They bounced back from the Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich to overcome a spirited home side after Ljungberg’s 13th goal of the season.

Bolton faced an uphill task after El-Hadji Diouf was dismissed in the ninth minute when he lashed out at goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

In a last throw of dice Allardyce brought on striker Henrik Pedersen for Ben Haim in the 82nd minute.

However, Arsenal nearly extended their lead two minutes later when Bergkamp’s superb free-kick was parried by Jaaskelainen.

Giannakopoulos saw a header go wide from a good position then Ljungberg scooped a shot over the bar from close range in stoppage time.