Freddie Ljungberg took on the role of shooting star in the absence of Thierry Henry to steer Arsenal into the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

The Swedish midfielder took his tally to 13 for the season as they overcame a spirited 10-man Bolton at the Reebok Stadium.

Ljungberg made the breakthrough after three minutes and six minutes later the home side's problems were compounded when El-Hadji Diouf was dismissed for lashing out at Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann.

Arsenal were always comfortable after that and had it not been for a superb string of saves by Jussi Jaasekelainen it could have been a rout.

The Gunners got off to a perfect start on a ground where they had lost 1-0 back in January.

They needed only three minutes to open the scoring after a superbly weighted through ball from Pires. Ljungberg found himself in space and he calmly slotted a shot beyond Jaaskelainen into the corner for his 13th goal of the season.

Bolton's problems increased in the ninth minute when they were reduced to 10 men. Diouf was incensed at not being awarded a penalty and took his frustration out on Lehmann by lashing out at the goalkeeper

Referee Steve Bennett handed the volatile Senegal striker a red card. Diouf protested before being ushered towards the dressing room.

Bolton were stunned but Fernando Hierro tried his luck in the 19th minute only to see his effort go wide of the target.

Then a header from Stelios Giannakopoulos was taken comfortably by Lehmann in a good spell of pressure by the 10-man home side.

Arsenal hit back on the counter after 22 minutes and Jaaskelainen did well to boot clear Reyes' effort following good work by Bergkamp.

Ljungberg almost added a second goal in the 31st minute. Once again though Jaaskelainen was equal to his effort after a superb defence-splitting pass from Reyes.

A goal down and a man down, Bolton were finding it hard to test Lehmann as the first half drew to a close.

Arsenal were playing some nice football with Bergkamp and Ljungberg both putting in hard shifts.

The home crowd were becoming frustrated with the odds stacked against their team after Ljungberg's goal and Diouf's dismissal.

Kevin Davies was left fighting a lone battle up front and was getting little change out of Philippe Senderos.

Pires was then handed a yellow card after going to ground too easily following a challenge from Tal Ben Haim.

Bergkamp tested Jaaskelainen with a fierce shot from the edge of the area to round off an impressive first half show by the Gunners despite the absence of their talisman Henry.

Bolton began the second half with renewed enthusiasm and Ben Haim tried to release Stelios Giannakopoulos in the 54th minute only for Senderos to make a timely interception.

Greece winger Giannakopoulos was finding a lot of space on the right but there was little end product.

Bolton were refusing to lie down though and were throwing themselves into every 50-50 ball.

However Davies overstepped the mark in the 61st minute when he was booked for a challenge that saw Senderos needing brief treatment.

There was a moment of danger for Bolton a minute later when Bergkamp released Reyes with glorious timing.

The Spanish youngster raced on before unleashing a powerful shot that Jaaskelainen did well to divert to safety.

It was a warning shot to Bolton that they could not afford to push too many men forward in search of the equaliser.

Then Jaaskelainen got his body behind a 25-yard shot from Kolo Toure following a short free kick rolled into his path by Bergkamp.

In a last throw of dice Allardyce brought on striker Henrik Pedersen for Ben Haim in the 82nd minute.

However Arsenal nearly extended their lead two minutes later when Bergkamp's superb free kick was parried by Jaaskelainen.

Giannakopoulos saw a header go wide from a good position then Ljungberg scooped a shot over the bar from close range in stoppage time.

But it was frustrating for Bolton in a match that saw Bennett issue nine yellow and one red card.

Teams:

Bolton Jaaskelainen, Hunt (Jaidi 68), N'Gotty, Ben Haim (Pedersen 81), Gardner, Nolan, Hierro (Candela 68), Speed, Giannakopoulos, Diouf, Davies.

Subs Not Used: Poole, Campo.

Sent Off: Diouf (9).

Booked: Hunt, Davies, Nolan, Jaidi, Giannakopoulos.

Arsenal Lehmann, Lauren, Senderos, Toure, Clichy, Ljungberg, Flamini, Vieira, Pires, Bergkamp, Reyes.

Subs Not Used: Cole, Van Persie, Taylor, Fabregas, Eboue.

Booked: Reyes, Pires, Flamini, Lauren.

Goals: Ljungberg 3.

Att: 23,523

Ref: S Bennett (Kent).