At times, as Anelka struggled to adapt to Bolton’s “up-and-at-em” approach on his return to the Premiership last summer after a season and a half with Fenerbahce, in Turkey, the union appeared to be heading for a quickie divorce.

But the mercurial Frenchman has always been able to score goals and, having been won over by Sam Allardyce’s style of man-management and Bolton’s welcoming approach, he is now becoming the matchwinner that Allardyce had remembered from his days at Arsenal, Manchester City and, less so, at Liverpool.

Two first-half goals against another of those former clubs yesterday, having scored twice against Arsenal last month, has got his goal count moving. It also took the striker’s tally to five in the past six matches — seven in total— and earned Bolton a third straight win, which keeps them in fifth place, while City’s concern is very much at the other end of the table.

Stuart Pearce’s side competed fully in a feisty northwest derby, but what stood out was their alarming lack of quality, which will be further exposed by the absence of Joey Barton, after his late red card for a ludicrous lunge at Bolton defender Abdoulaye Faye, and once Anelka had scored twice within 17 minutes the result was never in doubt.

“We are providing the service for Nicolas and there is nobody better than him at finishing those types of chances. He effectively put the game to bed for us when he scored the second,” said Allardyce, whose outlay of £8m is beginning to look like money well spent.

He added: “When you have got somebody who can turn a game in your favour in a split second, it gives us a great chance of maintaining the position we have had in the league over the last three years and trying to better it.”

Anelka, who is still only 27, had scored 46 goals in 103 games during his time at City, statistics Pearce can only dream of as he prepares his side for games against Sheffield United and West Ham that will confirm City’s place in the relegation fight if those fixtures result in an extension of their three-match losing run.

Bolton did not hit any great heights yesterday, but, with Anelka on top of his game and Gary Speed and Ivan Campo holding firm in the midfield anchor roles, winning with a bit to spare was just what Allardyce would have wanted in the busy Christmas period.

As well as Anelka’s double, Allardyce also highlighted a critical save from Jussi Jaaskelainen as being pivotal to Bolton’s latest success, after the flying Finn threw himself across goal to palm away a header from Paul Dickov, just before Anelka opened the scoring. The referee’s assistant must have judged that the ball was millimetres from crossing the line.

Pearce did not share the same view as he was adamant that Dickov should have been credited with his first goal of the season.

“When you get the ball over the line it’s always nice for it to be given as a goal,” he said.

Yet to Pearce’s credit he admitted that bleating about a disputed goal would provide an overly simplistic view of another potentially damaging defeat.

“We know full well we are in a scrap,” the City manager added. “But we also know that with a couple of wins, we’ll bounce back up the league. There may be 10 teams in there as well who can’t afford to lose to teams around you.”

City’s task over the holiday period will be made even more difficult by the absence of their best player for three games — unless they are successful in an intended appeal against Barton’s sending-off.

“I think there was a little bit of frustration, but for me, at worst, it was a yellow card,” said Pearce.

Barton’s lack of discipline will do little to help his international prospects but it would appear no one at City, the manager apart, is feeling the pain of their demise more than him.

He looked their best hope of threatening Bolton’s advantage, although a free kick turned away by Jaaskelainen in the second half was the nearest Barton came to a goal.

City were always playing catch-up once Anelka had calmly converted passes from both Nicky Hunt and Henrik Pedersen. On this evidence, they are not good enough to give anyone a lead.

Star Man: Nicolas Anelka (Bolton)

Player Ratings: Manchester City: Weaver 6, Onuoha 5, Dunne 5, Distin 5, Thatcher 5 (Dabo 55min, 6), Trabelsi 5, Barton 5, Ireland 6, Miller 6, Vassell 6, Dickov 5 (Samaras 55min, 6)

Bolton: Jaaskelainen 8, Hunt 6, Faye 6, Meite 6, Ben Haim 7, Nolan 6, Campo 6, Speed 7, Diouf 6 (Vaz Te 72min, 6), Anelka 9, Pedersen 6 (Gardner 87min, 6)

Scorers: Bolton: Anelka 8, 25

Referee: M Riley

Attendance: 40,157

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