FA CUP Bolton - 1 Arsenal -3 After extra timeA night of high drama and nerve-shredding football concluded with Freddie Ljungberg announcing his return from injury by sending Arsenal breathlessly into the fifth round.
Ljungberg, a second-half substitute making his first appearance after two months of hamstring problems, registered the game's decisive moment to spare Arsene Wenger's side the ordeal of penalties from a match in which they made life amazingly hard for themselves.
The reward is a home tie against Blackburn on Saturday and Arsene Wenger is entitled to feel it is fully merited after seeing his side squander numerous chances to build on Emmanuel Adebayor's early goal, including a missed Gilberto Silva penalty, before Abdoulaye Meite poked in an equaliser in the second minute of stoppage-time.
Ljungberg finally saw off Arsenal's bogey team with a splendid left-foot shot and then Bolton's Tal Ben Haim was sent off for his second booking before Julio Baptista emulated Gilberto by putting another Arsenal penalty over.
A frantic and hugely entertaining night was completed by Adebayor's tap-in seconds from time.
The Gunners had lost their previous three visits here but there was a steeliness and determination to their play that has not always been evident on previous excursions to the north-west.
Arsenal led through Adebayor's early strike, but Bolton are not a side to wave a white flag and Wenger was indebted to some near-immaculate performances from the likes of Denilson, Tomas Rosicky and, above all, Alex Hleb, a midfielder of supreme intelligence.
Wenger will be delighted by the speed at which they set about proving they do not automatically freeze on these occasions.
Rosicky, one of their more lightweight players, epitomised their attitude with his desire to get on the ball. Abou Diaby, their tall, wiry French midfielder, provided a robust presence in midfield and after signalling that they were up to the physical challenge they started working their elaborate, triangular patterns.
Their speed of thought in these situations can be mesmerising. Adebayor's 13th-minute goal may have taken a hefty deflection off Stelios to flick over the goalkeeper Jussi Jasskelainen but there was still plenty to admire about the instinctive passing and movement off the ball that created the opportunity.
Denilson was involved on three occasions as the ball was worked from the right of the midfield, starting with the willing Hleb, and the Bolton defenders were made to look as static as a row of training-ground cones. Adebayor had also been involved in the build-up and his deflected left-foot shot earned him his ninth goal of the season.
It was an early statement of Arsenal's intent and their superiority for parts of the opening half was immense. Ivan Campo, a central midfielder playing right-back, was subjected to a torrid 45 minutes as Rosicky repeatedly exposed his lack of pace.
Campo was not alone in struggling to cope with Arsenal's slick interchanges and, in attack, there was little for Nicolas Anelka to work with. Bolton's habit of pumping long balls into a congested penalty area is never quite so effective when Kevin Davies is missing. They did not work up a head of steam until close to the interval.
There was an encouraging start to the second half for Sam Allardyce's team. Manuel Almunia, deputising for Jens Lehmann in an Arsenal side also missing Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas, prevented a Diaby own-goal with a splendid one-handed save.
Suddenly we had a contest worthy of the Premiership's fourth and fifth-placed clubs.
BOLTON: Jaaskelainen, Campo, Meite, Ben Haim, Gardner (Pedersen 84), Giannakopoulos (Vaz Te 74), Teymourian (Tal 84), Speed, Nolan, Diouf, Anelka. Subs not used: Walker, Fojut. Sent off: Ben Haim (117). Booked: Ben Haim, Campo, Anelka.
ARSENAL: Almunia, Diaby, Toure, Djourou (Hoyte 92), Clichy, Hleb (Ljungberg 78), Silva, Denilson, Rosicky (Aliadiere 90), Adebayor, Julio Baptista. Subs not used: Poom, Walcott. Booked: Ljungberg.
Referee: C Foy (Merseyside)
