Bolton dominate but fail to secure win

Bolton 1 Southampton 1

Sam Allardyce saw his Bolton side squander a host of chances tonight, failing to move into a Champions League spot in the Premiership table in the process.

It had all started so well with Stelios Giannakopoulos making the breakthrough with a brave header.

However, they let Southampton off the hook and Kevin Phillips grabbed the equaliser to take his side out of the relegation zone.

It was little wonder the frustration showed on Bolton manager Allardyce’s face at the end.

Bolton had the momentum from the off and Bruno N’Gotty got away from his marker to meet a Gary Speed corner from the right after 10 minutes.

However the big central defender appeared to be slightly off-balance and sent his header over the crossbar from a good position.

Southampton again found themselves on the back foot and El-Hadji Diouf rattled in a shot that was blocked by Danny Higginbotham.

Then Nicky Hunt raced downfield for the home side only to send a weak header the wrong side of the post.

After a superb run of results, Bolton were beginning to knock the ball around with a bit of confidence.

They almost took the lead only for Nigel Quashie to first block Kevin Nolan’s effort on the line then the rebound from Giannakopoulos.

This was a worrying spell for Southampton and Fernando Hierro’s 20-yard thunderbolt in the 21st minute was deflected to safety at the last minute.

Then Nolan headed wide following a cross from Jay-Jay Okocha as Bolton kept up the pressure.

The breakthrough came after 25 minutes when Giannakopoulos headed home following a delightful cross from Diouf.

Giannakopoulos has taken on the goalscoring mantle in recent weeks as Bolton have continued their push for Europe.

He is on a roll at a crucial time of the season for the club – this was the Greece winger’s fourth goal in seven league games.

Southampton were finding themselves pegged back as the first half drew to a close with the home side firmly in control.

Okocha almost added a second goal in the 37th minute following another flowing move.

He fired in a shot that was deflected by Rory Delap with the visitors grateful to concede only a corner.

Diouf then cut in from the wing but his effort hit his team-mate Nolan, giving the Saints a lucky escape.

It was one-way traffic with Okocha unlucky not to get on the scoresheet in the first half.

The Nigerian’s wayward crossfield pass took goalkeeper Antti Niemi by surprise but he got his bearings right at the last moment.

Diouf was wasteful in the 48th minute when he scooped a shot over the bar when it seemed easier to score after Niemi blocked Speed’s header on the line.

The scare for Southampton followed a marvellous piece of skill from Giannakopoulos after he worked an opening from the right.

Higginbotham then came to Saints’ rescue in the 53rd minute when he got in the way of a piledriver from French defender N’Gotty.

Bolton were almost made to pay for their poor finishing in the 56th minute when Southampton should have equalised.

Oakley sent his close-range shot over the top after Jussi Jaaskelainen had blocked his opening effort as well as Peter Crouch’s attempt on goal.

That near-miss, however, raised Saints’ spirits and it was Bolton who were beginning to look a little bit vulnerable.

A long throw from Delap found Kevin Phillips lurking in the area but Hunt was alert to the danger and cleared the ball to safety.

Southampton drew level in the 69th minute when Phillips breached the defence to beat Jaaskelainen from six yards.

Bolton came within a whisker of regaining the lead in the 74th minute through substitute Kevin Davies, who had replaced Nolan.

He send in a superb volley that beat Niemi, only to come back off the inside of the post.

Bolton had the momentum with Okocha twice going close to scoring with instinctive efforts.

The club captain saw a shot from close range go wide then he was marginally off-target with a superbly-flighted free-kick.

Niemi then came to Saints’ rescue in the last minute when he blocked a close-range effort from Davies.

Bolton had 16 shots on target and only one goal to show – a statistic that tells its own story.