Arsenal's little miracle is massive, says Robin

And it was, in more ways than one. Just when the English top flight was resembling a sanitised showcase of imported mercenaries feeding television's insatiable appetite, along came a proper, old-school football match which restored the faith.

Only the most naive of scriptwriters would have dared concoct the heady mix of raw emotion, high drama and the unlikeliest of storylines that transfixed 22,400 people on a grim, steel-grey Reebok afternoon.

The incident that might have dominated any other day — a rash lunge on Gretar Steinsson that resulted in Arsenal's Abou Diaby being sent off after halfan- hour — became merely one strand of this gripping epic.

Bolton, clear favourites with Fulham to be relegated alongside Derby, led 2-0 against a t e a m o f Champions League quarter-finalists and title contenders with less than half-an-hour to go.

Yet Arsenal, so often bruised losers in their least favourite arena and a man short after Diaby's red card, picked themselves up to win with a goal straight out of a French farce in the last seconds.

Three times Cesc Fabregas's desperate cross-cum-shot pinged off a weary Bolton defender before beating the admirable Ali Al Habsi. If they had all crumpled to the turf in tears of frustration, it would have been understandable.

The sight of Bolton's lion mascot trudging across the pitch, chin on chest, was a poignant contrast to the cavorting Arsenal players and fans at the final whistle. Singing In The Rain could be their new theme tune.

It is no exaggeration to suggest those 90 minutes could define the rest of the season for both clubs — and they knew it.

Bolton's morale suffered such a crushing blow, after Matty Taylor's goals had opened an unexpected route to survival, that it will be a major achievement to overhaul Birmingham's four-point advantage to escape the drop.

But Arsenal, spitting dust in Manchester United's title slipstream, did not dare go into a fixture list from hell — three games against Liverpool then a little trip to Old Trafford — without a win in six League games.

The spirit they showed in a remarkable last half-hour — "With 10 men, we had to attack like mad," shrugged Arsene Wenger — will not be lost on Liverpool, their Champions League visitors on Wednesday.

Nor at Old Trafford, where Sir Alex Ferguson had written them off, or Stamford Bridge, where Avram Grant recognises a never-say-die attitude when he sees it. "We will fight to the last second," said Wenger.

For some of Arsenal's younger players, Bolton might be seen as a rite of passage in the years ahead. Van Persie, who equalised after Gary Cahill brought down Alexander Hleb, marvelled: 'After an hour we were 2-0 down, it was pouring with rain and we were playing Bolton away. It could not have been any worse.

"It was unbelievable what happened. A little miracle that we summoned the strength to fight back and win from that position. Out of little miracles, sometimes come big miracles.

"If we'd lost, it would have been a terrible way to go into the Liverpool tie. Now we can go into it with confidence. You never know, this result might yet be influential in the title race. This was a massive win."

Gary Megson had looked as if he might work a little miracle of his own when he arrived at Bolton in October, when they were bottom. Now, four points adrift with six to play, it is loaves and fishes time.

Bolton's nerve went after Ivan Campo missed his nearpost clearing header at a corner for William Gallas to start the greatest comeback of Wenger's Arsenal reign with 28 minutes left on the Reebok clock.

While home fans grimly clapped off their dejected players, knowing they had probably witnessed the performance that condemns them to relegation, Arsenal fans sang: "That's why you're going down."

Megson, visibly stunned, admitted: "They're not going to be that far wrong. That is probably what is going to happen if you have a two -goal lead against 10 men and are coming off with no points.

"But we have 18 points left to play for and that's what we've got to try to do. We have two choices. We either roll out the white flag or roll up our sleeves and battle."