Oops, They Nearly Did It Again!

In order that I can go on Wednesday, I struck a deal with the dearly delightful to watch todays contest in the local. It's sometimes a blessing in disguise to watch games in the pub. The level of noise means you have to concentrate on the football a little more because the commentary is drowned out. This was one of those occasions.

Thus my take on the contest may differ from whoever was the resident expert, but then that doesn't always require me to be out of his range!

I'm no lover of Bolton, it must be said, but I had to sit there squirming as they came out of the blocks in a far more determined mode than the Gunners. The first corner set the tone for a nervy afternoon as Davies, with no great craft, evaded the attention of Toure, and should have scored.

To their credit, Bolton were not just giving it route one, although their hand may have been forced a little when Davies was forced into a lengthy absence to attend to a foot injury. Walcott created for himself the first real opportunity for Arsenal, but the finish lacked the guile and determination of the approach.

Prior to the game I had read the Bolton fans' desire to see Faye 'nullify' Fabregas. The fact that the Trotters hard-man featured in a back four role delayed the clash, but in 28 minutes the expected clog arrived and earned him a booking.

Arsenal finally got a grip on proceedings in the final ten minutes of the opening half, and on forty minutes a breathtaking Henry backheel was the closest the hosts came to breaking the deadlock.

The second period was but five minutes old when Kevin Nolan grabbed the goal we had all feared. The Bolton hoodoo was alive and well. Shortly afterwards he had the opportunity to bury the tie, but Almunia produced a save out of the top drawer.

Not surprisingly the rest of the contest was a siege. Arsenal introduced first Baptista, then Aliadiere, and once again featured a four man attack, as they sought their third successive come-from-behind performance.

The equaliser duly arrived from the head of Kolo Toure, but try as they may, the Gunners could not find a winner. The replay was not desired, but in the end it was probably about the correct outcome.

If you are looking for positives, then look no further than the central midfield pairing. Fabregas and Flamini sweated blood for the cause. Gilberto will doubtless be preferred to Matty for the return, and that is only correct, but the often unappreciated Frenchman put in a full shift, and then some, against experienced and hard-working opponents.

So, in the words of the cliche, we'll focus on one match at a time. That means Tottenham on Wednesday in the Carling Cup semi-final, second leg. I'm rather pleased we can put bloody Bolton to the back of our minds for a couple of weeks.