English FA Cup/ Arsenal 1 Bolton 1:At the end of a fourth-round weekend containing scarcely a speck of romance, rigorous Premiership qualities came to the aid of the FA Cup's reputation.

This was eventually a thrilling game in which Arsenal fell behind to a goal of such smoothness that it might have been plagiarised from their manual. Bolton Wanderers looked as if they might make off with a victory as well. Kolo Toure denied them that, but his equaliser now sends Arsenal, on St Valentine's Day, to the torture chamber that the Reebok Stadium has become for them. Arsene Wenger, witnessing his side concede the opener for the 12th time this season, must be as exasperated by this habit of falling behind as he is proud of the powers of recovery.

Bolton merited this draw and Wenger's pre-match comment that Sam Allardyce's team pull off good results because they have good players was, from Arsenal's viewpoint, annoyingly endorsed. The captain, Kevin Nolan, who had opened the scoring in the 50th minute, might have extended the lead two minutes later. A fine pass by Ivan Campo put him through, but he attempted to walk round Manuel Almunia and was foiled by the goalkeeper.

All the same, it took a role reversal for Arsenal to turn the game around as they pulled level from a set piece. "They were punished at their own game," Wenger said of the 78th-minute equaliser.

Cesc Fabregas took a free-kick from the right and a leaping Gary Speed could only help the ball on towards the far post, where Toure finished with a bouncing header.

This encounter has whetted the public's appetite for the replay, but Wenger's taste for it is in doubt. "I will see with whom we play because it's important not to lose too many players," the manager said of his possible line-up. Having already lost Robin van Persie to injury, he witnessed another forward, Baptista, straining a groin here, although he hopes the Brazilian can recover for the second leg of the English League Cup semi-final with Tottenham on Wednesday.

Bolton made do with what they had in the most rugged manner, and Kevin Davies soldiered on despite needing an injection in his foot at half-time.

There was no sign of numbness as the visitors went ahead with an adroit goal. Nolan passed to Nicolas Anelka, who was coming into the move for the second time, and the former Arsenal striker sent play to Davies on the right. He drilled the ball across the area and Nolan converted at the far post.

Arsenal hold no fear for these adversaries. "We can look at our record and say we have a great chance of going through," declared Allardyce, whose side knocked Wenger's men out of the Cup at the Reebok last year.

There were suggestions from the start at the Emirates that a replay might not be required for Bolton, as Arsenal, as their manager admitted, lacked sharpness in the first half.

Davies could have scored with two minutes gone, when his header flew to Almunia, and after a quarter of an hour he glanced a Stelios Giannakopoulos corner to Campo, whose effort appeared to be going high even before the Arsenal goalkeeper touched it.

It required a mistake before the home team could provoke panic. Ricardo Gardner was short with a header in the 41st minute and, after intercepting it, Henry, facing the corner flag, improvised a finish by backheeling the ball. Abdoulaye Meite, a highly effective centre-half throughout, had to hack clear from the goalline.

Inevitably the alarm at being behind was to galvanise Arsenal, and Jussi Jaaskelainen needed to block at Henry's feet following build-up work by Emmanuel Adebayor. The home team's tempo was at last at the desired level, with Fabregas increasingly prominent. But, for a team crushed by Middlesbrough a week earlier, Bolton were surprisingly firm.

The centre-halves conveyed the impression that they would repel every threat. In the end they could not quite do so, but Arsenal know exactly how redoubtable Bolton will be at the Reebok.

• Guardian Service