What a fantastic second half.... Well done Bolton....I will be interested to learn from KR how the Mancs had a hand in this one..Probably bribed the refs for Bolton? Who knows I'm sure we will enlightened..

Probably SAF helped Big Sam with some tactics(I can't see a call from Manchester to Bolton being that expensive?)

It was Bolton's 'ugly and brutal style' that upset the Arsenal machine.

Northern monkeys...




Good match and looking forwards to the replay. Determined 1st half display from Bolton and only some great 2nd half defending held Arsenal to a draw.

Btw..when will refs consistently hand out cards for blatant diving.

I was really proud of the boys.

Every one of them tried their hearts out and we got the result, IMO, that was the right one.

Up until the last 5 minutes of the first half I thought we coped with Arsenal quite comfortably. Apart from Walcott's half chance afater leaving Gardner for dead and then Gardner gifting Henry a chance which, fortunately for us, Meite anticipated something special from Henry. Not much else to comment on in the first half apart from two good chances early on which fell to Davies and Campo early on.

We then scored an early goal in the second half, rounding off what was the best move of the match (although Nolan was a tad fortunate to be on the end of Davies' mis-hit shot). Nolan then had a glorious chance to double the lead. Why he didn't just lift the ball over the advancing Almunia I'm not sure ............. but full credit to Almunia, a great bit of anticipation on his part and a great stop.

For the nest 40 minutes, however, it was pretty much one-way traffic and an equaliser was inevitable. This wasn't helped by continual poor passing on our part. Simple passes out of defence were intercepted time and time again. In part, I suppose, this was down to Arsenal 'doing a Bolton' and giving us no time on the ball - but also just down to basic rank bad passing and a bit of panic creaping in.

Eventually the goal came form the sort of goal you'd have expected us to score rather than Arsenal. Meite gave posession away where a simple pass forwards would've set us ona counter-attack and in an effort to redeem his mistake he committed a somewhat cynical foul and gave a way a free-kick. From the resulting free-kick our defence switched off and Toure, somewhat fortuitously headed the ball into the ground and over the already diving Jaaskelainen.

We then managed to hold on for what should be another exciting game next Wednesday.

All in all, IMO a draw was the right result. I thought we deserved it for some stout defending and Arsenal deserved it for refusing to give in and constant pressure for half of the game.

Looks like Wenger is at last giving us the credit we deserve. He even chose to praise us before the game.

Take note Benitez!!!!

Bizarrely I was there, filling the vacancy that a flu-ridden girlfriend had left. Game wasn't up to much, only Walcott and Adebayor impressed for Arsenal but both keepers played well too.

Nothing to do with mancs or so.......

More to do with two contrasting styles of football imposing themselves on the game at different moments. As noted by MP, Boltons goal came from the best passing move of the match (more Arsenal like) and Arsenals goal came from the best set piece execution (more Bolton like). Arsenal played into Boltons style by playing hurried aerial balls in the 1st half and Bolton played into Arsenals hands by allowing Arsenal to pass and attack in the 2nd.

Nothing fortuitous about the goal, as a footballer you are told to head the ball downwards as to add pace to the ball, a direct header would have beemn easily saved. Baptista also missed a similar chance by putting too much on the ball.

In all a good game that leaves all to play for in the replay.

I don't think Rafa has any problems with Bolton after the last meeting

I'm sure he hasn't

I'm sure he's more than happy to settle for a 'lost one, won one' record each season against 'dirty little Bolton'.

Maybe if he actually concentrated on on his own team and got them to play the kind of football they did against us at Anfield, at the Reebok, then maybe ..... just maybe he might come away with a point or three rather than a big bag of sour grapes.

He's never used the words 'dirty' and 'little' with regards to Bolton.. 'Basketball' and 'physical' probably though ..

... and he's the one with the former basketball player playing in his team .....

Anyway.... back to the topic ......

Actually he mentioned basketball before Crouchinho joined...

but as you say.. back to the topic...


Bolton will fancy their chances at the Reebok.. Anelka seems to play better against Arsenal...

and on Valentine's day too.... Mr Parr, Vicky... are you listening??

In a modern Premiership Club there should be no such thing as having 'home advantage'.

wheres dan

I held out very little hope of getting anything out of yesterday's game - especially with Diouf banned and Stelios looking very poor in the times he's played for us this season.

I'd have gladly settled for a chance to replay them at our place given our record over recent seasons agianst Arsenal at home.

.... as for the date of the replay ......

Methinks I'm gonna get some grief from the missus (not Vicky).