Two goals by Kevin Davies helped Bolton into a deserved 3-0 lead with less than 15 minutes remaining before spectacular efforts by Alan Hutton and Roman Pavlyuchenko set up an unexpectedly gripping finale in the lunch time kickoff.
Davies fired Bolton in front after 31 minutes with a low shot into the corner and Icelandic right back Gretar Steinsson, who stifled the threat of Tottenham's man of the moment Gareth Bale throughout, doubled the lead early in the second half with a well-worked goal. Tottenham appeared set for a drubbing when Davies made it 3-0 from the penalty spot but Hutton gave them hope in the 79th minute with a curler into the top corner.
Pavlyuchenko cut the deficit further with a superb angled volley three minutes from time but as Tottenham pressed forward in stoppage time Martin Petrov sealed the points on the counter-attack to put Bolton ahead of Spurs into fifth place. With leaders Chelsea not in action until Sunday, Manchester United can close the gap to two points later when they host Wolverhampton Wanderers.
However, the former Premier League champions suffered a huge setback. United midfielder Owen Hargreaves limped off five minutes into his first start for two years on Saturday after returning for the home clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Canadian-born England international, plagued by knee tendinitis since joining from Bayern Munich for around 17 million pounds in 2007, was given a rousing reception at Old Trafford but limped off with what appeared to be a muscular injury and was replaced by Bebe. Hargreaves last started for United in September 2008 against Chelsea and had made just one brief appearances as a substitute since then at the end of last season.
The 29-year-old has travelled to the United States on several occasions to try and cure the chronic knee problems that have stalled his club and international career. United can reduce Chelsea's Premier League lead to two points if they beat Wolves at Old Trafford. Chelsea are away at Liverpool on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Liverpool owner John W. Henry declined on Friday to give any guarantees about under-fire manager Roy Hodgson's long-term future but said there were no immediate plans for change. The American, who took over the Premier League club last month, was similarly non-committal about plans for a new ground, saying it could take another two years before the Merseyside club decided whether to build a new stadium or expand Anfield.
Asked if Hodgson, under pressure after a poor start to the season, was the right man for the job, Henry told Sky Sports News: "He certainly is at this point. "I can't make any promises about the future for anything in the organisation because two months ago I didn't know that much about English football," added Henry.