Diouf delivers as Bolton go sixth
 |  Diouf, right, scored the only goal just before half-time to send Bolton sixth |
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LONDON, England -- Battling Bolton Wanderers jumped to sixth place in the English Premier League with a 1-0 victory at Manchester City on Monday.
Senegal international El Hadji Diouf tapped in the winner at the far post on the stroke of halftime after a cross from Stelios Giannakopoulos.
Bolton defended stoutly to clinch a win that lifted them above Middlesbrough on to 43 points, the same tally as fifth-placed Liverpool.
Sixth place will guarantee a place in next season's UEFA Cup -- and Bolton have never played in European competition.
It is a far cry from Bolton's form at the end of last year when they lost six successive matches.
"We didn't expect to lose six games on the trot in the first place and when were were 1-0 down with four minutes to go against West Brom on New Year's Day, we were thinking where do we go from here," Bolton manager Sam Allardyce told Sky Sports afterwards.
"But Diouf scored then and tonight it was a huge time to get a goal. I was a little bit concerned towards the end we hadn't converted one of our other chances and got the second goal but we've defended very well in 2005."
Bolton welcome Premiership champions Arsenal to the Reebok Stadium for an FA Cup quarterfinal on Saturday and Allardyce insisted: "We can have a right go after this result."
City manager Kevin Keegan admitted: "There's always something you can take out of the game but there was very little for us tonight. I'm very disappointed. We didn't play well enough and didn't show enough composure."
City welcomed back Claudio Reyna after more than three months out, the 31-year-old returning from a groin injury to replace Shaun Wright-Phillips, who earlier Monday had knee surgery.
Striker Robbie Fowler and flank player Kiki Musampa both went close for City, whose manager Kevin Keegan said this week he would retire when his contract expires in 2006.
