skip to content

  • Kick-off: 15:00
  • Venue: Goodison Park
  • Attendance: 34417
  • Referee: Rennie, U

Live Commentary

90mins

FULL TIME: EVERTON 1-0 BOLTON WANDERERS: Everton take the spoils after Arteta's stunning effort but Bolton could have had a share of the points if not all three with a bit more luck, Tal coming closest as he hit the bar minutes after the Everton goal

90mins

Double Bolton substitution with Abdoulaye Faye coming on for Speed and Davies making way for Ricardo Vaz Te.

90mins

Some Everton fans believe they have scored a second but Johnson's header flies into the side netting.

89mins

Johnson picks up a booking for descent.

88mins

Arteta tries to get round Pedersen and manages to do so, charging down on goal but the linesman has given a free-kick for tug back by the Spaniard.

86mins

The substitute picks up Everton's second booking of the afternoon for a silly foul.

85mins

Campo makes way for Stelios Giannakopoulos as Bolton look to bring on more fire power in the late stages of this match.

84mins

Bolton are not out of this game but need to make more of their chances, loosing out when they really should keep possession.

83mins

Nuno Valente clatters into Diouf who is back in the wars and Bolton win a free-kick.

82mins

Meite looks Davies with a long ball but the latter's age gets the better of him as he lacks the pace to reach the ball.

80mins

Johnson does well looking to cross into the box but Ben Haim clears untroubled.

79mins

Diouf has a chance to cross but the strier seems fed up with taking up winger duties today and cuts in firing in a pacy shot but Howard deals with the effort.

78mins

Beattie makes way to be replaced by Victor Anichebe in the first change of the match.

77mins

Everton's quick break is countered by Bolton and Diouf has the ball wide on the left but the forward can't find a colleague to cross into to.

76mins

Diouf and Anelka work well together in the Everton box but the pair take too long and Everton claer the danger.

74mins

Speed has Tal in support as he breaks forward but the midfielder decides to shoot, earning a conrer in the process.

72mins

Stubbs does well at the back blocking a shot from Diouf as the striker comes to life late on.

70mins

Meite makes a mistake at the back, with the ball falling for Johnson but Meite makes up for his mistake forcing the striker out wide, leaving him unable to take a shot at goal.

69mins

Anelka charges down on Howard's goal and the American thinks about coming out but styas on his line and Anelka fails to test the stopper.

68mins

Campo is the man that the ball falls to but his effort-not for the first time- is weak and Everton survive another Wanderers' attack.

67mins

Lescott is furious with Ref Rennie as the man in black gives Bolton a corner.

65mins

Bolton have reacted well affter falling behind to Arteta's wonder strike, and are still creating chances.

63mins

Tal shows quick feet and cuts in from the left, leaving his marker for dead, the winger has a crack at goal but his rasping shot smashes back off the bar.

62mins

Diouf has another chance to set up a team-mate from a corner, Campo meets it and his header just rises above the bar.

60mins

EVERTON 1-0 BOLTON WANDERERS (ARTETA): ARTETA cuts in from the right hand side and from 20 yards out unleashes an unstoppable shot high into the Bolton goal.

59mins

Diouf steps up to take a corner which looks like it will find the head of Anelka bu the Frenchman has the ball stolen off the top off his head.

58mins

Good work from Bolton on the left hand side releases Tal who tries a first time cross but his pass flies into the stand.

57mins

Davies does well, and the ball finds its way to Anelka via Speed but the former Gunner striker's cut in and shot is cleared well by the Toffee's.

56mins

Arteta floats in another ball from a corner which Jaaskelainen fails to deal with but Davies helps out his 'keeper and clears the danger.

55mins

Nicky Hunt works well wide on the flank but his ball across goal is too high for Davies who can't get a touch on the ball.

54mins

Anelka, Diouf, Davies and Speed link up well in the box but the Wanderers take too long over the shot and Davies strolls into an offside position.

53mins

Diouf tries to find Anelka with a ball but the flag has already been raised.

52mins

Tal takes the ball down with his right foot well after a cleared header from Everton and his volleyed effort flashes just wide of Howard's post.

51mins

Arteta gives the ball to Johnson who looks to turn Abdoulaye Meite but the defender wins the battle of strength and brings the ball away for Bolton.

50mins

A dangerous cross comes in for Everton but Campo comes back to help out his defenders heading out well.

49mins

Diouf flicks the ball on but Yobo reads the pass and brings the ball away for Everton.

48mins

Speed is pushed in his own half and relieves a little bit of pressure for the visitors.

47mins

Arteta takes another trademark free-kick but the ball is cleared back out.

45mins

The second half gets underway with Everton kicking off.

45mins

HALF TIME: EVERTON 0-0 BOLTON WANDERERS: The whistle goes and apart from the late effort from Yobo, Bolton will be the happier team at the break.

45mins

Everton break at pace with Yobo given the opportunity to shoot, cracking off a shot from 12 yards which flies wide of goal.

45mins

Anelka makes a run out wide for a cross, but Howard deals with the ball well.

44mins

From the corner Speed crosses in only for Carsley to concede yet another corner.

43mins

Diouf crosses into the box but Yobo is their to clear for a Bolton corner.

42mins

Veteran Speed gets up well for the visitors but his header sails just wide of the post.

40mins

Another Bolton cross is headed out well as Diouf's ball in is met by the forehead of Joleon Lescott.

39mins

The visitors get a second bite of the cherry with Gary Speed curling in a ball but Valente heads out well.

38mins

Davies whips in a cross for Campo but the midfielders hair looks to have got in the way as his effort is weak and easily cleared.

37mins

Neville, already on a booking trips that man Diouf to concede another foul.

36mins

Arteta is in the heart of every Everton attack today and his drilled shot only fails to fly in thanks to a terrific block by the stretching Jaaskelainen.

34mins

Arteta runs over to the corner flag yet again but his outswinging corner flies over the head of everyone and out of play.

32mins

Stubbs fouls Diouf who is on the floor more than in the box so far but the referee is happy with giving just a foul.

30mins

Arteta chases down Diouf who is carrying out defensive duties in Bolton's own half and fouls the Senagalese strier, Jaaskelainen kicks it high out of danger.

28mins

Andrew Johnson trips Idan Tal as the defender tries to clear the danger and Jaaskelainen clears the ball with the free-kick.

25mins

It's Bolton on top at the moment, enjoying much of the possession but neither team can force a break-through at the moment.

23mins

Arteta accepts his dead-ball duties to take another corner which Beattie meets with his head but his effort creeps wide of goal.

22mins

Abdoulaye Meite fouls striker Johnson for yet another free-kick and Arteta swings in a ball but Davies defends well and clears for Bolton.

20mins

Diouf takes an inswinging corner from the left hand side but Alan Stubbs gets in the way to clear the danger.

19mins

Idan Tal takes the resulting free-kick but Howard comes out well to clutch onto the ball.

18mins

The ex-Man United midfielder Phil Neville picks up the first card of the match, fouling Diouf.

16mins

Joseph Yobo fouls El-Hadji Diouf as the striker made a run at goal but from the free-kick Kevin Davies muscles Joleon Lescott off the ball unfairly and Tim Howard kicks clear of the Everton box.

14mins

Jorge Nuno Valente shows his pace down the wing and swings in a cross looking for Carsley but the bald head of Carsley can't direct the ball towards goal, sending it wide of the right post.

13mins

Nicolas Anelka is the man who steps up to take the dead-ball but his effort flies straight into the defensive wall.

12mins

Alan Stubbs impedes Kevin Davies and referee Renie gives Everton a free-kick.

11mins

Osman puts a foot in on Campo near the Bolton box but it's a real attackers challenge and the whistle blows for a foul.

9mins

The game has become a little scrappy in the last few minutes with either side wasting a couple of throw-in opportunities.

7mins

Arteta crosses in from the right hand side which Leon Osman pounces on but his header is saved by Jussi Jaaskelainen.

6mins

Campo has seen much of the ball early on in this match and he finds himself with an opening, unleashing a volley towards go from 20 yards out but it sails wide of the upright.

5mins

Campo makes a surge down the wing and crosses into the box only for Lee Carsley to clear well with his head.

4mins

Campo floors the flying Mikel Arteta and gives away another free-kick which Arteta takes only for Campo to play a unique one-two, heading the cross clear.

2mins

James Beattie fouls Ivan Campo but straight after Bolton's free-kick, Pedersen slides in on Beattie and Everton have their first dead-ball.

0mins

Bolton kick off and immediately go on the attack, Henrik Pedersen winning a throw in in the opening minute.

0mins

Everton host today's game with only one victory in their last eight games and are without the influential Tim Cahill.

0mins

Bolton XI: Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Haim, Pedersen, Tal, Campo, Speed, Davies, Anelka, Diouf.

0mins

Everton XI: Howard, Yobo, Stubbs, Lescott, Valente, Osman, Carsley, Neville, Arteta, Johnson, Beattie.

Match Report

When Bolton boss Sam Allardyce stretched the club coffers to spend £8million on Nicolas Anelka he insisted the record outlay was necessary to turn 0-0s into 1-0s and his team from a top ten side into Champions League contenders.

But after failing once again to build on their impressive start to the season, Big Sam may be wondering whether he can ask for a refund in the January sales.

Mikel Arteta's thunder-bolt strike, an hour into a turgid meeting of two of the league's most committed sides, was enough to give the Blues a valuable home win.

Anelka's body language throughout the second half was enough to suggest, however, that this may not be the match made in heaven Allardyce thought it could be.

This was the Frenchman's tenth outing for the Trotters, with a solitary strike in the League Cup all he was to show in the goals for column.

The man famously nicknamed Le Sulk, for his previous indiscretions at Arsenal, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Fenerbahce, did show some early touches of class, but his 'play when I feel like it' style seems ill-suited to the blood and guts effort Big Sam expects from the rest of his troops.

For their part Everton did not make things easy for their North West neighbours. Organised as ever the Blues missed the thriving forward runs of the injured Tim Cahill but made up for it with the ultra-combative duo of Lee Carsley and Phil Neville doing their best to keep the Bolton bully boys at bay in the middle of midfield.

An open start saw both sides create telling chances within the first quarter of an hour. Ivan Campo flashed a volley wide after good work from Anelka five minutes in and seconds later, Leon Osman flicked a header goalwards from a dangerous position which Jussi Jaaskelainen saved comfortably in the end.

However, after Carsley fluffed another headed chance on 15 minutes the game descended into a niggly foul-fest with neither side able to establish any kind of rhythm.

Referee Uriah Rennie's lecture to El Hadji Diouf before the game had even kicked off set the tone with both teams giving away a procession of free-kicks in a disappointing first half.

Arteta, once again Everton's best player, did his best to restore some class to proceedings, jinking inside stand-in left-back Henrik Pedersen down the Everton right and firing a left-footed stinger through a crowd of players which Jaaskelainen did well to save with an out-stretched leg.

But aside from a wild volley from Idan Tal, in for Bolton captain Kevin Nolan who withdrew on compassionate grounds after his wife went into labour an hour before kick-off, that was exciting as it got.

Both sides' steely midfields cancelled each other out and the game had a worrying goalless draw feel about it until Arteta's rocket on the hour mark.

The Spaniard picked the ball up on the right after Carsley took advantage of a loose ball in the centre. He drove forwards and jinked inside first Abdoulaye Meite, then Tal, before unleashing a stunning left-footed drive that almost burst the back of the Bolton net and sent Goodison reeling in ecstasy.

The result may have been harsh on Bolton as in truth neither side probably deserved to lose. But as Anelka trudged straight off on the full-time whistle Big Sam will have been wondering quite what he has to do to get his most expensive asset firing, or whether it is already time to cut his losses and go back to what he knows.

Everton

Bolton Wanderers

Corners

58

Fouls

1814

Goal attempts

912

Shots off target

79

Offsides

11

advertisement

advertisement