards.

*Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill:*

“They tell me Malcolm Christie’s goal was offside but Boro aren’t pleased with our penalty so that’s one at each end.

“I think we’re disappointed we dropped a couple of points, we played some delightful stuff at times.

“We probably lacked a cutting edge which is important if you are going to win regularly in the Premiership.”