Wigan 3 Chelsea 1: Don’t turn it into a drama, pleas Carlo Ancelotti after Wigan shock

27 September 2009 23:03
The question was lost in translation for a few moments before Carlo Ancelotti's wry smile showed he understood.[LNB] So was he aware that Wigan had never previously beaten any of English football's Big Four in 34 Premier League games since they were promoted to the top flight? 'Ah,' said Chelsea's Italian manager. 'Congratulations!' [LNB]Ancelotti has been on a crash course in English culture since arriving at Stamford Bridge in the summer, and it would appear he is already doing a neat line in sarcasm.[LNB] Orange quashed: Petr Cech is left helpless as Titus Bramble opens the scoring[LNB] Ancelotti learned a few more things after his first defeat in English football, and not just that Petr Cech might have some familiar faces to keep him company in the stands at home to Liverpool on Sunday. [LNB]He learned that his players cannot simply hand the lead to their opponents - as they had done on three previous occasions this season - and rely on their superior ability to come back. [LNB]And, according to his captain John Terry, he learned a little bit about the backbone of his team as well. 'You can go anywhere in the world and not play well, but the least we expect from every player is that we work hard and fight,' said Terry. [LNB]'We didn't, and that's the most disappointing thing of all. You can't come to places like this and not match their work ethic. We didn't win our headers, didn't win our tackles, and that's simply not good enough. [LNB]'All the other big sides in and around us had emphatic wins, so it's disappointing that we've thrown away three points. Probably the only good thing coming away from this game is that we've got another one on Wednesday.' [LNB]Time to go: Cech is sent off despite his protests [LNB]Cech will be available for the Champions League trip to Apoel Nicosia in Cyprus but banned against Liverpool following his sending-off in the pivotal incident that saw Chelsea surrender the last remaining 100 per cent record in English football. [LNB]They had not tasted defeat since March but, as statistics go, that one pales into insignificance alongside Wigan's quite horrible record against the Premier League heavyweights. [LNB]And this, as Ancelotti was gracious enough to acknowledge, was all about Wigan's success rather than Chelsea's failure. Ever since Hernan Crespo broke their hearts with an injury-time winner for Chelsea in Wigan's first ever Premier League fixture in August 2005, it has been an uphill struggle. [LNB]There have been some memorable moments along the way - in particular Emile Heskey's late equaliser at Stamford Bridge last year that all but handed the title to Manchester United - but no wins to celebrate. [LNB]And you can imagine chairman Dave Whelan threw quite a celebration on Saturday night. 'It's one of my greatest moments with the club,' said Whelan. 'We've never played better, we were brilliant. First half, we were unbelievable. Wonderful. Fantastic.' [LNB]His manager, Roberto Martinez, had overseen what he described as 'group therapy' during the week to address a painful 4-0 hammering at Arsenal that came less than a month after Wigan were thumped 5-0 by United. [LNB]MATCH STATS WIGAN ATHLETIC (4-5-1): Kirkland 6; Melchiot 7, Bramble 7, Boyce 6, Figueroa 6; N'Zogbia 8, Diame 7, Scharner 8, Thomas 8, Rodallega 8; Scotland 6 (King 89min). Booked: Thomas.[LNB]CHELSEA (4-4-2): Cech 6; Bosingwa 5 (Kalou 68, 5), Carvalho 5, Terry 6, A Cole 5; Essien 5, Obi 4 (Belletti 46, 4), Malouda 5 (Hilario 52, 6), Lampard 6; Anelka 5, Drogba 5. Booked: Terry, Carvalho, Essien. Sent off: Cech. [LNB]Man of the match: Paul Scharner. [LNB]Referee: Phil Dowd. [LNB]Martinez knows victories over the Big Four are unlikely to become a regular occurrence on the back of this result, but hopes it will at least act against the inferiority complex he detected following his arrival in the summer.[LNB] 'Yes, it has been a mental block in terms of hoping for a win and fearing the worst,' he said. 'When you beat a team like Chelsea after the start they've had, we have to enjoy today and see what happens in the next one.' [LNB]Wigan were outstanding all over the pitch. They recovered from the disappointment of seeing Didier Drogba cancel out Titus Bramble's headed opener and Hugo Rodallega fired their crucial second from the penalty spot after Cech was sent off for bringing him down.[LNB] 'I don't want to say too much, but what I will say is that it was not a penalty,' muttered the disgruntled keeper. [LNB]Chelsea were down to nine men by the time Paul Scharner scrambled in a late third after Ashley Cole was helped off with a knee injury. Both Cole and John Mikel Obi limped away from the DW Stadium and must now be doubtful to face Apoel and Liverpool. [LNB]If Ancelotti is worried, he certainly wasn't showing it. 'We've lost one game,' he said. 'Manchester United lost against Burnley, we lost against Wigan. Now it's important that we don't do a drama.'[LNB] Enlarge  Cech in red rage: Chelsea lose for first time under Ancelotti... and keeper is sent offChelsea's Wigan defeat tests Carlo Ancelotti as he tries to kick smoking habitCHELSEA FC

Source: Daily_Mail