Bolton 1-3 Arsenal Saturday September 20 Reebok Stadium Att: 22,694 Arsenal moved to the top of the table for the first time since March with an impressive showing at Reebok Stadium. The Gunners battled back from a goal down after Kevin Davies firm head
Bolton 1-3 Arsenal
Saturday September 20
Reebok Stadium
Att: 22,694
Arsenal moved to the top of the table for the first time since March with an impressive showing at Reebok Stadium.
The Gunners battled back from a goal down after Kevin Davies' firm header had given the Trotters, without a home win since the opening day of the season, an unexpected lead.
It merely prompted a period of stunning Arsenal powerplay. Emmanuel Adebayor and Alex Song both hit the woodwork as the Gunners outpassed their ponderous opponents before Emmanuel Eboue neatly notched his first ever Premier League goal to level the scores.
Nicklas Bendtner gave the Gunners the lead within 90 seconds of the restart when he finished off a beguiling Arsenal move as the game was turned on its head within minutes.
Bolton fought back strongly after the interval, but the late introduction of substitute Theo Walcott, who was left on the bench along with Robin van Persie, gave the visitors an injection of pace and the England striker played a huge part in the third goal when he raced 60 yards to the edge of the Bolton box before finding Adebayor whose teasing cross was finished with aplomb by Denilson at the far post.
The only blackspot was a shin injury to Gael Clichy after an overzealous tackle by Davies.
"It was a shin injury. That proves that the tackle was quite high. Was it an accident? Only Davies can answer that," was Wenger's short assessment afterwards.
Instead he concentrated on what he described as a "complete performance" by his side.
"I thought it was a convincing, united, classy performance with strengths everywhere," he added. "We were strong mentally, physically and technically."
ENDS
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here