With Lincoln claiming victory against Mansfield further ground was lost on the top two – and though the Whites remain unbeaten in nine, they will be asking themselves how they ended up chasing a game against their Lancastrian neighbours.
Dominant for more than an hour, Eoin Toal’s 66th minute header looked like setting Bolton on course for a deserved win.
But Steven Schumacher’s side imploded after going ahead, Hayden Coulson and George Honeyman scoring within four minutes of each other to leave Wanderers bewildered.
Burstow headed his 10th of the season to put his side level again before the end – but the Whites were left holding on in stoppage time as Ashley Fletcher struck the post and Chris Forino made a vital block near the line.
Wanderers made three changes to the team that drew at Reading, bringing skipper Eoin Toal back after a minor hamstring issue, adding Kyle Dempsey to midfield and Corey Blackett-Taylor on the left wing. Giving way were Max Conway, Ibrahim Cissoko and Johnny Kenny.
The first half belonged almost exclusively to Bolton. They controlled nearly 70 per cent of the ball, put 24 crosses into the Blackpool box, had 11 corners and 11 shots on goal – but could not find a breakthrough.
Rob Apter had one close-range header pushed away by Bailey Peacock-Farrell, who later tipped a powerful effort from Dempsey over his bar.
Chris Forino, Eoin Toal and George Johnston all nudged efforts goalwards without seriously troubling the goalkeeper but, in truth, the best chance of the half probably fell to Niall Ennis, who looked set to finish Leighton Clarkson’s cross before Toal’s important intervention.
Otherwise, there was little to fault Bolton on their build-up, particularly down the left where Blackett-Taylor was causing real problems for his marker Reuell Walters, the problem was that for all their pressure, there was no lead.
The direction of traffic did not change after the break as Dempsey, Dalby and Blackett-Taylor all headed over the top.
Blackpool provided a reminder of the fragility of the scoreline when Clarkson swung in a dangerous free kick to pick out Ashley Fletcher but he failed to put a shot on target.
Blackett-Taylor continued his assault from the left and was desperately unlucky to see a right-footed effort bounce off the base of the post and then the goalkeeper. From the corner, Johnston headed narrowly wide.
You had to wonder how long Bolton could continue crossing the ball into the box before something landed plumb. And on 66 minutes we finally got an answer.
Apter’s corner was powered home by Toal for his first goal since scoring against Plymouth in August – and Blackpool couldn’t possibly have claimed that they weren’t warned.
The goal seemed to wake the visitors up, though, and it was one of Evatt’s two substitutes, Josh Bowler, who got into the penalty box to pull a cross back for Coulson to side-foot home from eight yards out.
The other sub, Honeyman, collected his gift just four minutes later as a goal kick from Jack Bonham presented him with a simple run on goal to put his side ahead.
What had been a one-sided game had now turned into a rescue mission for Wanderers, and three sides of the stadium was stunned into silence.
Schumacher was sparked into action from the bench and suddenly it was his substitutes that were celebrating.
Max Conway produced the ball of the day to find Burstow at the far post, and he produced a superb towering header to score his second goal of the week, bringing his side level again.
There was still ample time for another twist in the tale. Seven minutes of stoppage time went up from the fourth official – but it the hope turned quickly into relief as a Jordan Brown free kick dropped for Zac Ashworth, and only a goal-saving block from Chris Forino prevented a Blackpool third.
Moments later it was Fletcher who had his head in his hands after getting around keeper Bonham and flashing a shot at goal that bounced off the outside of the post.
At the other end, Thierry Gale cut in from the left and curled a shot inches wide with Bolton’s fans on their feet ready to celebrate.