Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Arsenal: Last-minute Tamir Cohen header sees Gunners' title challenge come to abrupt end

Daniel Sturridge put the hosts in front in the first half, while Arsenal was frequently in control in the second half, dominating possession in its usual fashion following a missed penalty from Kevin Davies and Robin van Persie's equalizer.

But Cohen's late, late goal effectively ended Arsenal's tilt at the title. There is still a mathematical possibility of Arsenal becoming champions, but one only had to look at the faces on the Arsenal bench to gauge how likely that will be.

Much had been said about Jack Wilshere’s return to the Reebok Stadium, and the young midfielder was keen to make an impression on the game early on, with Arsenal on the front foot from the off.

Wilshere looked to get on the ball as often as possible, leading to a very early - and perhaps a touch harsh booking for Fabrice Muamba after the Bolton midfielder felled his former team-mate.

Cesc Fabregas was pulling the strings in midfield though, sending Theo Walcott through on goal down the inside right of the pitch, but the England winger’s effort was well-saved by Jussi Jaaskelainen.

A finger-tip stop from the Bolton ‘keeper in the 16^th minute was all that prevented Fabregas putting Arsenal in the lead, the World Cup winner’s effort going just wide after the faintest of touches from Jaaskelainen.

That’s not to say it was all going Arsenal’s way, however. On-loan Chelsea player Daniel Sturridge was proving to be a thorn in the side for the Gunners’ defense, linking well with Kevin Davies on multiple occasions, with Davies poking an early effort just wide when he really should have done better.

A fantastic ball from Sturridge in the 24^th minute gave Bolton its best chance of opening the scoring, with Lee Chung Yong bearing down on the Wojciech Szczesny, he attempted a baffling pass to Matt Taylor that was easily intercepted by Alex Song.

It was a nervy few minutes for Arsenal, with lapses in defense giving Bolton more confidence. First Djourou missed his kick, giving Taylor a shot that was simple enough for Szczesny to deal with.

Then Taylor whipped in a ball from wide on the left only a minute later, and had a Bolton striker been following in on the ball, they would have profited with a goal after Szczesny spilled it.

Chances were coming in fits and bursts, with Samir Nasri dragging a shot wide at one end before Lee’s shot was well saved by Szczesny after a fabulous through ball from Sturridge, and from the corner Bolton took the lead.

First and foremost, the Arsenal marking was atrocious, as it managed to let Gary Cahill wonder unmarked before crashing in a header that was just cleared off the line by Nasri. But popping up from two yards to nod in was Sturridge, with his seventh goal in nine appearances for the Wanderers.

With less than 10 minutes to go before half-time, Arsenal seemed somewhat shell-shocked, but almost came up with the perfect response, as Fabregas was allowed to shoot from 25 yards, but his effort crashed back off the post.

The second half started off at an astounding pace, with Bolton awarded a penalty after only 30 seconds after Johan Djourou was adjudged to have brought down Sturridge. Kevin Davies stepped up, but his penalty was poor, leaving Szczesny with an easy save, if there is such a thing when facing a spot-kick.

Only two minutes after, Arsenal was level. Robin van Persie has been one of the Gunners’ best performers this season, despite facing months on the side lines, and he underlined his importance to the team as he seemed to conjure a goal from almost nothing.

He started with the ball on the edge of the box, almost teasing his opponents before rolling the ball into Fabregas just inside the area. The Spaniard then rolled the ball back, and Van Persie stepped up to sweep it into the bottom corner of the net and become the first player in Premier League history to score in seven consecutive away matches.

It was a long time before either team would create a clear-cut chance, but at the 70-minute mark, Arsenal had two opportunities to take the lead.

Van Persie set up both chances with near-perfect lofted passes over the Bolton defense, first setting up Samir Nasri, who’s shot was straight at Jaaskelainen, and then his follow-up was blocked on the line by Cahill.

Then Marouane Chamakh, a second-half substitute was sent through, but tried to find Nasri with a header when a shot looked a much easier option.

It seemed to be a familiar situation for Arsenal, all of the possession, and with chances to boot, but always looking for one more pass than was strictly necessary in search of the ‘perfect goal’.

The same happened again to Nasri in the 75^th minute, this time played in by Andrei Arshavin, but he looked to pass to a team-mate rather than shoot.

A draw would have been testament to the defensive capabilities of Bolton as much as Arsenal’s attacking frustrations, but a fantastic header from substitute Tamir Cohen in the 90^th minute ensured that Bolton took all three points.

It was a poignant moment for the midfielder as he revealed a t-shirt dedicated to the memory of his father Avi Cohen, who died in December last year.

And for Arsenal it was a horrendous moment, which all but ended its assault on the Premier League title.

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