Bolton Wanderers and Aston Villa shared a 1-1 draw at the Reebok Stadium in Gary Megson's first game in charge as Wanderers boss.

Villa's Luke Moore equalised with a freak goal in the second half after Nicolas Anelka's stunning first-half free-kick.

In only the second minute Scotland international Shaun Maloney lined up a set-piece of his own for Villa and angled it just wide of the far post with Jussi Jaaskelainen beaten.

If the away fans thought that the attempt would signal a flurry of attacking play at the Bolton end, they were mistaken. The Trotters controlled the half, with attacking trio Kevin Davies, Anelka and in particular El-Hadji Diouf causing problems throughout.

Wanderers should have had a penalty when Wilfred Bouma punched the ball as he tussled with Kevin Davies in the box and they were even less impressed when Ricardo Gardner went to ground in the box under the challenge of Zat Knight.

Gardner had done well to speed into the left side of the area but as Knight - swinging his right leg - pulled out of the tackle, he threw himself down theatrically. On that occasion it was the correct decision by referee Martin Atkinson.

Anelka's strike came on 22 minutes and gave Stuart Taylor, deputising for the suspended Scott Carson, no chance. Hit from 25 yards and to the left of the goal it dipped into the near-post top corner. The 'keeper got a hand to it, but could not divert it away.

Villa's only other real chance of the opening period came on 45 minutes. Maloney made space on the right and shot hard and low, forcing Jaaskelainen to spill.

Defender Martin Laursen was there facing away from the goal to get a foot to the ball and Gabriel Agbonlahor got to it six yards out. His touch was heavy with the goal gaping and the ball was cleared by the Bolton defence.

Knight gave Taylor a short back-pass on the stroke of the half and he raced out of his area to just clear under pressure from Anelka.

Visiting manager Martin O'Neill must have looked to the heavens when Laursen committed an identical error a few minutes into the second half. Taylor again got there a hair's breadth ahead of the striker.

In the 56th minute the Birmingham club were level. The linesman on their right awarded Bolton a throw-in despite the fact that the ball clearly hit Gavin McCann on the back before it went out of play.

As the Trotters players relaxed the referee correctly overruled his assistant and Villa took the throw quickly. Agbonlahor sped inside the area and smacked a hard cross-cum-shot that came off Moore's chest and slammed into the net.

Villa improved on their first-half showing in general and Agbonlahor was unlucky to see a similar cross caught by a relieved Jaaskelainen following a missed trap by Bolton's Gardner.

Bolton had the best chance to win the game with eight minutes remaining when a long throw was headed on by Davies and the ball dropped to Gardner. The Jamaican's low shot to the near post was kept out by Taylor as Diouf pounced.

The Senegal international was in a difficult position, needing to lift the ball over the goalie and under the bar from a position wide of the post - and could not quite keep it down.

Jonathan Symcox / Eurosport