Another Draw in another Cup draw

Senior Arses 1
(Toure 78th)

Sam's Bolt 1
(Nolan 50th)

Second draw in a row but this one results in a replay, another match that we don't really need on our fixtures list.

We were poor, by our own standards, in the first 60 minutes.

Whereas it's normally the last pass that goes astray, in this match we lost possession much quicker.

With Alex Hleb joining the growing crocks list, Arsene's decision to start Walcott looked somewhat hopeful rather than pragmatic.

The young man's performance has dipped without really realising its much-touted potential ever since he joined.

An alternative being bandied on Gooner forums is to play him regularly in the Youth squad and recall Niklas Bendtner to join the first team.

He looked short of confidence and pace throughout the game. And with Flamini alongside him and Hoyte behind, it was plainly too much to expect a lot from the right flank.

All this resulted in Bolton freezing our right flank while Nolan and Anelka hassled Flamini in the centre.

So much so that the both of them were breezing past Flamini time and again to launch deft raidsdown the centre that left Senderos looking downright ponderous and Kolo Toure getting caught out of position.

We really missed Gilberto.

Bolton struck in the 50th minute, their forays gelled into a multi-pass movement that pulled the Arsenal defence one way, then the other before Kevin Nolan slotted the ball past Toure and Almunia.

It went Nolan-pass-Anelka-pass-Davies-low cross-Nolan-shoot.

It was the sort of slick movement that we are so used to see our team inflict upon others. And here it was being done unto us. Oh, woe ... but good goal that one.

Things looked better after the Beast went in, adding some steel to the central thrusts. We definitely looked better and when the Bolton defence started racking up fouls just outside the penalty area, we could see that it was just a matter of time (and some luck) before we got the equaliser.

It came via Toure, who went down behind the entire defence to head into the ground from a Cesc free-kick. The ball ballooned off the turf just out of Jaaskelainen's outstretched hands and into the net.

The weird thing about it was it was such a Bolton-ese goal. It was like the team swapped personalities when it came to scoring.

Hopefully when it gets to the Reebok stadium the result will swap with what we got in our previous outing there.

Ex-Arse Nicholas Anelka @Incredible Sulk, visiting the Al-Nasr Club.
Yes, he's a Muslim.