Tom will be here at around 12.15pm. Actually, here he is now.
Here's some teams for you:
Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Andrew O'Brien,
Samuel, Taylor, Nolan, Muamba, McCann, Elmander, Davies. Subs:
Al Habsi, Smolarek, Gardner, Helguson, Shittu, Basham, Obadeyi.
Liverpool: Reina, Carragher, Hyypia, Agger, Aurelio, Alonso, Mascherano, Kuyt, Gerrard, Riera, Keane. Subs: Cavalieri, Dossena, Torres, Benayoun, Hip-Hop's Ryan Babel, Mathers, Dre, Morris Minor and the Majors, Leiva Lucas, Darby.
Referee: Rob Styles (Hampshire)
In which your minute-by-minute writer undersells the game. Liverpool can go three points clear if they win this afternoon, at least until Chelsea beat West Brom 8-5 later. Don't expect a thriller either: Liverpool think conceding goals is below them, while Bolton = Johan Elmander.
Fernando Torres is on the bench, he's still not quite sharp after his injury so Robbie Keane will be on his lonesome up front. Jamie Carragher will have to score his own goals from right-back as Arbeloa is injured.
Sky are asking the big questions. They've got an interview with the Bolton tea-crew. "So, there's been many innovations over the year: is tea still the same?" To be fair to Bolton's head tea-man, he doesn't even dignify it with an answer.
1 min: And we're off. "How many minutes into the game before people start saying Benítez has forfeited the season by not starting Torres," asks Mike Johnson. Come on Mike, give the man a chance.
1.00000000004 min: Liverpool are looking toothess up front. Benítez has forfeited the season by not starting Torres
3 min: Reina half-comes for a ball into the far-right of the box and is almost caught out, but claims the resulting cross from Bolton.
5 min: Keane chases an aimless ball that's far too long for him, Bolton clear and Taylor fizzes a shot wide after Davies flicks on.
8 min: Another chance for Bolton. Steinsson whips a cross in and Hyypia has to head clear with Davies rushing in. Not sure how muich Hyypia actually knew about clearing that but we'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Get your conspiracy theories her: "A look at your line-ups reveals that there's a lot of talent on the pitch vying to influence the final score: Mascherano, Gerrard and Keane for Liverpool and Jaaskelainen, Nolan and Elmander for Bolton suggest themselves," says Big Blogger's Gary Naylor. "But I suspect the most influential of all the names you list will be... Referee: Rob Styles (Hampshire), which will probably please him, if nobody else."
10 min: Fabrice Muamba's job this afternoon is to stand 2cm behind Gerrard and whisper sweet nothings and idle threats into his ear. Seems to be wrking so far as Stevie G has been very quiet.
12 min: A lovely ball from Alsonso plays Keane in. He lays it back to to Kuyt whose quick pass only finds Bolton feet. "Tom Lutz? Is this the same Tom Lutz of Crying: A Natural and Cultural History of Tears fame," demands Alan Roderick. "Have they asked you to do this afternoon's MBM because of the likely eye-watering quality of the football on show?" Yep, that's me, I'm mainly an author put I come in and do wires stories on Phil Neville's contract extension in my spare time for the love of the game.
14 min: Riera finds space on the left and shifts in to shoot. It deflects and from the TV angle it looks like it's going to loop over Jaask... Jas... Juss... the Bolton keeper but it actually rockets to safety. Keane is furious as he had shaken off his marker.
16 min: Muamba comes off Gerrard duty to involve himself in a lovely flowing move for Bolton that ends in a misplaced pass.
19 min: It's all very well man-marking Gerrard, but you should really have a look at what other players are doing. Mascherano is allowed to stroll 40-yards up the pitch. Liverpool win a corner and Hyypia get's iffy contact on a header that could have been very dangerous.
21 min: More nice football from Bolton: all one-touch passes on the edge of the area before Kevin Nolan unleashes a non-shot that trickles apologetically towards Reina. At the other end, Robbie Keane shoots from a very tight angle and Jaaskelainen gathers. Just about.
23 min: Muamba is so intent on Gerrard that he fails to make a routine clearance. While he's having a think about that, Gerrard cuts a ball back to Kuyt who thunders the ball against the bar. Jaaskelainen didn't even see it.
25 min: Another mistake from Muamba, who heads a clearance straight to Gerrard. His shot flies over. "I know you didn't ask for predictions, and probably can't be bothered reading them, but I'm going with Danger Dirk and a fudged goal," says Vikramaditya Ravat. Don't do yourself down, I read at least 2.8% of the nine emails I get a game. "It'll make me feel all the better for missing this game and doing a 4,000 word essay on realism. At least Morgenthau and Mearshiemer have more zip than bolton's forwards."Good old Morgenthau and Mearshiemer.
27 min: Agger handballs on the edge of his own area, but the linesman says he was pushed by Davies. Pedant.
GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!! Bolton 0-1 Liverpool (Kuyt 28 min)Aurelio whips in a cross and Kuyt gets in a brilliant header that arcs over Jaaskelainen like a small, very slow comet.
31 min: Liverpool pile on the pressure and Keane manages to miss the ball from five-yards out with the goal dressed in lingerie and inviting him to come in for some coffee.
33 min: Thaty Keane miss really was shambolic. Say what you want about Rosenthal, Iwelumo et al, but at least they managed to make contact with the ball.
35 min: Bolton actually held their own for the first 25 minutes of this game but they look very afraid indeed now. Muamba's even let Gerrard have a few runs.
39 min: Muamba smacks a pass into Kevin Davies's shins. That's about the best chance they've had in the last 30 minutes.
42 min: Reina comes about 40-yards out his box as Davies rumbles after a long-ball. He just about manages to get it clear.
44 min: Steinson gets a few good touches on the right and Muamba has some time on the edge of the area but he can't create anything. There's a semi-dangerous moment a few seconds later as Reina claims a cross as Bolton heads fly in.
45 min: Bolton get a late chance to equalise with a corner, which Cahill heads in but the ref says Nolan fouled Reina, who was flapping away merrily. A tad harsh maybe: Naylor I salute you.
Having a second look at that disallowed goal Nolan made no attempt to get the ball and pretty much stood there humping Reina's leg. Styles probably got it right.
46 min: Gardner's on for Muamba and he makes an immediate impact charging down the left before he's upended by Jamie Carragher on the edge of the box. Liverpool clear.
48 min: This is very impressive stuff. Bolton have another attack and the ball bounces up beautifully for Elmander about nine-yards out and at an angle, but his shot is parried away by Reina. Bolton are in Liverpool's faces now, something they never really managed in the first-half.
50 min: Bolton get a few more chances and Nolan - I think - fresh airs as he attempts an overhead kick in the area. "As an Ireland fan I've been watching Robbie Keane for years and I long ago realised that he only seems to score one type of goal regularly, and that's the kind where he doesn't have enough time to think about it. Bags of talents, great instinct, but seems to get brain-freeze when he actually has time and space," says Paul Sullivan. "If he could trade all of his spectacular volleys and tight-angle chips for a tenth of the open goals he's missed, his career tally would be much more impressive."
53 min: Oh, Ricardo. Gardner races away from Hyypia - not difficult admittedly - and rounds Reina but he slips as he attempts to slide the ball into the empty net and his "shot" goes wide.
55 min: Torres is warming up on the sidelines and Keane is trembling in fear. "Regarding Vikramaditya Ravat's email (25 mins) to you about writing essays on realism drawing on Morgenthau and Mearshiemer," starts off Paul Sullivan very promisingly. "Can Mearshiemer genuinely be described as a realist given the influences he observes on US foreign policy, in collaboration with Stephen Walt? Could it be that Mearshiemer's realism is as consistent as Bolton's away form?" Um … yes.
57 min: Gardner has injected far more attacking intent into Bolton, while Wanderers have started to play to their strengths - harrying and hustling Liverpool - and we've already seen the effects in the first 10 minutes.
59 min: Aurelio is down after taking a blow to the ribs and Alonso puts the ball out of play. Carragher is not happy and has a wee tantrum saying Alonso should have effed off concern for his team-mate and carried on playing.
60 min: Keane is taken off for Torres, he looks confused at the decision but he really shouldn't be.
62 min: Aurelio is back up and running again. Gerrard is unshackled without Muamba sniffing round him and gets a touch of the Keanes as Kuyt's ball flashes across the box and the the England man shanks it wide from three yards out.
64 min: Taylor free-kick curls in viciously and goes this far over.
67 min: Reina comes unconvincingly for a corner and Bolton nearly manage to head in.
70 min: Torres gets his first significant touch helping the ball to Gerrard whose shot loops to the right of Jaaskelainen's post.
GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!! Bolton 0-2 Liverpool (Gerrard 72 min)Andy O'Brien (just transferred into my Fantasy team today!) misplaces a header that eventually sees Torres peel off on the right. He dinks a sumptuous ball with the outside of his foot in for Gerrard, who heads past Jaaskelainen.
76 min: Congratulations to Andy O'Brien for completely destroying the momentum that Bolton had built up after a woeful first-half. They had a very good chance of getting something out of this game until his error. That's looking very unlikely now.
77 min: Realism update: "Actually Morgenthau has very little to do with Bolton. Being a classic balance of power man he is much more likely to hold the ball and then hit you on the break," says Ryan Manuel. "Mearsheimer is your boy for Bolton - it is all about being big, strong and harassing the opposition constantly so that they give you opportunities." What he said.
79 min: Riera has plenty of space on the left but falls over as Alonso attepts to release him.
81 min: Torres bears down on goal with that familiar majestic ease, but Jaaskelainen gets down at his feet and clears the danger.
83 min: Bolton win a late corner and for the first time in a while Reina looks comfortable as he punches the ball clear.
84 min: Kuyt, who has been excellent, is off for Lucas.
86 min: That'll be two farcical misses for Gardner. This time he has a volley about 10-yards out with only Reina to beat. Reina wins.
88 min: Gardner shows his versatility by making mistakes at both ends. He falls over and Torres has a chance to seal Liverpool's win, but his shot clips the post.
PEEEP!!!!!O'Brien has to make a last-ditch clearance as substitute Benayoun's ball springs alarmingly into the six-yard box. Lucas then misses an easy header from a couple of yards out. This game could have been four- or five-nil. Or 5-2 if Gardner had known what he was doing.
