English FA Premiership: Arsene Wenger had worked himself into such a froth of indignation there was a moment when he seemed to be trembling with anger.

Alex Ferguson, that notorious mischief-maker, can congratulate himself for inspiring a rare, public show of temper from Arsenal's manager, yet it is difficult to imagine anything had fuelled Wenger's ire quite like the clumsy attempts of his players.

Considering the infrequency with which Arsenal lose it seems faintly preposterous that they should have a bogey team but if it is not Manchester United then Bolton Wanderers have the next best credentials. "We've sussed their formation," said Sam Allardyce. "We forced them into making basic errors and there were times when we passed the ball better."

And, in doing so, Bolton might have inflicted terminal damage on Arsenal's aspirations of successfully defending the league title. Wenger, going into straw-clutching mode, frequently recites the old line that Arsenal, Newcastle and Manchester United all know what it is like to fritter away leads of 10 or more points. Yet it is a history lesson of convenience. How many more times have a club been in Chelsea's position and kept their nerve?

Arsenal's fans might retain a shred more confidence had they not just witnessed their side being outmanoeuvred by a team that supposedly bases its tactics on nothing more refined than up-and-unders into the opposition area.

But the long-ball tag has always sat awkwardly with a side blessed with players like Ivan Campo and Jay-Jay Okocha and it is worth noting that it was Arsenal, not Bolton, who resorted to such a strategy by the time the fourth official showed there would be four minutes of stoppage time.

By that stage Bolton had inflicted a sense of desperation on a team that, quite frankly, do not appear to have the mental resolve to count themselves as equals to Chelsea. Arsenal were not just off colour they were positively feverish and it was difficult to recollect a single period when they dictated the pace of the game.

The most impressive performances came from those in white. No one passed the ball with greater care than Campo, no one had more authority in defence than Bruno N'Gotty and no one worked more diligently in attack than El-Hadji Diouf.

Wenger complained that his team had "lacked determined effort in the final third" which is possibly as close as he has come to criticising Thierry Henry. The Arsenal manager also raised no objections when a journalist questioned Patrick Vieira's sluggishness and concluded that "if you don't want to live with pressure you can't win championships".

Wenger, usually such a fierce protector of his own players, also broke with the norm to question the decision-making of his goalkeeper Manuel Almunia and, in the confines of the dressing room, his criticisms would surely have extended to the usually dependable Sol Campbell.

Diouf subjected the England defender to a torrid 90 minutes and, by eluding him just before the interval, created the space to cross for Stelios Giannakopoulos to score.

Allardyce, whose views on Wenger are not hugely dissimilar to Ferguson's, pointed out that Bolton had managed only three clean sheets all season. The Bolton manager had anticipated a second-half onslaught but it never materialised, even if Robert Pires headed wide of an open goal six minutes into the second half.

Chelsea now lie 10 points clear at the top and Allardyce certainly thinks they will go on and claim the championship.

"It is a tall order for anyone to catch Chelsea now," said the Bolton boss.

"It is all about Chelsea throwing it away from this position.

"I can't see them doing that with their squad and their determination.

"Chelsea keep clean sheets and that is the foundation for any success. There is no better way to win things."

Wenger conceded: "It does not look as though Chelsea will slip up. They are in an ideal position.

"It is too early to say they will never lose points - but they do not look vulnerable at the moment.

Allardyce was ecstatic after seeing Bolton beat their illustrious rivals at home for the first time in 10 years.

"It is more than just three points," he said. "The size of the victory against the size of the team tells everyone we are back on song.

"The players are playing with confidence after recent results and we saw the best from them here."

One of Ferguson's allegations over the weekend was that Arsenal "do not know how to lose". This was an occasion, however, when Wenger declined to volunteer any grievances other than against his own players. It was a minor victory, but he showed he knows how to lose after all. With four defeats in the north-west since October he is getting some practice.