AFTER falling behind to a Kevin Davies goal, Arsenal responded brilliantly, with Cesc Fabregas shining in midfield, and Emmanuel Eboue and Nicklas Bendtner scored vital goals before Denilson sealed victory.

Having accused Dynamo Kiev defender Andriy Nesmachny of attempting to “destroy” Theo Walcott in Wednesday’s Champions League game in Ukraine, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger left the 19-year-old out of his starting XI against Bolton’s bruisers. The Reebok has been a hostile venue for Wenger’s teams, though they came back from 2-0 down last season to win 3-2 in stoppage time.

Bolton, despite an indifferent start to the season, proved to be obstinate opponents to overcome again, taking the lead, almost inevitably, from a set-piece, when Joey O’Brien’s corner was headed into the far corner of the net by Davies. The Bolton forward outjumped Kolo Toure and placed his effort beyond the reach of Manuel Almunia, the Arsenal goalkeeper, and Gael Clichy, who was positioned on the post. Davies’s header from a long clearance by Jussi Jaaskelainen, the Bolton goalkeeper, and Kevin Nolan’s harrying of Almunia had secured the corner.

Bolton’s physical strength and directness knocked Arsenal out of their stride in the initial stages. When Bendtner attempted to set up Emmanuel Adebayor for a shot inside the Bolton penalty area Andy O’Brien’s strong tackle thwarted their efforts. However, Fabregas soon took charge in midfield and Arsenal’s excellent passing began to scythe a path through to their strikers. From being on the front foot and looking dangerous, Bolton were under siege.

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Bendtner chested down a Fabregas cross and, from the edge of the penalty area, Toure’s first-time shot veered just wide of the post. Almost imperceptibly, Arsenal slipped into a higher gear and Bendtner set up Adebayor again, the Togo international turning and striking the inside of the post with his close-range shot. Another incisive pass by Fabregas into the box presented Bendtner with a scoring chance and Danny Shittu’s brave block yielded a corner. From the resultant kick, Alex Song’s header struck the post again, though it proved to be a brief reprieve for the under-pressure Bolton defence.

Predictably, it was Fabregas’s running and vision that brought Arsenal’s equalising goal. The Spanish matador seemed to hypnotise the line of defenders on the edge of the area before he released the ball to Bendtner. His pass for Adebayor ran perfectly for Emmanuel Eboue, who appeared to be in an offside position, but the Ivory Coast international applied a ruthless finish inside the near post. Arsenal were playing exquisite football and, within a minute, they went ahead. Eboue played the ball to Adebayor, whose pass into the left side of the box created space for Denilson to cross and Bendtner’s shot from point-blank range beat Jaaskelainen. Only a terrific block by Nolan from another shot by Eboue prevented Arsenal increasing the lead.

But Bolton managed to dig in and turn the game their way again. When Ricardo Gardner charged into the Arsenal penalty area Toure needed to make a first-rate tackle. The ball broke for Joey O’Brien, who teed it up for Nolan, and Almunia produced a superb save from the Bolton captain’s shot. Nolan volleyed wide minutes later from a flick-on by Davies to emphasise the fact that they would not just roll over.

Just before the interval Davies was booked for a tackle on Clichy that sent the Frenchman to hospital for X-rays on his left leg but Arsenal started the second half strongly and Jaaskelainen had to make a brilliant one-handed save to turn a well-hit shot by Song around the right post.

For much of the second half, however, Arsenal were pinned down by some heavy Bolton bombardment and for all of their pretty football during the first half, it was their ability to soak up this pressure in the second that secured victory.

Star man: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

Referee: S Bennett

Attendance: 22,694

BOLTON: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Shittu, A O’Brien, Samuel, J O’Brien (McCann 61min), Smolarek (Riga 56min), Muamba (Vaz Te 81min), Nolan, Gardner, Davies

ARSENAL: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy (Djourou h-t), Eboue (Ramsey 85min), Fabregas, Song Billong, Denilson, Adebayor, Bendtner (Walcott 73min)