Stel steals it!
From Rob Beasley at Reebok Stadium
STELIOS headed the only goal of the game as Bolton stunned Arsenal and left the title firmly within Chelsea's grasp.
Greece's Euro 2004 star — Wanderers' smallest player — took advantage of a mistake by keeper Manuel Almunia to nod the winner on 41 minutes to leave the Gunners 10 points behind Jose Mourinho's leaders.
The Blues' now-customary win over Tottenham meant that Arsenal were under intense pressure to stay in the hunt.
And they would also have been mindful of their recent struggles against Bolton, who have regularly frustrated the Gunners.
Remember it was here at the Reebok two seasons ago that a 2-2 draw derailed the title challenge of Arsene Wenger's men.
The fear factor could have explained why the Londoners were so low key from the off, with the home side looking more at the races.
And Bolton's early pressure almost gained an early reward when Almunia — looking decidedly dodgy as he tried to deal with an El-Hadji Diouf cross — fumbled the ball embarrassingly behind to give away a corner. Arsenal did respond though. Ashley Cole's ball into Robin van Persie almost unlocked the Trotters back line but the Dutchman's fierce shot cannoned back off defender Tal Ben Haim.
Skipper Patrick Vieira flashed a shot over from 25 yards while, at the other end, his Bolton counterpart Jay-Jay Okocha saw a shot blocked.
But it was pretty tame stuff — especially, considering the stakes, from Arsenal.
Charged
Almunia's promotion to first-choice keeper ahead of Jens Lehmann is a real topic for debate.
And the ditched German must have been shaking his head on the bench when his Spaniard replacement flapped alarmingly again after 25 minutes.
He needlessly charged off his line to try and clear a hopeful high ball into the box, even though he had two towering team-mates on hand to deal with the threat.
He succeeded only in punching the ball straight to Gary Speed on the edge of the box. But the Welshman clipped his shot over the bar when a more accurate effort would have really punished the keeper.
Again Arsenal tried to respond and inevitably the talismanic Thierry Henry was to the fore.
The Frenchman skipped away from Ben Haim and then tried a quickfire shot, hoping that Wanderers keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen might be caught napping.
But the other JJ was alert to the danger and made a comfortable save.
Arsenal maintained the momentum, though, and their best move of the match almost brought an opening goal.
Cole and Robert Pires combined quickly and cleverly to tee-up Van Persie — but Jaaskelainen was again in the right place to deal with the striker's swift shot on the turn.
But four minutes before half-time, it was Bolton who made the breakthrough. Kevin Nolan nodded the ball forward to the lively Diouf and he held off Sol Campbell before squeezing over a deep cross to the far post.
Almunia leapt but failed to collect, leaving the diminutive Greek midfielder Stelios free to nod the ball into the empty net.
The Arsenal players and fans looked stunned but it could have been even worse right on the stroke of half-time.
Failed
Nolan pounced on a sloppy ball from Justin Hoyte — but shot wide when he should have done much better.
Arsenal came out for the second period looking more up for the task and Jaaskelainen had to save bravely at the feet of Freddie Ljungberg just two minutes into the half.
Bolton hit back, with Okocha firing disappointingly wide before Arsenal returned to the attack as the game flowed excitingly from end to end.
Henry was involved again in one of Arsenal's best moments with a neat flick to Vieira, who freed Van Persie.
The shot was saved but Pires looked odds-on to convert the rebound.
Amazingly though, the French winger failed to even hit the target.
True to form, Bolton charged down the other end to threaten a second.
Scorer Stelios was sent scampering away on the right and he tried to lob Almunia but made a complete mess of it when more composure and a touch more quality could have punished the men from Highbury.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger decided that drastic action was needed to try and rescue the day and opted for a double substitution.
Off came the ineffective Cesc Fabregas and Van Persie to be replaced by veteran Dennis Bergkamp and Jose Reyes.
But Arsenal's increasing need to attack left them more and more vulnerable at the back and Bolton almost made them pay with 20 minutes left.
Diouf teased Campbell in the box and made room for a low right-foot shot which flashed across Almunia — but also a yard beyond the far post.
Henry had two late opportunities but fluffed them both.
Rich
And so the title race seems all over in mid-January.
The Invincibles have been superseded by the rich kids from the other side of town.
Even if boss Wenger makes signings during the transfer window, it seems highly unlikely they will catch Mourinho's men, who are on a roll and look in no mood to drop the required points needed to let the Gunners back into the title race.
Wenger and Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson are also-rans this season — who thought we would be saying that with four months to go.
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