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The referee blows up for full-time.
Bolton win a corner but the referee blows up for a foul on Thomas Sorensen.
Villa win a free-kick in a dangerous position but Kevin Davies is on hand to scramble the ball clear.
Tal Ben-Haim is booked following a late tackle on Gareth Barry.
El Hadji Diouf cuts into the box but fails to pick out the waiting Kevin Nolan.
Bolton are unlucky to see Kevin Nolan's close-range effort ruled out for offside.
El Hadji Diouf puts in a dangerous cross but Thomas Sorensen rushes off his line to punch the ball clear.
Villa apply the pressure when forcing two quick corners but Wanderers clear the danger.
Kevin Davies misses a great chance to give Bolton the lead when placing a header straight at Thomas Sorensen from Jay-Jay Okocha's cross.
Bolton have good claims for a penalty turned down when El Hadji Diouf is pushed over in the area.
Villa win a corner but Bolton awarded a free kick following a foul on Jussi Jaaskelainen.
Juan Pablo Angel breaks into the box but Tal Ben-Haim is on hand to snuff out the danger for Wanderers.
Bolton win a free-kick only for Jay-Jay Okocha to fire his shot straight into the wall.
Villa break and win a corner but his delivery is poor and Jussi Jaaskelainen is on hand to gather the ball.
Thomas Sorensen pulls off a fine double save to deny Kevin Nolan and Radhi Jaidi both from close range.
Jay-Jay Okocha comes on to replace the injured Ivan Campo.
El Hadji Diouf goes close when firing his shot from 18 yards just wide of the Villa post.
Bolton win a succession of corners but El Hadji Diouf's delivery is poor and Villa clear the danger.
Bolton win a free-kick on the edge of the area but Gareth Barry clears the ball upfield.
The second half gets underway.
The referee blows up for half-time.
Ivan Campo's free-kick is well cleared by Villa as Bolton apply some late pressure.
Villa win a corner following good work by Nolberto Solano but Radhi Jaidi is on hand to clear the kick.
Bolton win a corner but Radhi Jaidi's header is well off target.
Kevin Phillips looks to pull the trigger on the edge of the box only for Ivan Campo to fly in with a fine saving tackle.
Aaron Hughes whips in a dangerous cross but Juan Pablo Angel is punished for a foul on Nicky hunt.
Gareth Barry puts in a cross for Villa but Bolton manage to clear the danger.
Jlloyd Samuel goes down in the box claiming a penalty but ref Riley waves play on.
El Hadji Diouf is booked following a late tackle on Jlloyd Samuel.
Bolton go close again with Thomas Sorensen pulling off a good save to deny Radhi Jaidi.
It's end-to-end stuff with Bolton winning a corner but Henrik Pedersen is penalised for a foul on Thomas Sorensen.
Villa break and win a corner but fortunately for Bolton the referee spots a foul and awards the visitors a free-kick.
Bolton win a succession of corners but Villa manage to scramble the ball clear.
Kevin Davis goes close for Bolton when firing a left-footed shot just wide.
Villa level matters once again when Steven Davis volleys the ball home from inside the box.
Ivan Campo heads Bolton in front when latching on to Gary Speed's corner kick.
Bolton level matters when Kevin Davies scoops the ball home after Radhi Jaidi flicks on Kevin Nolan's throw in.
Villa take the lead as Kevin Phillips heads home Nolberto Solano's cross from close range.
Bolton break down the left and Thomas Sorensen does well to hang on to El Hadji Diouf's cross.
Referee Mike Riley blows up to get the clash underway.
David O'Leary's pre-match demand for a goalscoring improvement from Juan Pablo Angel fell on deaf ears as the Colombian international striker struggled to make any impact against a solid Bolton side. The result was that Villa struggled to get into top gear and, like last season, dropped vital home points in the process. With four goals in the opening hectic ten minutes both teams were keen to impress but they later consolidated to grind out a draw. Villa were first to make an impact with Kevin Phillips opening his account in only the fourth minute with a simple tap-in when he converted a cross from newcomer Aaron Hughes. But Bolton capitalised on some embarrassingly sloppy defensive play by Villa when Kevin Davies scored from close range in the seventh minute following a throw-in which was headed on by Radhi Jaidi. Ivan Campo headed Bolton into the lead from a Davies corner in the ninth minute only for Steven Davis to equalise when he hooked in a pass from Phillips a minute later. Following this early frivolity the two teams reverted to a more normal approach and as a result the game became a dogged encounter. Villa were unable to really dominate a persistent Bolton side in which Campo was a key figure. Phillips made a pleasing impact with some positive play but the performance of Angel was again poor and emphasised the need to acquire Milan Baros. Bolton, who left out skipper Jay-Jay Okocha and Manchester City target Stelios from their starting line-up, were positive and played with an assurance which often put Villa out of their stride. The visitors were always potentially dangerous as demonstrated eight minutes into the second half when Kevin Nolan drifted in on the blind side to put in a close-range header which was brilliantly saved by Thomas Sorensen. As the heavy rain gave way to some weak sunshine Villa slowly emerged from their defensive bunker but Bolton had long since closed the door on any further goals. Okocha replaced the injured Campo in the second half and Bolton were never in danger of an opening day defeat. MAN OF THE MATCH: Ivan Campo (Bolton) - Before his injury he was a calming influence in the Bolton side, helping to stem Villa's early attacking enterprise and heading a crucial goal to ensure the match ended level.
Corners
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Shots off target
Offsides
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