By Ian Grant
Arsenal 1 Bolton 1
The ‘Bolton Bogeys’ flew in straight from Dubai confident of securing a hat-trick of wins this season over Arsenal.
It is 44 years since Bolton last won at Highbury and some pre-match odds saw them as favourites. And ironically, but for continual time-wasting tactics, they would have won.
These teams played as the managers look. Big Sam, tries to be snappy dresser, but underneath, is a bruiser. Wenger is more a refined aesthete but yesterday wore a practical jacket.
And after a Lehmann/Nolan clash, perhaps it was more a case of Weisswurst versus black pudding.
Arsenal put the same side out as the Birmingham game. Bolton put in Faye for Fadiga since their last match.
An early Jansen cross found Nolan who bounced his shot into the ground, saved by Lehmann.
Soon after, N’gotty looped a free header off the bar from an O’Brien cross.
Arsenal took a while to get going. Adebayor passed to Henry who flicked it first time to Reyes who fell in the area. Whether he avoided the challenge [like Bent on Dudek at Charlton for a penalty] or whether there was minimal contact was difficult to tell.
Henry jumped well to defend a corner – Bolton’s fourth in eight minutes. Bolton pumped Arsenal’s right flank where Davies had a field day against the smaller Larsson.
Adebayor has the same shape as Kanu – but his speed makes them light years apart, and he is able to keep the pace of Arsenal’s attacks going. He had an impressive home debut– if a little raw at present. He caused Bolton’s physical back four plenty of problems – and his knock downs and flicks, as well as direct touches will bring goals.
On 12, Nakata sent a through ball, Senderos came in for a tackle. The ball bounced off Jansen and Nolan, in space, performed a clever side-footed lob over Lehmann. Like in the FA Cup game, Arsenal midfielders weren’t tracking the Bolton runners. Reyes let Nolan run on.
Adebayor had a chance but delayed his shot.
Davies beat Flamini and a Nolan chance was blocked.
Fabregas crossed but a Gilberto header went wide.
Bolton pressed high up the pitch, squeezing Arsenal, who found it difficult to build from the back often being forced to go long. On the attack, far from having one up front, Bolton often had four or five supporting players.
Gilberto caught Gardner late – and received a yellow card from referee Webb. That was a signal for more feisty challenges.
Faye came in soon after with a two footed challenge on Reyes. The Spaniard tried to avoid the 13 stone pressure of flying studs, but they caught his trailing foot. Webb immediately gave Faye a yellow.
Pires – who earlier was reported to be looking at other clubs, after only being offered a one-year extension, came on for Reyes and made a massive difference, particularly in the second half. He found and utilized space where Reyes could not.
Flamini took a heavy touch – and raced diving two footed to retrieve the ball. Gardner jumped to avoid the flying studs.
Bolton employed time wasting tactics as early as the first half. Jansen stopped Lehmann taking a free kick and the German pushed him to the ground.
Henry did a tappy uppy – Davies took it off him and passed down the line, as if to symbolize the first half performances.
Wenger changed it a half-time. Ljungberg came on for Diaby, with Fabregas moving to the middle. And Arsenal looked better balanced.
Fabregas had a shot deflected, as Arsenal attacked more down the flanks – particularly the right.
Pires had a shot – over the bar. And from a long kick, Adebayor went past Ben Haim but, with Jaskelainen to beat, his touch was too strong and pass back too strong as well.
A low swerving Pires free kick was saved by Jaskelainen.
Djourou made a good interception from a dangerous cross at the other end.
Henry moved the ball to Pires who found Senderos in space on the six yard line but he performed an air-shot.
Pires tried a curler and it was going in the top corner – but for a fine save from Jaskelainen.
Bergkamp came on for Larsson. Hunt came on for Faye.
Henry passed to Gilberto, who fired straight at Jaskelainen
A long ball found Adebayor, whose knock down gave Henry an ideal chance. But his connection was weak.
Bergkamp sent a good cross for Adebayor – but with only Jaskelainen to beat, he missed his attempted header.
In injury time, Pires and Ljungberg both pumped high balls into the area for Adebayor to scrap for – a volte face in terms of tactics from earlier in the season.
Fabregas with a through ball found Gilberto, who lost Okacha, stole a march on Ben Haim and directed a shot past Jaskelainen, a la Henry, for the well deserved equaliser.
With a minute of injury time left, a long ball found Adebayor whose knock down found Henry who looped the ball towards the top left corner. But Gardner sprinted across from the right to head clear.
Sam Allardyce said: “A treble over Arsenal would have been a magnificent achievement and well deserved. We didn’t capitalise on the chances early in the game. We paid a heavy penalty for lack of concentration at the end. It was great finishing from Gilberto. But it didn’t equal Nolan’s first goal. He missed another two; Bruno hit the bar and Jansen fired over. It was a chance to finish Arsenal off.”
Arsene Wenger said: “We created chances. We had an edgy start. We had a lack of experience. The second half it was one-way traffic and we could have scored six or seven but their keeper played well.
“We played with the hand-brake on. Bolton took advantage. Overall, I’m happy with the response and character we’ve shown.”
As if to emphasise the differences between the managers, both saw the two footed challenges from Faye and Flamini differently.
Allardyce said: “One got punished one didn’t. There was pressure on the referee at Highbury. A lot went on that didn’t go according to what should have. The goalie pushes our player, who is doing nothing wrong, to the ground and gets away with it.”
Wenger said: “Flamini tackled the ball and didn’t touch the player. The two tackles aren’t comparable.”
Unfortunately, this season at least, the teams are. They are both competing for the fourth Champions League spot or a UEFA Cup berth.
Arsenal: Lehmann, Flamini, Senderos, Djourou, Larsson (Bergkamp 73), Diaby(Ljungberg 45), Fabregas, Gilberto, Diaby, Reyes (Pires 33), Adebayor, Henry
Bolton: Jaskelainen, Nolan, N’Gotty, Stelios (Okocha 90), Gardner, Davies, Nakata, Jansen (Vaz Te 73), O’Brien, Faye (Hunt 76), Ben Haim