Arsenal spoil Owen Coyle’s debut as Bolton manager

Fàbregas is not only Wenger’s dream signing, of course, but the fantasy purchase of every ambitious club chairman/president in the world, particularly those in Madrid and Barcelona. Just as on his previous appearance, in the 3-0 victory against Aston Villa on December 27, the Spain midfield player did enough to win the game on his own, scoring Arsenal’s first goal, making the second for Fran M?rida, a substitute, and being denied two penalties, the first of which was as clear as they come.

The euphoria created by Fàbregas’s heroics against Villa soon subsided as news of a hamstring injury spread and fans will spend the next few days anxiously awaiting bulletins on his fitness. Arsenal are not quite a one-man team, as they have shown by winning two of the three games played in his absence, but represent a different proposition with Fàbregas pulling the strings in midfield, spraying balls all over the pitch, making late runs into the penalty area and increasingly scoring goals.

Yesterday’s opener was his tenth in the league this season, already three more than his previous record for a campaign, a significant improvement that goes some way to supporting Wenger’s frightening claim that the best is yet to come.

The manager could barely bring himself to acknowledge Fàbregas’s importance to the side yesterday as he sought to sustain the squad’s belief that they can win the league — “You can see for yourself,” was all he would say — but Owen Coyle was more effusive in his praise for an individual he regards as the best midfield player in the Barclays Premier League. The Bolton Wanderers manager was unfortunate to come up against Fàbregas in such form in his first game in charge, but took heart from the spirit shown and occasionally stylish football played by his new team.

“Fàbregas could play for anyone in world football — Barcelona or Real Madrid — because he’s a top, top player,” Coyle said. “There are different types of midfield players, but he’s the most pleasing on the eye. He’s got everything in his locker. He’s got pace, composure, the finishing ability of a top striker, movement and imagination. He’s a quality player and Arsenal are very fortunate to have him.”

Coyle could not have been given a more difficult start to his reign than two matches against Arsenal in the space of four days — the opposite of the soft landing that Roberto Mancini received at Manchester City — but there are also positive aspects to a formidable fixture list that resumes at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. With Coyle committed to introducing the cavalier, attacking style of play patented at Burnley to a squad of unashamed Roundheads, there is no better side to face than Arsenal, who at least give their opponents time and space to play.

With the home crowd buoyed by a seemingly never-ending montage of Coyle’s goals for the club — were pitches really that bad as recently as the mid-1990s? — Bolton at least began the new era positively. For one brief moment Ivan Klasnic must have thought that he had given Coyle the dream start when he had the ball in the net after a ball over the top in the second minute, although it was ruled out because he was adjudged offside by the narrowest of margins.

Arsenal were strangely slow out of the blocks, with Craig Eastmond, 19, demonstrating his inexperience on his full league debut in central midfield by giving away the ball repeatedly and Armand Traor? looking an accident waiting to happen at left back, but Fàbregas soon dragged his team-mates into the game. The midfield player could have had a penalty in the twelfth minute when he went down under the challenge of Jussi Jaaskelainen, the goalkeeper, as he strained to get on the end of a cross by Eduardo da Silva and was also denied a spot-kick half an hour later after being upended by Zat Knight.

With everyone pitted against him, Fàbregas responded by taking matters into his own hands in the 28th minute. The 22-year-old was assisted by his quick-footed courtiers in Arsenal’s midfield, Tomas Rosicky and Andrey Arshavin, although the Czech Republic international looks more a lady-in-waiting. After a dizzying spell of one-touch football that has become their trademark, the ball fell to Fàbregas, who played a one-two with Eduardo before beating Jaaskelainen with a right-foot shoot into the bottom far corner.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Bolton starting well and creating two fine chances spurned by the unfortunate Matt Taylor before being killed off by Arsenal’s more clinical finishing. Fàbregas turned provider in the 78th minute, picking out Eduardo, who crossed from the left byline for M?rida to score his first, and possibly his last, league goal for the club. The 19-year-old is on the verge of signing a pre-contract agreement with Atl?tico Madrid.

Losing M?rida will be a blow for Wenger, but any sale of Fàbregas would be so calamitous as to lead the manager to question his own future.

Bolton (4-4-1-1): J Jaaskelainen 6 G Steinsson 5 G Cahill 6 Z Knight 5 P Robinson 5 Lee Chung Yong7 F Muamba 6 T Cohen 7 M Taylor 5 K Davies 5 I Klasnic 5 Substitutes: G McCann 6 (for Muamba, 62min), R Gardner (for Cohen, 79), J Elmander (for Klasnic, 79). Not used: A Al Habsi, M Davies, S Ricketts, A O’Brien. Next: Arsenal (a).

Arsenal (4-1-2-3): M Almunia 6 B Sagna 6 T Vermaelen 7 W Gallas 6 A Traor? 5 C Eastmond 5 F Fàbregas 8 A Diaby 6 T Rosicky 7 Eduardo da Silva 7 A Arshavin 7 Substitutes: F M?rida 6 (for Eastmond, 63min), G Clichy (for Rosicky, 74), C Vela (for Eduardo, 85). Not used: L Fabianski, M Silvestre, F Coquelin, J Emmanuel-Thomas. Next: Bolton Wanderers (h).

Referee: P Dowd. Attendance: 23,893.