Gianfranco Zola has envisaged mimicking Arsenal’s attacking style, but no one had told the new West Ham United manager that Bolton Wanderers have been Arsène Wenger’s bogey team. Few savour upsetting opponents with the relish that Bolton display. Last week, their stout defence was unfairly broken by Manchester United courtesy of Rob Styles’s refereeing mistake, but yesterday they were the beneficiaries of Robert Green’s errors.

West Ham allowed themselves to get tangled in a web of ten players behind the ball yesterday and once Bolton, in classic counter-attacking mode, had soaked up their best attacks, they dealt two decisive blows in four minutes.

West Ham’s intricate play and neat triangles allowed David Di Michele and Carlton Cole to curl shots narrowly past a post, but they were dazed by Bolton’s opening goals. Ricardo Gardner’s harmless cross was spilt by Green on to the body of Kevin Davies and with Herita Ilunga not reacting, the forward stretched to prod the ball high into the net.

Moments later Gretar Rafn Steinsson drilled a shot that Green did well to parry, but failed to push clear, and Gary Cahill fired in, with Ilunga again motionless. “It’s been a bad day, but I’m sure next game he’s [Green] going to save two penalties,” Zola said.

The Italian will be disappointed that his team did not intensify their attacks after Cole had nodded in from a flick-on at a corner. It was also interesting that Zola changed the personnel in the second half, but not their formation, in particular at the back, where four defenders were marking a lone striker.

Matthew Taylor, a substitute, fired in a free kick to extend Bolton’s lead, with Green appearing to call for only Scott Parker to stand in a wall. Zola said that his players will gain strength from the defeat. “It was painful as a footballer to lose and maybe even more as a manager,” he said. “But it will make us stronger.”

West Ham United (4-3-2-1): R Green 4 – J Faubert 4, L Neill 5, M Upson 5, H Ilunga 5 – V Behrami 5, S Parker 6, M Noble 5 – D Di Michele 6 (sub: C Bellamy, 53min 5), M Etherington 6 (sub: F Sears, 79) – C Cole 7. Substitutes not used: J Lastuvka, W López, L Boa Morte, H Mullins, C Davenport. Booked: Noble, Faubert, Bellamy, Parker.

Bolton Wanderers (4-1-4-1): J Jaaskelainen 6 – G R Steinsson 7, G Cahill 6, A O’Brien 6, J Samuel 6 – G McCann 7 – K Davies 7, K Nolan 6, F Muamba 6 (sub: J O’Brien, 80), R Gardner 6 – J Elmander 6 (sub: M Taylor, 73). Substitutes not used: A Al-Habsi, N Hunt, E Smolarek, M Riga, D Shittu. Booked: Nolan, A O’Brien.

Referee M Dean Attendance 33,715