Bolton were handed a cruel blow at the Emirates Stadium as Niklas Bendtner fired the Gunners to a 1-0 win with a little over five minutes of the match remaining.

The Whites had battled resiliently for almost the entirety of the contest until the substitute slid in at the far post to break Bolton hearts.

But even with the late timing of the goal, Kevin Davies still had the opportunity to salvage what would have been a deserved point in the dying minutes, however he didn't quite connect on his shot and Almunia saved to cement the three points for the Gunners.

A draw would have been a superb result for Gary Megson given the injury and suspension problems he faced ahead of kick-off.

Indeed, with Kevin Nolan and Gretar Steinsson suspended and Ebi Smolarek and Nicky Hunt added to the already lengthy casualty list, the Bolton manager was only able to name four of his allotted seven substitutes on the bench.

With no recognisable right-back available for selection, Chris Basham was handed his first start for the club and he performed admirably on his full debut.

He slotted in comfortably alongside Shittu, O'Brien and Samuel in a defence that on the whole looked water-tight, aside from the solitary moment that allowed Bendtner to poach the only goal of the game.

Gary Megson's men hacked, headed and kicked everything clear that Arsenal threw at them and up until half-time the only chances that the Gunners had created were pot shots from distance.

Robin Van Persie twice saw shots fly over the crossbar, the first of which was a stabbed finish after he had excellently controlled a through pass from Samir Nasri on 13 minutes.

Gael Clichy smashed one over from 30 yards whilst penalty claims for handball against Jlloyd Samuel fell on deaf ears in a largely uneventful first period.

One unfortunate moment for Bolton came on 35 minutes when Johan Elmander was forced to make way with what appeared to be a problem with his hamstring. The Sweden international pulled up innocuously on halfway after a challenge with Djourou and he was forced to withdraw from the match almost straight away.

After the break, Bolton began to pose more of an attacking threat and Matt Taylor forced Almunia to make a decent save within ten minutes of the restart. The number seven, back playing on his native left flank, leapt to stick his head on substitute Riga's inviting cross, but Almunia held well diving to his left.

As expected, Arsenal had the lion's share of possession, however they continued to find Bolton's rearguard well organised and difficult to penetrate.

The home supporters did think that the deadlock had been broken on 65 minutes when Emmanuel Adebayor found himself unmarked inside the penalty area. The Togo international looked to curl an effort into the far corner, but with Jaaskelainen beaten, Andy O'Brien read the danger superbly to make what simply was a goal saving block.

Five minutes later and Arsenal's frustration grew when Robin Van Persie stuck the post with a prodded finish before substitute Bendtner nodded straight at Jaaskelainen with his first touch.

However, the Dane's anguish soon turned to delight when he slid in at the far post to convert Van Persie's chipped cross from the touchline.

It was a harsh blow for the Whites who must have felt that a point was looking likely given the timing of the goal. But the spirit didn't drop and within three minutes Davies had his big chance to grab the equaliser.

Shittu was thrown forward to provide an extra attacking threat, Obadeyi was introduced to provide a speedy alternative in the final third and high balls were pumped into Arsenal's box as Bolton pressed for a goal their efforts deserved.

It didn't come and the final whistle was greeted with cheers of relief from the vast majority of the 60,068 supporters inside the Emirates who knew that their team was fortunate to come away with the three points.