Bolton 2-1 Arsenal

Arsenal’s journey towards the title has turned down its final cul-de-sac. Arsène Wenger’s side are nine points adrift with only four games remaining after being undone here by an 90th-minute goal from Tamir Cohen. The Bolton substitute flashed a header beyond Wojciech Szczesny from Matt Taylor’s corner and Wenger turned away in anguish to hurl a water bottle to the ground in frustration. Arsenal had contributed to a game of rich entertainment but here, too, was a telling demonstration of the flaws that have brought them to the brink of a sixth successive year without a trophy. In attack they were beguiling; defensively, they were bewildering. Their football was slick, penetrative and frequently thrilling, culminating in an onslaught on the Bolton goal before Cohen’s goal. Yet there were times, particularly in the first half, when Bolton sliced them open far too easily. Daniel Sturridge opened the scoring in the 38th minute, his seventh goal in nine appearances since joining on loan from Chelsea, and Bolton could also reflect on Szczesny keeping out Kevin Davies’s penalty two minutes into the second half. A minute later Robin van Persie exchanged passes with Cesc Fábregas before driving his shot past Jussi Jaaskelainen for the equaliser. Arsenal were then thwarted by Jaaskelainen’s goalkeeping, some last-ditch defending, their own poor finishing and some over-elaborate buildup. In many ways it was a performance that symbolised Arsenal’s season – and Cohen made them pay with a late, decisive blow. Premier League Bolton Wanderers Arsenal Daniel Taylor guardian.co.uk

Posted by on April 24, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.