Arsenal boss insists they deserved to beat Bolton

Bolton star Gary Cahill was sent off in the second half after a challenge on Marouane Chamakh, a decision that seemed harsh.

“It was a difficult game but I feel we were on top of the game,” he said.

“I am convinced that Cahill got his frustration out because he wanted a penalty just before and you can give a red card for tackling from behind.

“There was no need to tackle and they roughed us up on a few occasions. It looked to me as if you can give it.

“I don’t want to judge the referee. I thought it was a physical game for us and we responded well to the situation without losing the technical part of our game.

“Overall it was a competitive game where we dominated and created many chances, but when you play against Bolton, as long as you don’t kill the game off, they can score – you can dominate 80% of the game and still lose.

“They marked us very tight, which provoked a very physical game, but they also played well.

“Bolton had full commitment and we needed to be patient, to get our technique and passing to prevail.

“It was a good test for our two centre-backs, who did very well and I am pleased with the performance of the whole team.”

“There could have been other red cards,” he added.

“You have to see it again because in the heat of the game it is sometimes difficult to judge, but the challenge on (Abou) Diaby was a bad tackle.

“He is not in a very good shape. Diaby cannot move his leg at the moment, so we will see how we get away with it.”