Don't blame Seaman over goal - Wenger

Arsene Wenger absolved David Seaman of blame after his latest goalkeeping mishap as he hailed Kanu for his character in securing Arsenal a last-gasp winner against 10-man Bolton.

Kanu’s damatic injury-time intervention to secure a 2-1 win saved Seaman’s blushes after the England keeper’s third high-profile mistake in just over three months.

While he was harshly criticised for letting in a Gianfranco Zola free-kick at Chelsea, Gareth Farrelly’s fluke goal at Highbury was a pure ‘Ronaldinho’ moment for Seaman as he was lobbed on the goal line.

Wenger, who confirmed Dennis Bergkamp would be travelling to PSV Eindhoven next week for the Champions League, insisted: “I think the ball was deflected by Ray Parlour, so I don’t think David could do anything about it.

“The ball hit the side-netting so it was almost impossible for him. It was very unfortunate but David knows deep down that he couldn’t do anything about the goal. It won’t affect him.

“You may feel hard done by but you forget it easily when you win the game. That’s the most important thing.

“You look at his reaction after the game and of course he was pleased. But I don’t think he feels any guilt for the goal.”

Arsenal had been leading 1-0 after Thierry Henry made amends for missing a penalty with a 26th-minute strike that matched Chesterfield’s 72-year-old English record for scoring in 46 consecutive league games.

Farrelly’s fortuitous equaliser put the pressure on Arsenal before Ivan Campo was dismissed with 10 minutes left for his second bookable offence.

Kanu, who had frustrated the crowd with his struggle to make an impression earlier on, took full advantage by forcing the ball home amid a penalty area scramble.

“I am happy for Kanu as he had a difficult start to the game but came better and better and in the end he made the difference,” added Wenger.

“He’s a guy with character.”

While Wenger went on to praise the all-round character of his team, Bolton boss Sam Allardyce was left cursing Campo as well as referee David Pugh.

Allardyce declared: “I was very disappointed in the major decisions made by the referee, but I also had to shove Ivan out of the way or I might have strangled him!

“We would have held on if we had kept 11 men on the pitch. So, in many ways, losing the game is our own fault and in particular Ivan’s for getting sent off for such a petty thing.

“He threw the ball to our keeper. As always, the referees will say that’s a bookable offence and they have to do it.”

With Campo’s first booking having been for dissent, Allardyce added: “The situation that really upsets is that we know he’s Spanish but he should control himself.

“He had a good game and is a good player but, unfortunately for us, he has ended up the villain today. We shall have to sit down and talk to him about that.”