- Pedersen (15), Reid (53), Bellamy (85)
- Date:2005-12-31
- Kick-off:15:00
- Venue:The JJB Stadium
- Attendance:20639
- Referee:Clattenburg, M
Live Commentary
90mins
A confident away performance sees Rovers end 2005 with all three points and a possible goal of the season
86mins
David Bentley is rested, replaced by David Thompson
85mins
Bellamy seals an impressive Rovers performance with a clever run to beat the offside trap and score
84mins
Morten Gamst Pedersen is replaced by Brett Emerton
84mins
David Connolly is unmarked and unchallenged in the centre of the Rovers area but he hits his header straight into the arms of Brad Friedel
82mins
Morten Gamst Pedersen shows his defensive skills as he clears Lee McCulloch's cross
76mins
Lee McCulloch is booked for a silly foul on David Bentley
75mins
Pascal Chimbonda remains solid in defense heading Lucas Neill's cross clear
72mins
Steven Reid is booked for time wasting
66mins
Wigan's Leighton Baines is replaced by David Wright as Paul Jewell changes his formation in search of a Wigan breakthrough
63mins
Lee McCulloch is on a break but he fires his 20-yard shot over the bar
62mins
Straight down the other end Mike Pollitt is stretched but manages to catch Craig Bellamy's cross, the game really has begun to open up now
61mins
Jimmy Bullard's cross is confidently punched clear by an outstretched Brad Friedel
59mins
Michael Gray ends his run down the left channel with a 20-yard shot which misses left
56mins
Henri Camara's handball provides a break in play to allow Graham Kavanagh and Gary Teale to be replaced by Damien Francis and David Connolly. Rovers also substitute Paul Dickov with Craig Bellamy
53mins
Steven Reid scores an absolutely spectacular goal with a 20 yard missile hammered into the top corner
50mins
Morten Gamst Pedersen's long-range shot misses left and causes Wigan no problems
48mins
Morten Gamst Pedersen crossed free kick is headed clear by Graham Kavanagh
47mins
Robbie Savage's mile wide shot takes a deflection to give Rovers a corner
46mins
The game gets back underway after the break
45mins
Rovers' strong start sees them on top at half time despite Wigan missing several chances late in the half
41mins
Jimmy Bullard's corner from the left is met full on by Arjan De Zeeuw from six yards out but Robbie Savage's heroic goal mouth clearance again denies Wigan their equaliser
39mins
Lee McCulloch fires a right-footed volley straight at Brad Friedel who denies Wigan their equaliser
36mins
Robbie Savage's crossed free kick finds Paul Dickov who blasts his volley over the bar from only six yards
33mins
Jason Roberts almost hits Wigan's equaliser but his shot from the right of the penalty area whistles past the wrong side of Brad Friedel's left post
31mins
Henri Camara has a half chance from the right of the penalty area but puts his shot left of goal for a Rovers goal kick
27mins
Pascal Chimbonda curls a cross in towards Lee McCulloch who drills his 18-yard shot just wide right of goal
22mins
Paul Dickov finds a threatening position in the centre of the Wigan penalty area but connects badly and puts his shot wide right
19mins
Robbie Savage goes in hard on Graham Kavanagh but the referee doesn't produce a card and Mike Pollitt takes the free kick
15mins
From a very tight angled position Morten Gamst Pedersen volleys home Rovers' opener at the JJB
13mins
Steven Reid has a speculative shot from over 35 yards which doesn't trouble Wigan's keeper and misses left
12mins
Paul Dickov hits a sweet volley from 20-yards out but it is straight at the waiting Wigan keeper Mike Pollitt who clamly catches
10mins
Matt Jackson's foul on Shefki Kuqi provides Morten Gamst Pedersen with a free kick, which he drills wide right from over 35-yards out
7mins
Morten Gamst Pedersen's third corner in a row is headed clear by Jason Roberts to ease the pressure
6mins
Morten Gamst Pedersen's outswinging corner is met with a fearsome header by Ryan Nelsen only to be denied by a Mike Pollitt's fingertip save
0mins
The game gets underway
Match Preview
Wigan Athletic's astonishing progress since rising to the top-flight sees them attempting to defend fifth place in the table as Blackburn Rovers arrive at the JJB Stadium.
A run of five straight defeats led many pundits to predict that Paul Jewell's side were heading for a fall, but since that run the Latics have won all three of their league fixtures as well as earning a place in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup.
Their latest triumph was an impressive 2-0 victory at West Ham, with strike pair Jason Roberts and Henri Camara doing the damage.
Roberts has now scored five times in his last three games, while Senegal international Camara has five to his name in his last four outings.
However, Jewell still has much lower targets for his team, saying after their latest success: "Our only objective at the start of the season was to stay in the league, and that won't change.
"We will just try to scratch as many points off as we can, get them as quickly as we can and if we can get enough that will maybe keep us up, then perhaps we can enjoy the rest of the season a bit more.
"When I hear people mention Wigan in the Champions League I say 'behave yourself'."
Rovers will arrive rested after their midweek meeting with Sunderland was frosted off and high on confidence after successive wins at Middlesbrough.
A 1-0 Carling Cup quarter-final win was followed on Boxing Day by a 2-0 league win at The Riverside.
Ewood Park boss Mark Hughes believes that further improvement lies ahead, as he targets a possible European challenge.
He said: "Getting into the top half is mentally significant for us.
"We view ourselves as a top-ten side, if not better, and I believe once we get over that initial hurdle we'll not just stay there, but put ourselves in contention to clinch a European spot."
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Match Report
A memorable year for Wigan Athletic ended on a disappointing note as they crashed to defeat after four successive wins, finally running out of steam after three games in six days.
Morten Gamst Pedersen fired impressive Rovers in front with his fifth of the season before Steven Reid celebrated his 50th start for Blackburn in style, hitting a wonder goal with an unstoppable strike from 25 yards out.
Mark Hughes' men wrapped it up with number three from Craig Bellamy, who came off the bench in the second half. to claim his seventh of the season..
Wigan had rattled up wins over Manchester City and West Ham over the holidays while Rovers had a slight advantage fitness wise with their midweek fixture against Sunderland postponed because of a frozen pitch at Ewood Park.
It was the first league meeting between the clubs and the Latics kicked off ten points clear of their near neighbours and very much in contention of a place in Europe next season.
Rovers - beaten only twice in their previous six games - were without the suspended Tugay but had Lucas Neill and Paul Dickov back. Andy Todd missed out with a knee injury and Bellamy was again on the bench
Blackburn set the pace early on winning four corners in quick succession but only one caused any problems, when Mike Pollitt was forced to tip the header from Ryan Nelsen over the bar.
But Rovers took the lead after 15 minutes despite Wigan protests claiming scorer Pedersen was in an offside position.
Dickov had chipped the ball into the middle and it came off the head of Wigan's Gary Teale and Pedersen rifled in a powerful left-footer from a difficult angle at the far post.
A Jimmy Bullard free-kick created possibilities for Wigan with Pascal Chimbonda winning the header, but referee Clattenburg blew up for a foul by Lee McCulloch.
The official also penalised Jason Roberts for a push on Brad Friedel after Henri Camara knocked in a dangerous cross from the left that went spinning into the air off a Blackburn defender.;
Wigan threatened again - Chimbonda providing a good ball into the danger area.- but Camara's shot flashed wide.
The £3million striker was out of luck again seconds later, caught just inches offside as he threatened to race clear on goal.
Dickov went close for Rovers at the other end and Friedel was forced into action to keep out a shot from McCulloch.
Camara had another shot deflected off target and from the corner, Wigan went close to levelling it.
Skipper Arjan de Zeeuw got up to power in the header, but Michael Gray was perfectly positioned on the line to keep it out.
Wigan needed an early goal to get back into it - but it was Rovers who found the net with a spectacular effort from Reid.
David Bentley's cross was headed out by Chimbonda but Reid got there ahead of Graham Kavanagh to blast past Pollitt from 25 yards and stakeg his claim for goal of the season.
Wigan went agonisingly close to snatching one back but Rovers keeper Friedel showed real quality pulling off a great stop from Latics sub David Connolly.
Then with time running out, Blackburn made absolutely sure when Bellamy hit the third goal after taking advantage of a lucky bounce of the ball off Wigan midfielder Damien Francis.
Wigan Athletic Team
Blackburn Rovers Team
Wigan Athletic | Blackburn Rovers |
Corners
| 2 | 7 |
Fouls
| 9 | 13 |
Goal attempts
| 9 | 13 |
Shots off target
| 5 | 6 |
Offsides
| 5 | 6 |



88mins
Shefki Kuqi's 12-yard shot is blocked by Matt Jackson