In front of over 41,000 loyal supporters at Eastlands, Manchester City defeated Wigan 1-0 on the strength of a Pablo Zabaleta’s goal. Playing a man-down the final thirty-six minutes after Richard Dunne was shown a straight red-card by referee Lee Mason for a moment of madness as he deliberately attempted to injure Wigan’s Amr Zaki, the Citizens were under pressure constantly but managed to hold for the crucial three points. While Mr. Dunne’s foolish incident will be reviewed by the FA and will possibly be dealt with by further disciplinary action, the victory showed a more disciplined defending unit and a revitalized Elano.
From the get go it was obvious the importance of the victory as Shaun Wright-Phillips was pushed into the lineup even though not fully recovered. With a series of injuries, Robinho and promising young striker Daniel Sturridge were paired up top along with Wayne Bridge making his debut. The match certainly sputtered to a start early but through the work of Elano, Man City were the first side to threaten as he created a strong opportunity after the eleven minute mark that Robinho steered wide. Ten minutes later his provision led Robinho to chip the ball towards the goal but it was cleared off the line by Titus Bramble. Legitimate opportunities slowly evaporated and the match went to the break scoreless.
The cold winter match warmed up considerably seven minutes after the break with Pablo Zabaleta preying upon a poor clearance by Paul Scharner and one-touched volleyed the ball into the net to give Man City the 1-0 lead. Fireworks erupted two minutes later when after a mash-up between Richard Dunne and Amr Zaki, the City captain attempted to kick the Egyptian international. As a professional it was a complete meltdown on the pitch and whether you think the incident was “embellished” it wasn’t the workmanship of a veteran. Referee Lee Mason had no other choice to show him the red-card, forcing the Citizens to play a man down for the balance of the match.
Wigan stormed forward with Amr Zaki and Mario Melchiot coming painfully close within the next ten minutes but still unable to breakthrough Joe Harts goal. Finally at the eighty-sixth minute Wigan looked to level the match as Amr Zaki was gifted a easy opportunity off a Lee Cattermole rebound but somehow his close-range header went askew. Wigan continued to pour on pressure near the end but City held strong for the 1-0 victory.
With the victory Mark Hughes side climbs to eleventh in the table with twenty-five points. As an aside point, although he did not feature in the match, it was absolute brilliance to see Vladimír Weiss on the bench today. Of the finest pedigree the young winger continues to show extraordinary promise and hopefully will debut soon.
Showing posts with label Wigan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wigan. Show all posts
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Citizens injury woes continue
Mark Hughes troubled lineup took a turn for the worse as the club revealed that Dietmar Hamann will be lost for upwards of three months and Shaun Wright-Phillips is still hobbled up with an injury. If there is a reason for optimism the good news is that Robinho’s ankle issues are clearing up and should be fit for Wigan.
In reporting the situation Mark Hughes said:
“Didi kicked a ball in training yesterday with the end of a toe, and unfortunately it looks like he may have ruptured a tendon.
“He will go over to Zurich today to see a surgeon that he has seen with a similar injury before. The feeling is that it is the same thing that has happened before.
“The best case scenario is that it will be nine weeks, but it could be 12. Obviously it is a blow for Didi, we are a bit light in midfield areas so we could have done without this. Until the surgeon looks at him we can’t say whether we may have better news on it.”
With regards to Robinho he added:
“Robbie would have been close to playing last weekend, he definitely would have played some part. He trained yesterday and will train for the rest of the week.”
The manager noted Shaun Wright-Phillips is unfortunately still a major question mark:
“Shaun was out with the fitness guys yesterday and did a session, but obviously he is not at full tilt yet. We’ll build him up towards the weekend, but it is still quite early after a hamstring injury, but we will give him every chance and hopefully he will be a option.”
In reporting the situation Mark Hughes said:
“Didi kicked a ball in training yesterday with the end of a toe, and unfortunately it looks like he may have ruptured a tendon.
“He will go over to Zurich today to see a surgeon that he has seen with a similar injury before. The feeling is that it is the same thing that has happened before.
“The best case scenario is that it will be nine weeks, but it could be 12. Obviously it is a blow for Didi, we are a bit light in midfield areas so we could have done without this. Until the surgeon looks at him we can’t say whether we may have better news on it.”
With regards to Robinho he added:
“Robbie would have been close to playing last weekend, he definitely would have played some part. He trained yesterday and will train for the rest of the week.”
The manager noted Shaun Wright-Phillips is unfortunately still a major question mark:
“Shaun was out with the fitness guys yesterday and did a session, but obviously he is not at full tilt yet. We’ll build him up towards the weekend, but it is still quite early after a hamstring injury, but we will give him every chance and hopefully he will be a option.”
Friday, December 26, 2008
Newcastle drops points, losing 2-1 to Wigan
Despite a late rally, Newcastle lost to Wigan 2-1 at the JJB. With the Boxing Day loss, the Magpies hold at twelfth place in the table with twenty-two points, one behind Portsmouth and Bolton.
Newcastle had the first scoring chance fourteen minutes-in but a saving tackle by Austrian international Paul Scharner thwarted Michael Owens close range effort with a textbook tackle. Finally as momentum had switched in Wigan's favour they took the lead a minute before the half-hour mark as Ryan Taylor kept his shocking good form against Newcastle, curling in a sublime free-kick from twenty-three meters.
Without much of an offensive spark, Joe Kinnear looked to insert to youthful pace as with twenty-two minutes remaining Andrew Carroll came in for Mark Viduka who had been pressed into the starting grid for José Enrique who was injured in the warm-up. However Wigan looked to have complete control of the match with seventeen minutes remaining as Amr Zaki converted from the spot following Sébastien Bassong being red-carded for obstructing Emile Heskey. With seventy-eight minutes remaining Canadian U20 and Newcastle academy product David Edgar entered for Michael Owen and youthful lineup displayed a sharp focus to get back into the match. With two minutes remaining Wigan 'keeper Chris Kirkland brought down Andy Carroll and the spot was pointed to. Danny Guthrie converted with poise and a frantic finish was on as the youth troop wasn't willing to go down without a fight. While Andy Carroll made claims for a penalty in the dying seconds, the levelling goal was not to be and Newcastle lost 2-1.
The match ended in controversy and what is becoming expected, Joe Kinnear complained of the officiating, in-particular that Andy Carroll wasn't awarded a penalty late and was shown a yellow for simulation.
"I thought it was a certain penalty at the end with Andy Carroll," he said.
"Steve Bruce also thought it was a stonewall penalty but in the end Andy has been booked which is very disappointing.
"Our lads gave their lot in the final stages and pushed on and I thought we could get an equaliser.
"Big Andy has changed the complexion of the game when he came on and did well to win the penalty which gave us that hope.
"If only the second one had been awarded we could be sat here talking about a draw."
"Heskey has done well, thrown himself and lost his balance. But he's 6ft 3in. The referees fall for it. At the other end Andy Carroll's got hacked down from behind. See it on TV, see it on the tape, it's a clear penalty. Even Stevie Bruce said the same but we didn't get it. That sums up his performance.
"In the last 15 minutes I always thought we'd get something out of the game. Then the penalty pops us, but you have to rely on officials to do their job, what they are supposed to do.
"They want respect in the game but what would you say after today. I'm too sick to say anything else."
While many will be disappointed with the loss, it must be stressed the solid performance of the younger players with Andy Carroll finally getting a chance to show his abilities. Hopefully this is just the start of things to come.
Newcastle had the first scoring chance fourteen minutes-in but a saving tackle by Austrian international Paul Scharner thwarted Michael Owens close range effort with a textbook tackle. Finally as momentum had switched in Wigan's favour they took the lead a minute before the half-hour mark as Ryan Taylor kept his shocking good form against Newcastle, curling in a sublime free-kick from twenty-three meters.
Without much of an offensive spark, Joe Kinnear looked to insert to youthful pace as with twenty-two minutes remaining Andrew Carroll came in for Mark Viduka who had been pressed into the starting grid for José Enrique who was injured in the warm-up. However Wigan looked to have complete control of the match with seventeen minutes remaining as Amr Zaki converted from the spot following Sébastien Bassong being red-carded for obstructing Emile Heskey. With seventy-eight minutes remaining Canadian U20 and Newcastle academy product David Edgar entered for Michael Owen and youthful lineup displayed a sharp focus to get back into the match. With two minutes remaining Wigan 'keeper Chris Kirkland brought down Andy Carroll and the spot was pointed to. Danny Guthrie converted with poise and a frantic finish was on as the youth troop wasn't willing to go down without a fight. While Andy Carroll made claims for a penalty in the dying seconds, the levelling goal was not to be and Newcastle lost 2-1.
The match ended in controversy and what is becoming expected, Joe Kinnear complained of the officiating, in-particular that Andy Carroll wasn't awarded a penalty late and was shown a yellow for simulation.
"I thought it was a certain penalty at the end with Andy Carroll," he said.
"Steve Bruce also thought it was a stonewall penalty but in the end Andy has been booked which is very disappointing.
"Our lads gave their lot in the final stages and pushed on and I thought we could get an equaliser.
"Big Andy has changed the complexion of the game when he came on and did well to win the penalty which gave us that hope.
"If only the second one had been awarded we could be sat here talking about a draw."
"Heskey has done well, thrown himself and lost his balance. But he's 6ft 3in. The referees fall for it. At the other end Andy Carroll's got hacked down from behind. See it on TV, see it on the tape, it's a clear penalty. Even Stevie Bruce said the same but we didn't get it. That sums up his performance.
"In the last 15 minutes I always thought we'd get something out of the game. Then the penalty pops us, but you have to rely on officials to do their job, what they are supposed to do.
"They want respect in the game but what would you say after today. I'm too sick to say anything else."
While many will be disappointed with the loss, it must be stressed the solid performance of the younger players with Andy Carroll finally getting a chance to show his abilities. Hopefully this is just the start of things to come.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Wigan defeats Everton 1-0
Wigan defeated Everton at the JJB with David Moyes squad completely unable to finish on one scoring opportunity after another. While Everton lacked the sparked that has been very evident over the recent five match unbeaten streak, they had ample opportunities to score. Poor finishing started at the fifteenth minute by Louis Saha and concluded with a dreadful miss to equalize the match a minute into added time by Timmy Cahill. However the match was decided in the fifty-first minute with Antonio Valencia setting Henri Camara up for the go-ahead goal. Barely looking like the were intent on getting the leveling goal, Everton stumbled around and produced few scoring chances till Tim Cahill thundered a ball over the cross bar in added-time.
Everton manager David Moyes summed up the match perfectly as he said:
"I was hoping for more from us but it was a poor performance."
The Toffees have a chance to get back on track next Sunday as they face surging Tottenham.
Friday, November 21, 2008
a chance to climb the table
As the Toffees embark on their visit of Wigan, they must recognize this is an enormous opportunity to climb the table and ultimately a "must-win" match if they are to enter the top-six. To say the first few months of the season has been "unpredictable" is an understatement as amongst a series of pithy performances, somehow through a rather bull-dog approach David Moyes has Everton sitting seventh in the table, with Hull City, Aston Villa and Arsenal within four points above them. With Man Utd visiting Aston Villa and Arsenal facing a troubled Manchester City, the Toffees can close the margin with a win over Wigan.
For myself its hard not to appreciate Wigan to some degree as they typify the fighting spirit of their ex-Manchester United leader, Steve Bruce. As this rather quickly turns into a Steve Bruce tribute post, while they may not pack the punch of a upper-tier club they find a way to get "the tough job done" and are capable of biting back if you give them the opening. Consistency of play has been the problem but don't tell that to Hull City who they shellacked 5-0 earlier in the year. Recent play hasn't seen them wander around a bit but as Newcastle found out last week as they were ready to celebrate a victory, with the slightest opening they can surprise you, which they did with Titus Bramble's late equalizing goal. Their play has been relatively dreary at home and tactical issues will be based heavily upon a curious group of injuries to key players. At this stage, Steve Bruce will is dealing with Amr Zaki, Emile Heskey, Mario Melchiot and Wales international Jason Koumas all facing pre-match fitness tests and will be without Emmerson Boyce to suspension. For Everton, knowledge that Wigan has never defeated them at the JJB or only won once in seven matches will mean little, although it might give them a bit of push to continue the streak. David Moyes is facing his own injury woes with both Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar both questionable but both Tim Cahill and Yakubu will be fully recovered from international duty to take part.
For myself its hard not to appreciate Wigan to some degree as they typify the fighting spirit of their ex-Manchester United leader, Steve Bruce. As this rather quickly turns into a Steve Bruce tribute post, while they may not pack the punch of a upper-tier club they find a way to get "the tough job done" and are capable of biting back if you give them the opening. Consistency of play has been the problem but don't tell that to Hull City who they shellacked 5-0 earlier in the year. Recent play hasn't seen them wander around a bit but as Newcastle found out last week as they were ready to celebrate a victory, with the slightest opening they can surprise you, which they did with Titus Bramble's late equalizing goal. Their play has been relatively dreary at home and tactical issues will be based heavily upon a curious group of injuries to key players. At this stage, Steve Bruce will is dealing with Amr Zaki, Emile Heskey, Mario Melchiot and Wales international Jason Koumas all facing pre-match fitness tests and will be without Emmerson Boyce to suspension. For Everton, knowledge that Wigan has never defeated them at the JJB or only won once in seven matches will mean little, although it might give them a bit of push to continue the streak. David Moyes is facing his own injury woes with both Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar both questionable but both Tim Cahill and Yakubu will be fully recovered from international duty to take part.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Wigan wrestles victory away from Newcastle
The late heroics of Michael Owen and Obafemi Martins were squashed as a late Titus Bramble goal gave Wigan a tough 2-2 draw at St James' Park. Following Ryan Taylor's goal for Wigan barely three minutes into the match, the Magpies did not show the resolve to win but nine minutes after the break, Wigan were a man down as Emmerson Boyce was excused with his second yellow-card. Newcastle sensed the opportunity as has Michael Owen came in for Jonás Gutiérrez with twenty-two minutes remaining a goal seemed imminent. Finally at the eighty minute mark, a rebound of a Shola Ameobi drive came to Michael Owen in-close and he made no mistake leveling the match. Searching for the goal to bring three points Obafemi Martins' drive with three minutes left seemed to do it but as time ran down, former Newcastle man Titus Bramble nodded-in a Daniel De Ridder corner.Following the weekend, Newcastle stands just out of the relegation zone with thirteen points. They return to action next weekend against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
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