Source: Daily_Mail
Wigan 0 West Ham 1: It's GBH at the JJB but Cole's gem earns victory amid red-card mayhem
A brief moment of artistry settled this vicious battle of a match as Carlton Cole and Lee Cattermole saw red on a night that shamed the Barclays Premier League.
Cole scored the 34th-minute winner at the JJB before being dismissed three minutes later in an incident that raised the blood pressure of both sides to boiling point.
Cattermole followed shortly after the interval for an appalling tackle on Scott Parker, who had been one of the protagonists as this match gathered a sadistic edge.
Wigan boss Steve Bruce blamed the harsh dismissal of Cole by novice referee Stuart Attwell for the flare-up between the sides.
Bruce said: 'I've no complaints about the result. Their goal was a great goal and probably a goal of the season. But the whole game was ruined as a spectacle by the sending-off of Cole.
'Lucas Neill should have been off the pitch instead. His tackle on Cattermole was horrific. The referee put himself in a hole and he couldn't make the decision.
'I've no complaints with Cattermole, he was stupid. He was incensed and he had good right. The tackle was a horror show.
'But there was an undercurrent from the sending-off. West Ham accused Michael Brown of trying to get Cole sent off but then Scott Parker, who was booked already, was also inciting things.'
Surprisingly, Gianfranco Zola, one of football's dainty players, refused to condemn the mayhem although he joined Bruce in questioning the decision to send off Cole.
The Italian said: 'It was an important game and there was some magnificent football before it got a little spicy.
'It was an important match but it was not a nasty game. There weren't too many bad tackles apart from the one on Parker and one by Lucas Neill.'
The beauty came before the beast took control, though, with Cole's strike conjured up by a series of sharp passes designed to leave boss manager Zola purring.
Parker's ball allowed David Di Michele to play a clever one-two with Mark Noble, creating the space for Cole to receive a pass on the edge of the area and bend a clinical finish past Chris Kirkland.
The move was carefully created amid a series of crunching tackles from a Wigan midfield built to destroy and the animosity bubbled up from the moment the recently capped Cole was dismissed in the 37th minute.
The striker had already been booked for clattering into Brown when he then jumped with his boot at a right angle and accidentally caught Emmerson Boyce in the face.
It was Brown's mischief-making in advising referee Attwell to show the England striker his second red card of the season that incensed Parker to such an extent he attempted to chase down his rival.
Both sides ventured into the melee that followed with spiteful intentions and it took several minutes before order was restored, as the raging Parker was eventually calmed down by team-mates.
The knowledge that his side could ill-afford to go down to nine men, as they looked to end a run of four away games without a win, eventually made him see sense.
But the seeds had been sown for further incitement between the warring factions and there was little doubt about the intent in Neill's show of studs that almost buckled Cattermole's shin, without causing damage, shortly after the break.
Despite being able to play on, revenge appeared to be on the Wigan midfielder's mind from that second and his decision to smash into the back of Parker was made with the red mist still clouding his thoughts.
Cattermole was never close to touching the ball as he launched himself at his opposite number and the straight red that was produced as a result of such disregard for a fellow professional's safety was unavoidable.
His rush of blood ended Wigan's chance of stealing an equaliser from a game where their best opportunity had come seconds before the interval.
Antonio Valencia made a rare foray to the by-line to pull back a cross that Mido met with his head, only to see the ball hit the upright with keeper Rob Green beaten.
West Ham offered little after Cole's exit but would have added a second at the death but for a perfect tackle by Maynor Figueroa that denied Walter Lopez the chance to slot past Kirkland from 10 yards.
But it was a costly second victory in a row for Zola's men as a bizarre knee injury for Jack Collison, suffered as he controlled the ball and fell without being touched, was added to the one-match ban Cole will now have to serve.
WIGAN (4-4-2): Kirkland 6; Melchiot 6, Boyce 6, Bramble 7 (Watson 78), Figueroa 6; Valencia 5, Brown 5 (Scharner 64 6), Cattermole 6, N'Zogbia 6; Mido 5, Zaki 7 (Rodallega 64 6). Booked: Brown, Valencia. Sent off: Cattermole.
WEST HAM (4-4-1-1): Green 7; Neill 5, Tomkins 6, Upson 6, Ilunga 5; Collison 7 (Spector 78), Noble 7, Parker 8 (Lopez 88), Kovac 5; Di Michele 7 (Nsereko 75 6); Cole 4. Booked: Noble, Parker, Cole, Neill. Sent off: Cole. Man of the match: Scott Parker. Referee: Stuart Attwell.
