Belgian First Division: Mons 1 Anderlecht 1

Anderlecht’s lead atop the Belgian First Division table will be just one point at the end of 2011, after being held 1-1 by Mons on Tuesday.

There was a sense of justice to the result, with Anderlecht only taking the lead through a debatable penalty decision on 25 minutes.

Guillaume Gillet tricked his way into the box before Mons full-back Mael Lepicier moved to challenge. Despite minimal contact, the Belgium international midfielder went down easily, doing enough to convince referee Serge Gumienny to award a penalty against the home side.

Gillet stepped up to score from the spot, handing Anderlecht a controversial lead at the half-time break.

Mons had the ball in the back of the net on 54 minutes, but it was correctly disallowed after Jeremy Perbet’s blatant handball from point-blank range.

Anderlecht’s advantage held until the 84th minute, when Mons substitute striker Chris Makiese struck, choosing the perfect time to score his first goal for the club.

The point keeps Mons in eighth and within sight of the top six, while Anderlecht are top but have Gent just one point away and Club Brugge also in range.

The Belgian First Division now goes into recess, with action to resume on January 14.