Wanderers have now taken just one point from the last 12 on offer but will feel they deserved something from a grim, relentless match which saw them cause plenty of problems for Everton from set-pieces.

But Arteta's run and 25yard drive into the top corner deserved to win any match.

El-Hadji Diouf got the predictable welcome reserved for ex-Liverpool men at Goodison Park . . . but the home defence seemed to make him feel at home by allowing him acres of space to work in on the left.

Twice in the opening minutes he galloped into the wide expanses and produced dangerous crosses, Campo firing one just wide from 18 yards. Everton had Joseph Yobo at right-back, Phil Neville back in midfield and James Beattie up front with Andrew Johnson, a restructured side without the injured Tim Cahill.

Beattie saw a header from Arteta's corner slip wide, but much of Everton's attempts floundered on the strength of Tal Ben Haim and Abdoulaye Meite.

Four minutes from the break Tim Howard kicked clear, but only to Gary Speed . . . 30 yards out . . . and the Welshman saw an instinctive header bounce wide of the keeper and the left-hand post.

The deadlock was finally broken in the second half when Johnson fed Arteta out on the right and the Spaniard set off on a high-speed run, before unleashing a superb 25-yard strike. Bolton's response was to hit the woodwork twice in as many minutes. First Campo saw a header from Tal's centre clip the crossbar and then Tal cracked a 20-yarder against the foot of a post, but the visitors never had enough.