Carlos Tevez, with his 19th goal of the season, and Emmanuel Adebayor kept Manchester City in control of the contest for fourth place in the Premier League.The Argentinian struck the opening goal after half an hour following a needless trip on impressive debutant Adam Johnson by Bolton full-back Paul Robinson.
Jussi Jaaskelainen appeared to have blocked the attempt only for the power of Tevez's strike to carry the ball over the line.
City lived dangerously, with their defence looking vulnerable, although Tevez might have eased the anxiety had he not been so unlucky as to hit the crossbar with a free-kick early in the second half.
Ultimately, it was left to Adebayor - looking back to decent form after his ordeal in Africa last month - to settle the issue. Patrick Vieira's excellent long pass saw Sam Ricketts play Adebayor onside and the forward controlled the ball superbly before producing an unstoppable finish.
REACTION:
Roberto Mancini paid tribute to two players making their full debuts and at either ends of their respective careers after the victory.
England under-21 winger Johnson, 22, proved unstoppable for long spells of the game while Vieira also turned in an impressive display including a superb pass that set up the second goal.
"Adam played very well, that's why I bought him," said manager Mancini. "When you're a young player you want to play well and have a chance and that's why this game was important for him. He did well for the penalty and went on from there.
"He can learn to play behind the striker, on the right wing, on the left wing, he can play in different positions, different situations and be an important player for us.
"I am happy for Patrick because that was his first full game in one month and he came through without a problem. I know Patrick well and I know he can play better but for now, it was just important he came through alright.
"People talk about his age but I played until I was the 36 and I played very well! When I was 36, I won the Scudetto and the Italian Cup. I hope Patrick can play the next 15 games for me."
Victory keeps City slightly ahead of three other clubs chasing fourth place, and the coveted final place in next season's Champions League, if only by virtue of having games in hand on their rivals and Mancini concedes that once this weekend's FA Cup commitments are out of the way, his team must focus on stringing together a good run of league results, particularly away from Eastlands.
"It is important that we are now in fourth position," said Mancini. "We have a big game in hand at Stoke next Tuesday and we must win that game if we want to finish fourth. We are in a good position now, and have games in hand, but we must keep improving."
The concerns of Bolton manager Owen Coyle are centred firmly on the other end of the table with his team having won just one of their six games since he took command.
"I'm delighted with the performance but disappointed we didn't get any points," said Coyle. "We have come to a club that cost £2-300 million to build, we were away from home, and for a long duration of the match we made them look very ordinary.
"From the games we have had - two against Arsenal, away at Liverpool, away at Man City - we recognised that any points we could pick up from those games would be a bonus. Now, after the cup tie on Saturday, we have six games against teams around us and if we collect points from those I am confident we will be fine."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Mancini really is an interesting coach to watch at work, the manner in which he tinkers with his line-up, switching players and formations on the fly. Johnson, for example, seemed to have appeared behind the strikers, in central midfield and on both wings before he had even worked up a full sweat.
It's the sort of versatility a manager has a right to expect from players assembled at a cost of a quarter of a billion pounds and rising although City did make hard work of this win.
After Bolton came to terms with what City were doing, making a couple of adjustments themselves, the visitors looked comfortable until Robinson's colossal error gifted City a penalty and eased the pressure around Eastlands.
Wanderers might have had at least one spot kick themselves, for a Kolo Toure foul on Johan Elmander most notably, but the Trotters' finishing remains poor while their approach play is decent. Adebayor's second was the killer blow from which there would be no return.
WHAT IT MEANS:
To be truthful, not a lot. This was one of the more predictable Premier League results of the season, not even Coyle would have expected his struggling team to collect much if anything and he confessed as much afterwards.
Bolton's fate - as well as City's - will be determined in games played against their immediate rivals although City's would look a lot rosier if they could find some away form, starting with Tuesday's testing visit to Stoke whom, coincidentally, they also play at home in the FA Cup on Saturday.
What the game also means - or, rather, demonstrated - was that City are still incredibly delicate in defence. There is a chronic lack of belief there, which was summed up by the increasing anxiety displayed by the home fans with every misplaced pass out of the back; every blown marking assignment. The back four was, along with the disgraceful Robinho, Mark Hughes's undoing and it is something Mancini must sort out quickly.
For Coyle, one win in six is not the disaster it might seem, given the quality of the opposition. But they need to stop this run quickly. One win in seven, one in eight, one in nine ... those are statistics that can swiftly lead to full-blown crisis.
QUOTABLE:
"Johnson adds another dimension to them and, they've shown already earlier this season that when they're in full flight they're a match for anyone."
Owen Coyle talks up City and their new boy.
MAN CITY 2 (Tevez pen 30, Adebayor 73) BOLTON 0
PLAYER MARKING:
Man City (4-1-3-2): Given 8; Zabaleta 6, Toure 5 (Lescott 54, 6), Kompany 5, Bridge 5 (Wright-Phillips 67, 6); De Jong 6; Vieira 5, Barry 7, Johnson 9 (Sylvinho 84); Tevez 8, Adebayor 6.
Subs (not used): Onuoha, Ireland, S Taylor, Petrov.
Bolton (4-1-3-1-1): Jaaskelainen 6; Steinsson 6, Knight 7, Ricketts 6, Robinson 4; Muamba 7; Lee 6, Wilshere 8 (M Taylor 77, 6), Cohen 6 (M Davies 73, 6); Elmander 5, K Davies 7.
Subs (not used): Samuel, Gardner, Al Habsi, Basham, O'Brien.
ATTENDANCE: 42,106
NEXT UP:
- Man City v Stoke (Home), FA Cup 13/02, 1715 GMT
- Bolton v Tottenham (Home), FA Cup 14/02, 1330 GMT
MAN OF THE MATCH:
Adam Johnson (Man City): He will need to do it more consistently, and against far better left-backs than Paul Robinson, but this was an extremely promising full debut for the new City winger. Is a late run at Fabio Capello's England squad too far fetched?
