- N'Zogbia (33), Jordi Gomez (89)
- Larsson (61), Benitez (66), Larsson (72)
- Date:2009-12-05
- Kick-off:15:00
- Venue:The JJB Stadium
- Attendance:18797
- Referee:Probert, L
Live Commentary
90mins
Full time: WIGAN 2-3 BIRMINGHAM: Gomez's late strike is a consolation as Birmingham wrap up back-to-back away wins.
89mins
WIGAN 2-3 BIRMINGHAM: GOMEZ'S 25 yard free-kick gives Latics hope.
81mins
Jerome comes off for Fahey.
80mins
Sinclair blasts well wide from 20 yards out.
77mins
Gomez comes on for Boyce.
75mins
Thomas is booked for a late tackle on Larsson.
72mins
WIGAN 1-3 BIRMINGHAM: LARSSON drives home a 25 yard free kick to give Blues a two goal cushion.
69mins
Diame makes way for Sinclair.
66mins
Rodallega heads wide from N'Zogbia's cross.
65mins
WIGAN 1-2 BIRMINGHAM: BENITEZ'S shot squrims under Pollitt to give Blues the lead.
63mins
Jerome hits a shot wide of the target from six yards out.
60mins
WIGAN 1-1 BIRMINGHAM: LARSSON'S free kick bounces in the 6 yard box and goes in. The Wigan keeper should have come for the ball.
59mins
Rodallega fires the ball across goal and Hart does well to push it out for a corner.
57mins
Ridgewell does well to get a block in as Scotland moved into the Birmingham box.
55mins
Pollitt comes off his line to collect under pressure from Jerome. Birmingham are a different team in this second half.
53mins
Scotland hits a rising shot over the Birmingham goal.
52mins
Wigan go on the attack and Rodallega smashes the ball across goal. Great start to this second half.
50mins
Pollitt makes a wonder save from Jerome. He should have scored. Corner to Blues.
48mins
Bowyer tries to find Benitez in the box but Bramble cuts it out.
46mins
Jerome tries an overhead kick from Larsson's cross but Pollitt makes an easy save.
45mins
No changes for either side at the break.
45mins
The second half kicks off at the JJB.
45mins
Half time: WIGAN 1-O BIRMINGHAM: Wigan dominate the opening half and deserve their lead. A combination of poor finishing, and good goalkeeping by Hart, has kept the score down.
44mins
N'Zogbia and Sharner combine well but the former Newcastle man blasts wide of the target.
42mins
Diame drills a low shot a yard wide of the Birmingham goal.
40mins
N'Zogbia fires a dipping shot at goal but Hart collects at the second attempt.
38mins
Thomas does well to steal the ball from Ferguson but he can't find Rodallega with his pass.
35mins
Pollitt makes a comfortable save from a long range Benitez effort.
33mins
WIGAN 1-O BIRMINGHAM: N'ZOGBIA turns Ridgewell inside out before slamming the ball home.
31mins
Half an hour in and Birmingham have been second best so far.
28mins
Rodallega smashes the ball high over the Birmingham goal from inside the box. Bad miss by the Wigan man.
25mins
The substitute keeper makes a terrific save from Benitez.
24mins
Kirkland makes way for Pollitt.
22mins
Johnson puts in a late challenge on Sharner. Free kick to Wigan. The Blues defender is lucky not to pick up a second booking.
20mins
It looks like Kirkland is injured. Pollitt is warming up on the bench.
18mins
Rodallega races away from Johnson before threading a pass through the Birmingham defence for N'Zogbia. Hart races off his line to collect.
16mins
Sharner drills a low shot well wide of the Birmingham goal.
14mins
A fight breaks out between Johnson and Rodallega, and it's a yellow card for the Wigan man.
12mins
Johnson just manages to head the ball back to Hart as Scotland closes in.
10mins
Melchiot goes on a mazy run down the wing but Larsson wins the ball back.
8mins
Figueroa is starting to impose himself on the game and sends Scotland away only for Hart to collect.
6mins
Birmingham break through Bowyer but Thomas gets back to win possession.
4mins
Sharner should have given the hosts the lead. He raced into the box and rounded Hart but put his angled drive wide of the target.
2mins
Sharner tries a through ball looking for Rodallega but Ridgewell cuts it out.
0mins
Referee Lee Probert gets the game under way.
0mins
The teams are out at the JJB. Both Wigan and Birmingham can move into the top half of the Premier League table with a win today.
0mins
Birmingham: Hart, Carr, Dann, Roger Johnson, Ridgewell, Larsson, Ferguson, Bowyer, McFadden, Benitez, Jerome
0mins
Alex McLeish is also able to pick the same Birmingham eleven that won last time out - a 1-0 success over Black Country rivals, Wolves.
0mins
Wigan: Kirkland, Melchiot, Bramble, Boyce, Figueroa, N'Zogbia, Thomas, Scharner, Diame, Rodallega, Scotland
0mins
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez has a fully-fit squad to choose from and sticks with the same side that beat Sunderland last weekend. The Latics go in search of back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
Match Preview
Wigan Athletic welcome Birmingham City to the DW Stadium on Saturday for a Premier League showdown that both outfits should be confident of grabbing a result.
Roberto Martinez's hosts laid the ghost of White Hart Lane to rest with an excellent 1-0 win against Sunderland last weekend.
This after they travelled to London to face Tottenham Hotspur and were thumped 9-1, but the Latics will be hoping that was simply a blip on their otherwise impressive start to this season's campaign.
They sit 14th in the league and a healthy five points away from the relegation zone, while Birmingham have clambered up to 11th following their recent on-field successes.
Alex McLeish's men are currently on an excellent five-game unbeaten run that has yielded three wins - against Sunderland, Fulham and local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers - plus two impressive draws at home to big-spending Manchester City and away at Liverpool.
Another Blues triumph this time out could see them propelled into the top ten.
With games fast approaching against West Ham United, Blackburn Rovers and Everton, McLeish's men could really stamp their mark on the league before Christmas and he is set to receive a £40million windfall from new owner Carson Yeung to bolster the squad during January's transfer window.
The game looks like it has the makings of a cracker with Wigan's leaky defence so far conceding 31 goals in their 14 Premier League contests while Birmingham's more watertight unit letting in just 14 from their opening 14 fixtures.
But having scored just 12, it could be argued that McLeish's prioritises his defence over attack.
Birmingham could be without the services of Damien Johnson (hamstring) while Stuart Parnaby (back), David Murphy and Teemu Tainio (both knee), Martin Taylor (ankle) and Garry O'Connor (hip) all still some way from returning.
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Match Report
Birmingham City extended their unbeaten run to six games as two Sebastian Larsson free-kicks helped them come from behind to sink Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium.
The Latics ended the first half on top thanks to Charles N'Zogbia's brilliant goal - his second goal of the season.
But the Blues showed the grit that has served them so well in recent matches as two Larsson set-pieces sandwiched by Christian Benitez's strike took Alex McLeish's men into the top half of the table.
After a quiet opening, the game exploded into life when Hugo Rodallega and Roger Johnson clashed in an aerial battle which left the Birmingham centre-back in a bloody mess and resulted in a yellow card for the Wigan striker with the visitors demanding a red.
However, home boss Roberto Martinez was forced to shuffle his pack when England goalkeeper Chris Kirkland was carried off with a back injury and his replacement, Mike Pollitt, was called into action straight away to brilliantly deny Benitez.
But on 33 minutes Wigan edged in front when Rodallega - last week's match-winner against Sunderland - teed up N'Zogbia who fired a terrific curling shot into the top corner.
Despite playing the more attractive football, Wigan could not finish off the chances they were creating for their frontmen and it ended up costing them when the visitors drew level on the hour mark.
Larsson curled in a free-kick from the left-hand side and the ball eluded a clutch of players and Pollitt to fly straight in.
Just like they did at White Hart Lane two weeks ago, Wigan collapsed and they were behind within five minutes as their defence failed to deal with Lee Bowyer's long ball and Benitez fired past Pollitt.
Larsson's free-kick on 72 minutes took the Blues 3-1 ahead but the visiting fans were given a nervous finale when substitute Jordi Gomez curled in his own set-piece with a minute to go before they held on for a third straight win.
Wigan Athletic Team
Birmingham City Team
Wigan Athletic | Birmingham City |
Corners
| 2 | 2 |
Fouls
| 14 | 11 |
Goal attempts
| 15 | 7 |
Shots off target
| 9 | 1 |
Offsides
| 1 | 4 |
84mins
Rodallega fires a yard wide of Hart's left-hand post.