Koscielny 24       Elmander 44

                                                                                                                                              Song 78

                                                                                                                                               Vela 83

Arsenal overcame a spirited Bolton at the Emirates, but only after Wanderers’ centre-half Gary Cahill was, possibly harshly, dismissed on 63 minutes.

The Gunners were on top when Cahill crashed into the back of Maroune Chamakh near the dugouts. But Bolton still had a foothold in the game, which they lost with only ten men.

Arsene Wenger’s men had chances throughout and Bolton’s EPL debutant keeper Adam Bogden was already a busy man when Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny bundled home the opening goal from Cesc Fabregas’s header on 24 minutes.

Koscielny was hero-turned-villain before half-time when his misplaced header fell to Lee Chong-Yong, and with Arsenal’s defence momentarily out-of-position, Lee floated a far post cross which was nodded in from four yards by Johan Elmander.

Chamakh restored Arsenal’s lead on 58 minutes. Bogden saved the Moroccan’s fierce left-foot drive but Chamakh headed home Fabregas’s cross from the half-cleared corner.

Cahill saw red five minutes later. And Arsenal were well on top when Alexander Song’s cheeky close-range finish on 78 minutes made it 3-1.

The fourth was typical Arsenal - 26 neat passes pre-empting Fabregas’s ball over the top for Carlos Vela, who sped clear and supplied a precision left-foot finish.