A comprehensive 3-0 win in the reverse fixture just six days earlier had earnt Orgryte a first win in three and taken them above the automatic relegation places, and they were hoping for a repeat at home to the AIK side whose four-game unbeaten run they had ended.
More of the same looked to be in store inside the first 15 minutes when Noah Christoffersson took Tobias Sana's pass on the turn and weaved his way through the AIK defence before burying a stunning opening goal.
With just under half an hour gone, AIK finally found a way through against OIS in simple yet effective style - Dino Besirovic's long ball was taken down superbly by Linus Carlstrand, who fired into the top corner for his first AIK goal on his second appearance. However, parity lasted only two minutes, as Anton Andreasson pounced on a blocked effort inside the area to put the home side back in front.
2-1 was how it stayed until the 74th minute, when a Mads Thychosen pass infield caused havoc in the Orgryte back line and suddenly space opened up for substitute Sixten Gustafsson to score his first Allsvenskan goal. Four minutes later came the most crucial moment of the contest, as Daniel Paulson was shown a straight red card for a foul on Besirovic, despite replays suggesting contact was minimal.
AIK made full use of the extra man, going ahead for the first time when Carlstrand met a low Kevin Filling centre to tap home his second, before former Oster man Carlstrand turned provider for Yannick Geiger, who rolled the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
Deep into added time, Charlie Vindehall's ball over the top was chested down and fired home by Jerome Tibbling, but that was no more than a consolation for Orgryte, who remain three points shy of guaranteed safety having played a game more than Goteborg. AIK climg to fifth for the time being.
Mjallby's seven-game winless run in the league was compounded in midweek with a UEFA Champions League loss to Slovan Bratislava. Elfsborg arrived at Strandvallen looking for consecutive victories having ended their own run of seven without a win away at Malmo last time out.
And the visitors were on their way midway through the first half, when a direct attack resulted in Momoh Kamara backheeling the ball into the path of Simon Olsson, who drilled it into the bottom corner from 25 yards out.
Mjallby, playing without Elliot Stroud whose move to the Premier League is all but confirmed, were fortunate not to fall further behind as Julius Magnusson hit the woodwork, but they couldn't make that good fortune count late on as Abdullah Iqbal had a header cleared off the line.
It's just one point from their last four now for the champions, who have not won a league game since May. Elfsborg are up to sixth and are just two points off the European places, though Djurgarden have two games in hand.