Great Dane to the rescue for Gunners

Nicklas Bendtner saved Arsenal from enduring yet more home frustration as his late goal ensured a 1-0 win over Bolton on Saturday.

Arsene Wenger’s side looked certain to cede more ground to Aston Villa in the race for Champions League qualification as they laboured against a makeshift Wanderers line-up.

But Bendtner – on as a second-half substitute – spared their blushes by expertly converting Robin van Persie’s cross with just six minutes remaining.

Arsenal remain three points behind Villa in fifth place in the Premier League but Wenger will be grateful for small mercies as he seeks to salvage some pride from the domestic campaign.

Defeat was harsh on Bolton, and while Arsenal will claim their dominance of possession and chances made them worthy of the win, their heroic defenders – and in particular the totemic Andy O’Brien – did not deserve the late sting in the tail.

Their rearguard action was all the more impressive given manager Gary Megson could name only three outfield players on his bench thanks to injuries and suspensions.

Those that did feature were intent on nothing more than smothering their hosts and the ploy almost worked a treat. Bolton worked feverishly in the freezing cold to close down the Emirates’ wide open spaces and Arsenal were frustrated, especially in the first half when they hardly created a chance worthy of the name.

Their best moments invariably came from the lively van Persie. The Dutchman almost conjured a goal from nothing in the 13th minute when he brought Samir Nasri’s cross-shot under control and cracked a volley fractionally over.

Wenger’s mood as he trooped off for the interval was probably best summed up by a first-half electrics failure which temporarily cut out half the stadium’s floodlights.

The Frenchman would have been entitled to blow a fuse or two himself in the home dressing room but, while Arsenal did inject more urgency into their performance, they still failed to convince.

Even when they did carve out clear chances, the fates conspired against them. Emmanuel Adebayor looked certain to deliver the opening goal in the 65th-minute when Nasri’s cute pass set him clear but, just as his shot began to curl towards the bottom corner, O’Brien stuck out a leg and blocked.

That prompted Wenger to collapse to his haunches in the exasperated pose that has become only too familiar this season, but his torment was only just beginning.

Moments later, van Persie collected Adebayor’s pass, turned inside O’Brien with a breathtaking bodyswerve and placed his shot wide of Jaaskelainen, only for the ball to strike the post. Eboue followed up but the tireless O’Brien somehow found the energy to block his shot.

By now the game was being played exclusively in the Bolton half. Jaaskelainen dived to his right to turn aside Kolo Toure’s long-range strike and was grateful that Bendtner directed his first touch, a header from Nasri’s free-kick, straight into his arms.

Bendtner, never the most popular of figures in these parts, was in danger of being cast as the villain once again but, this time at least, the Dane scripted his own happy ending.

There were just five minutes remaining when van Persie’s inch-perfect chipped cross found Bendtner at the back post. The striker slid in ahead of Jloyd Samuel and crunched in on the half-volley.

There was still time for Arsenal to almost undo their good work – Kevin Davies firing straight at Manuel Almunia after being picked out by Chris Basham – but this was ultimately not Bolton’s day.