Arsenal:
            Lehmann
   Eboue Toure Senderos Clichy
      Gilberto Flamini (Baptista 60) 
Walcott     Cesc    Ljungberg (Hleb 74)
          Adebayor

Walcott started, on the right wing, and nearly created something in the second minute. He got to the box, tried a "showboat" turn on the edge of it, losing the ball but chasing after it forcing an error - the clearance went straight to Cesc Fabregas whose chip found Emmanuel Adebayor, but he shot straight at Jaaskelainen.

Diouf nearly caused a problem for us a minute later when he wriggled past Freddie Ljungberg on our left wing.

Then Emmanuel Eboue did really well getting past his man on the right, riding a foul (the ref waved play on) and putting in a dangerous cross which was cleared over the bar before it could reach Adebayor.

Then on 8 minutes Anelka and Diouf combined on their right, a cross finding Davies whose header was deflected for a corner. Lehmann got in a mess trying to come out for the corner (Nolan, from previous experience, knowing that standing in front of the keeper was a good way to wind him up). And no-one else picked up the run of Abdoulaye Faye, leaving him a simple header for the opening goal. His second goal for Bolton, his second against us.

Speed fouled Cesc and the free kick went into the box where Davies sliced his clearance - the ball popped up but fell nicely for the Bolton defence.

A minute later Gilberto played along ball into the box. With back to goal, Adebayor chested it for Walcott, but he slicd his shot wide. Moments later another long ball, over the defence, nearly put Adebayor through. But Jaaskelainen did well, coming out to the edge of his box to clear.

Adebayor had a half chance after a couple of Arsenal corners, Jaaskelainen made it awkward for him but still, it was hard to see why he went for the ball with his foot (the touch taking it straight to a defender) when it looked easier to go for the header.

On 20 minutes Davies went in late on Eboue. The right back bounced up and approached the Bolton man angrily, but didn't get right up to him, and when Davies reacted by raising his hands to shoving Eboue over it seemed like a cast-iron red card. But no, ref Mike Dean bottled it for some reason and only showed a yellow. Soon after, Freddie got himself booked for having a go at the ref after his foot was caught in a 50-50 challenge. Silly.

Bolton were putting pressure on. But we had a couple of nice moves, first leading to a cross from Gael Clichy which took a deflection allowing it to be cleared, and then a ball into the box from Flamini, finding Cesc whose cut-back for Freddie was put into the net only to find that the ball had gone out before Cesc got to it.

On the half hour Bolton got another corner and Lehmann slipped as he tried to get past 2 players (one of each) to get to the ball. The ball was cleared anyway, then shot wide for a goal kick, and Jens picked up a yellow card for some pointless and unjustified mouthing off. They got another corner which Lehmann just managed to get to, and then a goalbound shot from Nolan was deflected off Senderos for a corner.

Up the other end, Clichy won a corner for us and Jaaskelainen did well to come and punch at his near post to beat Kolo Toure to it.

Quinton Fortune got booked sliding in on Theo off the pitch. He claimed that he thought the ball was still in play which was rather dumb seeing as Theo was bending down to pick the ball up at the time.

Then both Fortune and Hunt (Bolton's full backs) got injured and went off the pitch as Bolton had to defend a corner, which they did.

Adebayor did well chasing a weak pass back to Jaaskelainen. The keeper got there first but hit it straight to Cesc. He passed wide to Theo who ran into 2 defenders. Soon after, Jaaskelaainen got lucky again with another poor clearance.

In injury time, Bolton came forward with a move started (I thought) by a foul on Flamini. Davies sprayed the ball from right to left finding Anelka. He cut inside Toure, who should have done everything to push the former Arsenal striker wide, and sent a dipping shot from outside the box, just inside the top left corner of the goal. Lehmann seemed to have misjudged it, moving a bit late, but it was such a good strike that it's possible he'd not have got to it even it he'd started moving the right way before the ball had been struck.

Arsenal responded immediately, Cesc's cross finding Gilberto's late run and the unmarked Brazilian's header from the penalty spot finding the net for 2-1 down.

There was still time for another half chance, Theo's low cross finding Freddie whose first time shot went low and straight at Jaaskelainen.

First action in the second half was a shot from Cesc which forced a decent save from the Bolton keeper. Theo battled well on the right then cut inside, but the first pass in his attempted one-two with Adebayor was very poor. We were dictating things for a change. Adebayor again chased down a backpass and again Jaaskelainen just got there first.

On 54 there was some brilliant play from Theo, pace and control getting him forward and a cross cut back for Freddie giving him the chance to leap and send a flying header which hit the post. Moments later there was another fine move, Cesc slipping the ball into the right side of the box for Freddie who squared for Adebayor. But the big striker, under challenge, couldn't quite manage to turn on goal.

The Adebayor brought the ball up the right and squared for Walcott whose good shot was deflected for a corner.

On the hour, Baptista came on for Flamini. Arsenal were on top but needing more attacking options if we were to score the equaliser. Adebayor broke forward and cut back for Baptista who left the ball for Cesc, giving a defender time to get forward to charge down the shot (why didn't Baptista have a go himself? If Cesc called for it, it was very badly judged).

A few minutes later Baptista did really well, battling for the ball in the D and passing left to Adebayor. He got past his man and tried to poke the ball goalward with the outside of his right foot, but it wasn't hard for Jaaskelainen to fall on the ball at his near post.

A Bolton free kick from their left wing went straight through to Lehmann, surprising him rather (Anelka could have got a telling touch as the ball came through). Jens dropped to his left to make the save... the ball falling to Anelka, now wide of Lehmann's left hand post, who forced another good save from Lehmann, batting the ball off his line after a good recovery.

We were defending desperately now. Hleb came on for Freddie (on 73) and with his first touch gave the ball away in midfield. They broke back, Campo on their right slipping the ball forward for Anelka, who just beat the offside trap and hit another great shot from an angle to beat Lehmann.

Toure pushed forward as we tried to get back in the game. Baptista blasted a shot wide. Theo got the ball forward in a good position on the break but gave the ball away cheaply in the end. On 85, Adebayor controlled the ball nicely as it came to him in the box but his shot hit the post. Then Cesc hit the post too, with a terrific swerving shot from long range.. Jaskelainen was rooted to the spot as he watched it clip the outside of the the top right corner of the frame.