WHAT a difference a week makes.

Wanderers fans were pouring out of Wembley long before the final whistle seven days earlier with their FA Cup dreams in tatters after being thumped 5-0 by Stoke.

Fast forward to yesterday and Bolton supporters – who turned out in force in the biggest home crowd of the season – were giving their heroes a standing ovation as they left the field following Tamir Cohen’s dramatic last-minute winner.

All the soul-searching and recriminations evaporated as Cohen, the most apt of match-winners following the death of his father, Avi, in December, stooped to thunder home Matt Taylor’s corner and settle an absorbing contest.

This time it was Arsenal – nine points behind leaders Manchester United with five games remaining – who will be left with the sleepless nights with their title hopes all but extinguished.

But this was never about the Gunners. This was about Wanderers exorcising their Wembley demons.

Ivan Klasnic and Martin Petrov were the casualties from last weekend’s horror show, both dropped to the bench.

While neither did themselves any favours in the semi-final, they are entitled to feel a little aggrieved they were the only ones to be cast aside.

Johan Elmander and Paul Robinson, in particular, were fortunate to keep their places, while Owen Coyle’s decision to persevere with the Swede in central midfielder was even more surprising.

Less of a shock was the return of the cup-tied Daniel Sturridge, the on-loan striker adding to his growing reputation when he put Bolton in front before half time with his seventh goal in nine games in a performance which brimmed with vim and vigour.

Matt Taylor, making his first start since the 2-0 home victory against Everton on February 13, also played his part, as did all the players in a display which epitomised the desire and workrate which Coyle has instilled in the club since taking over 16 months ago.

The fans certainly showed there was no hangover from their semi-final disappointment as they flocked to the Reebok.

But the home supporters could have been forgiven for thinking they were having a bad case of deja vu as red and white shirts – this time of Arsenal – threatened to overwhelm their team in the opening stages.

Robinson, run ragged by Stoke’s Jermaine Pennant, would not have relished his match-up with the lightning fast Theo Walcott, and Arsenal’s young flyer left the full back for dead as he ran onto Cesc Fabregas’s perfectly-weighted pass on four minutes. A combination of Jussi Jaaskelainen and Gary Cahill came to his rescue.

Walcott raced past Robinson again moments later before pulling the ball back for Fabregas to balloon over.

Having lost the last eight games to Arsene Wenger’s men, the omens did not look good.

Jack Wilshere, on his first game back at the Reebok following last season’s successful loan spell, and Fabregas were bossing the midfield as the Gunners, knowing they could not afford to lose further ground in the title race, came surging back and only a superb fingertip save from Jaaskelainen denied Fabregas.

Wanderers gradually began to take a foothold, with Sturridge at the centre of most good things.

The in-form hitman, badly missed at Wembley, sent Chung-Yong Lee sprinting through on goal but the South Korean ambitiously tried to set up Taylor when he would have been better going for goal.

Wojciech Szczesny had suffered some jittery moments in the Arsenal goal but the young Pole reacted wonderfully to deny Lee from Sturridge’s pinpoint cross.

But his efforts were in vain as, from the resulting corner, Cahill headed Taylor’s cross towards goal only for Samir Nasri to clear.

The ball looked to have crossed the line but the predatory Sturridge pounced from close range to make the debate academic.

Coyle and some of his players attended a charity poker night at the casino last week. And their luck appeared to have changed when Fabregas’s 25-yard piledriver thudded into the foot of the post and bounced to safety with Jaaskelainen beaten.

In an explosive start to the second period, Johan Djourou brought down Sturridge in the penalty area just 32 seconds after the restart but Szczesny saved Davies’s tame spot-kick.

And, before Bolton had chance to gather their thoughts, Arsenal were level. Van Persie exchanged passes with Fabregas on the edge of the area before firing home to set a new Premier League record by scoring in seven successive away games.

The Gunners were favourites to go on to win at this stage – and it took a terrific double effort from Jaaskelainen, and Cahill’s goal-line clearance to deny Nasri, though the Frenchman should really have scored.

But just when it looked like Wanderers would settle for a point, up popped substitute Cohen in the final minute.

The Israel midfielder, who lost his father in a tragic motorcycle accident in Tel Aviv, stripped off his shirt to reveal a picture of Avi.

It was a fitting tribute to celebrate the former Liverpool defender’s life – and an even better way for Wanderers to put their week from hell behind them.