SUBSTITUTES were the story.

There was the oddity of Bolton naming only four, though seven are permitted: Gary Megson denied it, but in transfer window time he was surely trying to make a point about the smallness of his squad. There was the unusual indignity of a sub being subbed: a mortified Mustapha Riga flounced down the tunnel after suffering in this way. For Arsenal a replacement provided the telling touch. On an Arctic day, Arsène Wenger’s men appeared to have left their creative ideas, not to mention shooting boots, in cold storage and deeply defensive Bolton almost slunk off with a point until Nicklas Bendtner’s strike in the 85th minute.

The goal, and the sight of the win going to Arsenal, suggested something else about substitutes, namely that there isn’t one for skill, positive intent and risk-taking. This has not always been true in the 2008-09 Premier League. It has a been a season where smaller sides have embarrassed bigger ones by using negative gameplans and breakaway football. This looked likely to happen again until Bendtner’s intervention. He came on at a time when Arsenal, having gone to 4-2-4, were finally applying pressure to their opponents but goal opportunities were being missed.

The Dane’s first contribution was to fluff a header that he could have converted and he was mistiming his passes and lay-offs. Then Samir Nasri found Gael Clichy, who spotted a brilliant blindside run being made by Robin van Persie and duly provided him with the ball. Van Persie swept a sweet cross to the far post and Bendtner met it on the half-volley to score emphatically past a hitherto unbeatable Jussi Jaaskelainen. “It’s what strikers do,” said Wenger with typical economic sagacity.

From the start, Bolton had set their stall out and on it there were no pretty items — just buckets of sweat and manuals labelled “defence”, “pressing” and “graft”. Arsenal are enjoying their longest unbeaten sequence in a year but hardly playing vintage stuff. In midfield Abou Diaby, Denilson and Emmanuel Eboue are all decent players but none had the spark of a Cesc Fabregas or Tomas Rosicky. It was a case of the bland leading the bland. As Wenger’s central unit spread lateral passes in front of them, Bolton’s midfield five seldom lost discipline or shape.

Nasri and Van Persie were two capable of elevating the game but, starved of service, their contributions — though decisive in the end — were intermittent. A Van Persie volley went close and, after a forgettable first half, Nasri adopted a central role to bring more focus to his side’s attacking. With Carlos Vela on for Eboue, Wenger went to four up front. Nasri threaded a pass through to Emmanuel Adebayor, who found himself with just Jaaskelainen to beat but the big striker paused and Andy O’Brien blocked his shot.

Gorgeous interplay between Adebayor and Van Persie sent the Dutchman clear. His shot beat Jaaskelainen but it could not beat the post. Kolo Toure forced Bolton’s heroic goalkeeper to make a difficult block with a low, skidding shot. Megson’s side had one threatening period — lasting about three minutes — in which Matthew Taylor worried Manuel Almunia with a header from a Riga cross. Riga, on for Johan Elmander, who injured a hamstring, proved cringe-makingly lightweight up front and Megson had little option but to replace him. Megson has signed on loan Sebastien Puygrenier, a French defender from Zenit St Petersburg, to his squad, forcing a move for West Ham’s Calum Davenport to be halted.

He wants more players as does Wenger, whose side’s creative difficulties yesterday helped point to why he is interested in another Zenit player, Andrei Arshavin.

Star man: Robin van Persie (Arsenal)

Yellow cards: Arsenal: Djourou, Ramsey Bolton: Riga, McCann

Referee: C Foy

Attendance: 60,068

ARSENAL: Almunia 6, Sagna 7, Toure 6, Djourou 6, Clichy 6, Nasri 7, Denilson 6, Diaby 5 (Vela 64min), Eboue 5 (Bendtner 74min), Adebayor 5 (Ramsey 88min), Van Persie 7
BOLTON: Jaaskelainen 7, Samuel 6, O’Brien 7, Shittu 7, Basham 6, Davies 6, Muamba 6, McCann 6, Gardner 5, Taylor 6, Elmander (Riga 39min, 3 (Obadeyi 77min))