Latics end Burnley run

24 October 2009 14:21
Burnley dropped their first home points of the season as a Hugo Rodallega double inspired Wigan to a 3-1 win at Turf Moor. The Clarets got off to a dream start, with Steven Fletcher stretching to tap-in Robbie Blake's cross in the fourth minute of the match. But the visitors were soon back on level terms when Burnley goalkeeper Brian Jensen slipped when coming for Mario Melchiot's hopeful cross, leaving Hugo Rodallega with an empty net. Wigan struck again shortly after half-time as Jason Scotland held up the ball before rolling it to Rodallega on the edge of the box and the Colombian fired his shot into the net off the post. The result was put beyond doubt when Paul Scharner bravely flicked on a corner from the left and Emmerson Boyce slotted home. Burnley's first came after Blake carved out space on the left before curling in a low cross to the far post. Sliding in, Fletcher flicked the ball up onto the underside of the bar and watched as it bounced over the line and eventually into the net. Despite that, goalkeeper Chris Kirkland, having recovered from a dislocated finger sustained in last Sunday's 1-1 draw at home to Manchester City, had little to do for the remainder of the half. Instead, a resurgent Wigan were back on level terms seven minutes later, and that after two superb saves from Clarets goalkeeper Brian Jensen. Initially, Jensen turned aside a rasping 18-yard right-foot drive from Rodallega in the ninth minute. From the ensuing corner, whipped into the far post by the Colombia striker, skipper Mario Melchiot was denied by Jensen's reactions as he saved the defender's point-blank effort with his feet. Two minutes later, though, Jensen was embarrassed when his foot caught in the turf as he came to collect an innocuous Melchiot cross, giving Rodallega a simple tap-in from eight yards. There was arguably a degree of wounded pride etched on the face of Jensen, along with the pain he was clearly in, as he had sustained an injury in the process. Despite lengthy treatment, Jensen limped off four minutes later to be replaced by Peru international Diego Penny, on for his Premier League debut. His record prior to this game was an unenviable one having conceded seven goals in three appearances, yet the 25-year-old was also a spectator for the remainder of the first-half as the two sides battled it out in midfield. That was until six minutes after the restart when Penny was picking the ball out of his net as Rodallega scored his and Wigan's second. Two minutes after Chris Eagles had hit the side-netting with a shot that had Burnley fans temporarily celebrating, Jason Scotland set up Rodallega. Collecting the ball inside the area, Scotland played a simple pass back to Rodallega who unleashed a right-foot effort that beat Penny in off his left-hand post. Even after that Burnley failed to rouse themselves, flickering into life either side of David Nugent's arrival in the 67th minute for Blake. Kirkland, for so long an onlooker, initially held onto a low shot from Andre Bikey before then denying Graham Alexander with a low save down to his right. That should have been the cue for a late onslaught but instead it was Wigan who went on to seal the three points in the 76th minute. From a Rodallega corner flicked on at the near post by Scharner, no Burnley player picked up Boyce who side-footed home only the second goal of his Latics career, with his first coming 11 months ago. The home side came close to pulling one back when Clarke Carlisle looped a header onto the bar soon after, but that was as close as they came to stealing anything from a game deservedly won by Wigan.

Source: SKY_Sports