FT: Arsenal 1 Bolton 0

Arsenal 1 Bolton 0. Bendtner spares Arsenal's blushes and they remain in the hunt for a top four finish at worst. Thanks for joining me, sorry we couldn't provide a better game, but all you Gunners fans have reason to be cheerful.

90+3 Great leap from Davies as he wins a hopeful punt forward in the air. The ball escapes all whiet shirts though and Almunia is able to drop on the ball.

90+1 Ramsey is cautioned moments after coming on.

90 Almunia comes through a crowd to get fingertips to a free-kick. Not too promising from the keeper, who has looked shaky at times this afternoon.

88 Ramsey comes on in place of Adebayor.

86 Vela almost makes it two as he squeezes past O'Brien in the box. Ultimately the angle becomes too tight and his low drive his beaten away by the feet of Jaaskelainen.

85 Arsenal go to sleep and Bolton almost find an immediate equaliser. Basham does well to get his head up in the box and pick out Davies. He looks odds on to find the target, but fires a tame effort straight at Almunia. Should be all square, but the Gunners survive.

84 GOAL BENDTNER - Finally the breakthrough arrives. Van Persie stands a great ball up towards the back post and Bendtner slides in to drill the ball past Jaaskelainen.

82 Eboue bustles into the box and feeds Bendtner. He takes a touch to steady himself and then sends a low drive towards goal. Shittu is again the man to foil the Gunners as he gets a toe to the ball and clears his lines.

82 Bolton are dropping deeper and deeper, which seems dangerous.

80 Djourou goes into the book for hauling down Obadeyi.

79 Obadeyi's first touch sees him plant an effort into the hands off Almunia. Meanwhile, Riga was not a happy man as he headed down the tunnel and aimed a few choice words in the direction of the Bolton bench. Can't really blame him.

78 Riga, who only came on himself as first half sub, is hauled off and replaced by Obadeyi.

77 Intricate passing from Arsenal again as they desperately search for a way through. There are no openings there though and they are forced to go from side-to-side, rather than push forward.

76 Less than 15 minutes remaining. Are we going to get late drama at the Emirates?

75 Almost an instant impact as Bendtner meets Nasri's floated free-kick and powers a header into the arms of Jaaskelainen. Still the Gunners can't find that elusive bit of luck.

74 Eboue makes way for Bendtner as Wenger goes for broke.

73 Arsenal are throwing men forward and have Bolton rattled. They need to capitalise, though, as they have not shown anything to suggest they can find a moment of magic.

71 Toure is urged to try his luck from 35-yards by an impatient crowd, and duly obliges. His skidding effort has Jaaskelainine at full stretch, but the Bolton keeper never looks in trouble.

70 The woodwork comes to Bolton's rescue as Van Persie wriggles through and pokes an effort off the post. Arsenal are looking dangerous, but still can't find the back of the net.

69 Clichy gets to the by-line and throws over a cross. Shittu, who has been immense, is under it though and nods clear. The Gunners are pushing more men forward.

Nicholas Jordan believes Arsenal's lack of cutting edge today just goes to prove how much they need Andrei Arshavin. If reports are to be believed, the Russian is set for an imminent arrival in north London.

67 Vela's first touch takes him goalwards, but he is unable to exchange passes with Van Persie. The recent arrival to the action looks lively and is putting himself about. Perhaps that is what the Gunners needed - an injection of fresh legs.

66 Bolton live dangerously as once again they fail to clear their lines. They are able to bang the ball clear in the end, but not before an almighty scramble inside the box.

65 Great chance for Arsenal. Brilliant ball from Nasri picks out Adebayor in acres of space. Faced with only Jaaskelaine to beat he dallies on the ball and O'Brien throws himself in front of the eventual shot. Should be 1-0.

64 For those who wanted Vela, here he is. The youngster comes on in place of Diaby. Attacking ambition from Wenger.

63 Better from Adebayor as he shows good strenght to hold off his man inside the box. He turns admirably and gets away a shot on the turn, but it lacks power and is easily dealt with by Jaaskelainen.

62 Straight up the other end and Davies is close to picking out Riga with a low driven delivery. Djourou is on hand to bundle clear, but the Trotters have provided more of an attackign threat in the last five minutes than they mustered in the entire first half.

61 Yet again another good opportunity is wasted by the Gunners. Clichy is allowed time and space to pick out a cross, and sends it directly out of play.

60 With only Davies up front Bolton are struggling to retain possession in key areas. The big man is doing his job, but needs support.

59 A rare moment of success for Davies against Toure as he twists in behind the Ivorian. He gets to the by-line, looks up, and lofts a cross onto the roof of the net. I give up!

58 Searching delivery from Clichy looks for Eboue ghosting in at the back post. Samuel is able to get a crucial touch to take it away from the Arsenal man, which is just as well because he would have been in.

57 Clichy and Diaby combine well on the edge of the box, only for the full-back to lose his footing at the vital moment. Yet again, just about sums up the game as a whole!

Anne wants Adebayor to step up to the plate and prove his worth. She is not the only one. She does still feel, though, that Arsenal can find a winner from somewhere. That may be blind faith, but let's see.

55 Bolton are enjoying a decent spell at present, with Taylor once again causing problems down the left. Can they make their pressure count?

54 First caution of the game goes to Riga for a needless trip on diaby.

Scott Lavers, in Oklahoma, is going 1-0 Arsenal thanks to a late striker, and Muchugu Isaac Kuria is also going for that scoreline.

52 Almunia called into action as he plucks a looping effort from Taylor out of the air. Riga found his team-mate with a brilliant ball and the Bolton man just needed to get more on his header. As it is, we remain goalless.

51 Muamba leads a Bolton break and almost finds Davies with a searching through ball. Toure deals with the danger, but a warning for the Gunners that they cannot afford to get complacent with the scores still level.

50 Big shout for handball against Samuel as he times a jump in the box all wrong. He can count himself fortunate because it appeared to hit his arm. The thing is there was no Arsenal player near him and he didn't even need to touch the ball.

Ian Alexander is another who wants to see Vela thrown into the action, while Johnny Ho is still going 2-0 to Arsenal. I can't see it at the moment, but it could happen.

48 Answer - Nothing. Basham clears at the front post and the Trotters clear their lines far too easily. Wenger must be pulling his hair out!

48 Early serge from Van Persie and he wins a corner. What can Arsenal do with this?

46 Arsenal are straight back on the ball, can they do more with it in the second 45?

Bolton get us up and running again.

Before the second half gets underway, just time to give Ben Keraro in New Jersey a mention as he back the Gunners to prevail 2-0 despite their first half failings. The players are back out thought so let's get back to the action.

Tom Dawson and Andy Hayes have not been impressed by their Bolton side - and for good reason. Peter Walker thinks a point for the Trotters would not be all that bad, while Rob Parry is still holding out for a 3-0 Arsenal rout. Shaun Abbott and George Carr are both of the feeling that Arsenal need to be less fancy and shoot more, while proceedings so far have been so bad that Dan Himes is considering turning his attention back to his coursework. Bad times!!

You can also bet in-play at skybet.com. Arsenal are now 2/5 to take the win, with Bolton coming in slightly to 10/1. Anyone who fancies a goalles stalemate can lump on that at 3/1.

Remember you can get in touch throughout the second half at Chris.Burton@bskyb.com. Are we going to get a goal?

Arsenal 0 Bolton 0. Tame - in a word. I suggest you go and put the kettle on, or find somethign stronger if you like, and hope for better when we resume.

45+2 Adbeayor floats a high cross to the back post, but there is no-one there. Sums up the half.

45+1 The half draws towards a close with Arsenal once again making progress to 25-yards from goal and then collapsing. Same old story I'm afraid.

Nathan Powell, in Cincinnati, is throwing his weight behind the Gunners. Despite a disappointing first half he still expects the goals to come and the hosts to claim a comfortable win. They do still have 45 minutes in which to do that, but I'm not holding my breath!

44 Toure and Nasri both pass up the opportunity to have a snap-shot on the edge of the box and ultimately see the opportunity go begging. Trying to walk the ball into the net has been a problem for the Gunners in the past and they seem to be heading that way again.

43 Still no urgency from the Gunners as they roll the ball around among themselves in midfield. It's all very well keeping possession, but they are getting nowhere with it!

Lee Hall shares my fears and sees this game drifting aimlessly towards a goalless draw. He hopes to be proven wrong, but feeels Arsenal are having 'one of those days'. I think he might be right.

40 More problems for Bolton as Gardner goes off after receiving a ball to the face. A quick rub with the magic sponge and he is back with us, but the Trotters are dropping like flies at the moment.

39 Elmander has had to be replaced by Riga Mustapha. Davies now takes up a more central role up front.

38 Arsenal recycle possession, only to once again come unstuck when faced with the task of providing a cutting edge. I, for one, am looking forward to the interval. With a break allowing both managers to give their players a kick up the backside.

37 Nasri finally gets round to taking the corner, but only succeeds in finding the head of Shittu.

36 Van Persie drifts out onto the left flank and mazes his way into the box. Just as he is about to pull the trigger, O'Brien gets in a last-ditch challenge and concedes a corner. Meanwhile, Elmander is down and requires treatment.

34 Bolton's best period of possession as they knock the ball around well on the edge of the Arsenal box. Like their opponents, though, they find carving an opportunity a step too far.

33 I have been very disappointed with this game so far. Arsenal have been far from their free-flowing best, while Bolton lack any desire to push forward at all. At the moment it has got 0-0 written all over it. I hope that doesn't turn out to be the case!

Morning to regular reader Anne, who is tuning in from Hawaii. Just the 70 degrees out there at the moment. Jealous, me, never! For the record, she is backing the Gunners to prevail 2-0.

Jon Wood, from a ship in the Atlantic, is backing Gardner to bag a breakaway goal in a 1-0 win for the Trotters.

30 Clichy this time tries his luck from distance and prodcues a similar result to his team-mates. His 25-yard drive is badly sliced and ends up closer to the corner flag than the goal.

29 The Gunners remain on the front foot and Van Persie hammers a volley over the top. He has the quality to deal with a ball which dropped out of the sky, but got his effort all wrong on this occasion.

28 Bolton fail to deal with a Van Persie corner and are pegged back inside their own box. Nari lifts over a resulting free-kick, but the Trotters scramble clear.

27 Worrying sight for Arsenal fans as Van Persie stays down after a challenge from Taylor. He was caught by the winger's studs, but is back on his feet soon after and looks okay to continue.

26 Nasri fires a dangerous ball across the six-yard box, but there is no red shirt on hand to profit. Van Persie had hung back, while Adebayor is yet to get to grips with the game. The Togolese front-man has been a virtual spectator so far.

25 Basham makes inroads down the right and squeezes over a cross. Once again Almunia comes to claim, only for one of his defenders to hammer the ball clear. Communication is obviously lacking at the back for the hosts.

24 A rare foray forward from the visitors is brought to an abrupt halt once Davies sends Denilson flying. Foy has a word with the Bolton man, and he is perhaps fortunate to escape a booking.

23 The Gunners are playing at walking pace, allowing Bolton to get in their faces. They need to quicken things up if they are going to pick their way through.

21 It's just not happening for Arsenal at the moment. The fancy flicks are not coming off as intended and it all looks a bit disjointed.

20 Eboue, bored out on the right, comes inside and looks to get things moving. The Gunners make good progress to the edge of the area, only to then be stopped by a Trotters wall yet again.

19 Van Persie finds space inside the box, tries a few tricks, but is then outnumbered as white shirts descend on him from every direction. The Dutchman has been Arsenal's biggest threat so far and Bolton are struggling to deal with him.

18 Adebayor looks to break past O'Brien, but the Bolton centre-half stands up well and steals the ball away.

17 Dreadful effort from Nasri as he fires high into the stands. Van Persie does well to create an opening, only for his team-mate to waste all his hard work.

16 Muamba looks fired up against his former club and is biting into tackles in the middle of the park. He will be keen to prove a point to Arsene Wenger.

15 Van Persie hits the target on this occasion, with a header, but plants his effort straight at Jaaskelainen. End-to-end stuff at the moment!

14 Confusion at the back for Arsenal as Toure nods the ball away from his onrushing keeper. Almunia finds himself stranded outside his box, but Djourou sees out the danger.

13 Closest with have come to a goal as Van Persie blazes inches over. Nasri's cross-shot deflects into the Dutchman's path and, after a brilliant first touch, he grazes the crossbar with a stinging volley.

11 Davies is surrounded by red shirts evey time the ball goes near him, with three men descending on him on this occasion as he looks to help on a free-kick. Unsurprisingly, he is crowded out!

10 The hosts continue to dominate possession without making inroads. Bolton know that counter-attacks and long balls are their most potent weapons and look happy to keep things tight.

More skivers, as Jack Bailoor gives up on coursework to tune in - and goes 2-1 Arsenal. Meanwhile, Ahsan Karim has defended Djourou against earlier criticism and is back the Swiss centre-half to keep Davies under wraps.

8 Taylor brushes past Sagna, but the Frenchman is so quick that he recovers brilliantly and ends up winning a goal kick.

7 Davies and Clichy, who have history, clash for the first time as the Bolton man sends the Gunners full-back crashing to the floor. He didn't seem to do much wrong as he challenged for a high ball, but is penalised by referee Chris Foy.

6 Sagna makes inroads down the right, and gets to the dead-ball line, but his cross is woeful and drifts straight out play. Promising start from the hosts who look ready to bombard the Bolton goal.

5 Jaaskelainen called into action for the first time as he comfortably deals with a a tame Van Persie effort.

Kingsley Onyeche in New York is hoping to see Vela at some stage, depends how the game goes i suppose, and is backing the Gunners to win 2-1.

4 Arsenal, as you would expect, are seeing plenty of the ball, with Bolton happy to get men behind the ball and close off any route to goal. Let's hope the game opens up as it draws on.

3 First touch in the Premier League for Basham. The Gunners will be keen to get the ball to Nasri as often as possible and test the young full-back.

2 Jinking run from Diaby as he threatens to break into the box. He is halted in his tracks by Shittu, but brushed past three challenges in impressive fashion.

1 Clumsy challenge from McCann on Nasri early on. Bolton will give no quarter this afternoon and Arsenal need to be ready for battle.

Arsenal get us underway.

Here come the teams! On a bitterly cold afternoon let's hope the action on the field warms the cockles.

Thanks to Peter Walker for dropping me a line from the middle of a Michigan blizzard. He is glad to be inside, out of the inclement weather and is hoping to see his beloved Trotters take a positive result from their visit to the capital this afternoon. Will he be celebrating this evening. We are about to find out!

Michael Cardoso is tuning in from Edinburgh uni, while he should be doing his coursework. I don't blame you mate! He admits to feeling slightly uneasy whenever he sees Djourou's name on the scoresheet and has a bad feeling that Bolton's physical presence up top could trouble Arsenal.

Another supporter for the 3-1 scoreline. Proving to be a popular choice! This time Moe Raja is plumping for that result, with Adebayor and Van Persie set to give the Trotters the run around. While remaining optimistic in regards to the score, he does, however, claim that should the Gunners fail to secure all three points today they can wave goodbye to their title dreams.

Jay Allen is first out of the blocks with a prediction. He expects Bolton to make life difficult for the Gunners, but is backing Wenger's men to emerge with a 3-1 win. Bold, but he may prove to be right. For anyone agreeing with Jay, you can get a 3-1 home win at 10/1 with skybet.

Toure and Denilson return for Arsene Wenger's side, with Silvestre and Gallas both ruled out , while Gary Megson has named just four substitutes after suffering an injury crisis at the Reebok Stadium.

Bolton team: Jaaskelainen, Basham, Shittu, Andrew O'Brien, Samuel, Taylor, Muamba, McCann, Gardner, Elmander, Davies. Subs: Bogdan, Riga, Fojut, Obadeyi.

Arsenal team: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Djourou, Clichy, Eboue, Diaby, Denilson, Nasri, Adebayor, Van Persie. Subs: Fabianski, Vela, Ramsey, Wilshere, Bendtner, Bischoff, Gibbs.

You can also bet in-play during today's proceedings at skybet.com. Arsenal start the game as 4/11 favourites, with Bolton long shots at 11/1. Van Persie and Adebayor lead the first goalscorer market at 7/2, while you can get a 2-1 Gunners win at an eye-catcing 7/1.

How do you see the game going? Will the Gunners prove too strong on home soil or can the Trotters recover from suffering four defeats in their last five outings? Who will be the star of the show - Van Persie, Nasri, Elmander or Davies? Let me know your thoughts.

You can air your opinions throughout the game by contacting me direct at Chris.Burton@bskyb.com.

Following Aston Villa's victory earlier in the day, the Gunners will be looking to keep pace with the top four. Bolton, meanwhile, will be hoping to clamber into the top half of the table if they can spring an upset in north London.

Welcome to Emirates Stadium for today's Premier League encounter between Arsenal and Bolton.