Key Incidents:
Goal (Arsenal) (3) – Now this was just the kind of start that we wanted. After Bergkamp stayed strong and shrugged off the attentions of his marker, he found Pires. He split the Bolton backline with a piercing pass which found Freddie, who chipped the ball past the on rushing Jaaskelainen.
Red Card (Diouf) (9) – Well it just couldn't have happened to a nicer guy! Diouf lashed out when Lehmann attempted to calm him. Diouf raised an elbow. There was only ever going to be one result after such a reaction. A totally foolish thing to do, but it helped us.
Man of The Match – Patrick Vieira
Player Ratings
Jens Lehmann - 7 Had to make many good claims today, as Bolton loaded the area. Made one amazing save, but as the linesman's flag was already up, I guess it won't go down as one of hiss best.
Gael Clichy - 6.5 - He did well to only be out muscled on a few occasions. Did well getting forward, always providing an outlet. He must have been quite frustrated to receive the ball so infrequently.
Kolo Toure - 7.5 - He led the line today. Stood up to the aerial ability of Bolton well, and continued to give out the orders.
Philippe Senderos - 7 - Another good game for him today. This was a good test for him, as you won't find many more physical sides than Bolton. He was strong throughout, and was rewarded with a song. To the tune of “Brown Girl In The Ring” – “Philippe Senderos la la la la la” etc.
Lauren - 6.5 - Wasn't afraid to put his foot in. Went into the referees book for this reason, but had a good game.
Robert Pires - 6.5 - While his movement was good, his passing was poor today. He could see people making runs, but other than the goal, couldn't seem to pick them out.
Patrick Vieira - 8 - Today he ran the game. He was resilient which was nice to see, and he kept going for the full ninety minutes. He refused to be drawn into the nasty fouls; instead he just got on with his own game.
Mathieu Flamini - 7 - Good passing, and today I noticed more than before how good he is at making forward runs. He isn't afraid to take on defenders, but he is yet another who seems to refuse to shoot when in a good position.
Freddie Ljungberg - 7.5 - Scored the goal that won the game. However, I think from this game he will be more remembered for that astounding miss at the end! He was right under the crossbar, only a few yards out, but he still managed to put it over! But if you're going to do that, make sure you do it when we are winning!
Jose Reyes - 7 - Had a much better game than on Wednesday. He seemed more willing to run at defenders, and he had a couple of decent shots.
Dennis Bergkamp - 6.5 - He had a fairly quiet game. His passing was only average, but his movement and willingness to shoot were far more impressive.