It took several subs and a little luck, but the Gunners faithful at the Emirates were spared another frustrating result after Arsene Wenger’s side won in a tight clash with Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.
Bolton came into the game a little ragged, having lost several key players to injury and suspension, and fielded a team which included only four substitutes on the bench to choose from. Arsenal also came in battered, with the usual injured players still out; Eduardo, Walcott, Rosicky, and now Fabregas among them.
The first half was largely uneventful, and despite Arsenal’s near domination of possession throughout, few dangerous chances were created and Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen had little work to do. On 19 minutes, van Persie neatly dribbled in the box trying to get the ball onto his strong foot for a shot, but the ball bounced off the defender who had fallen and the opportunity was lost – although the replay showed the ball seemed to hit the arm of the Bolton player, referee Chris Foy quickly waved play-on. 39 minutes in, Bolton were forced to bring on one of their three non-keeper substitutes, as forward Johan Elmander hobbled off with injury to be replaced by Mustapha Riga.
Second half play resumed the same pattern as the first, with Arsenal having the lion’s share of possession but still unable to break down the heavy Bolton defense. Bolton finally took to the offense for a ten minute spell between the 50th and 60th minute, but couldn’t find a way past Almunia and a relatively comfortable centreback pair of Toure and Djourou.
The 63rd minute saw Arsenal’s first change of the game, as Wenger introduced Carlos Vela for Abou Diaby in order to inject some energy back into the Gunners attack. The little Mexican provided just that, and in the 65th minute Arsenal looked sure to take the lead as a clever play by Vela and Nasri left Adebayor with possession in front of goal and no one but Jaaskelainen in front of him. Ade’ took a look, aimed, and shot, but a ball that seemed destined for goal was blocked out by Bolton’s Andy O’Brien, who did extremely well to get across quickly to cut out the attempt.
Arsenal however did not let up on the offense. Bolton continued to put men behind the ball, and the nearly ten-man strong defensive efforts continued to frustrate Arsenal, but the exhaustion was beginning to show on the Wanderers. Van Persie managed to break free with a deft turn in the 70th minute, but his right footed effort hit the woodwork and careened out favourably for Bolton.
Nicklas Bendtner made for Arsenal’s second substitution on the day at 75’, replacing Emmanuel Eboue who had been playing in the midfield today. His impact was almost immediate, as the free kick following his introduction saw him leap above the Bolton defenders and fire a header on target, which landed safely in Jaaskelainen’s arms.
Bolton’s earlier substitute Mustapha Riga was then called off for another substitute on 78 minutes, as Temitope Obadeyi was introduced. Riga looked extremely upset, and walked straight by his manager and directly into the tunnel after being pulled off – perhaps an issue Bolton will have to deal with in the weeks to come.
Back on the pitch, it was finally time for Arsenal to find a hard-fought goal. Van Persie found space on the left side of the box, and deftly floated in a cross to the far side, where Bendtner ran through and slotted the mid-air ball home on the half-volley. The 84th minute goal sent the Emirates into a frenzy, as the sixty thousand plus crowd finally had something to celebrate in the frigid temperatures the country had been feeling as of late.
It was almost horror however, as shortly after the ensuing kick-off, Bolton marched up field and found striker Kevin Davies who had a second’s worth of space but put the ball straight at Arsenal keeper Almunia. The fans song of “One-Nil to the Arsenal” quickly was silenced and didn’t return, but Arsenal (after a third substitution of Ramsey for Adebayor in the 88th) was able to hang on for a critical win as they attempt to claw back into the top four in the Premiership.
Justin Barrie
