Source: Telegraph
Wigan Athletic v Wolverhampton Wanderers: Live
COMMENTARYKEY MOMENTSLIVE COMMENTINGEmail nick.pearce@telegraph.co.uk with your banter and musings or tweet him @nickpearcey [LNB]Read a match report of Wigan 2 - Wolves 0[LNB]Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers previewWigan Athletic 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1: match reportAston Villa Football Club: Fixtures 2009/201015.04: Right that's it from me. But don't think for one minute that we're all off home at Telegraph Sport. No, no. The live sport just keeps on coming. Mike Norrish is doing some heroic work on the Ryder Cup live: 2010 blog and you can also keep up with the Saturday football: live. I'll see you tomorrow for more golf, and Ed Ballard (Manchester City v Newcastle) and Jonathan Liew (Chelsea v Arsenal) will be blogging the footy. Good afternoon.[LNB]14.46: From Opta Joe on Twitter: "2 - Wolves attempted just 2 shots in this game (ex. blocked); both off target. They have never attempted as few in the Premier League. Limp." [LNB]14.45: That final attendance at the DW; 14,042. That's got to be rubbish. [LNB]14.44: Jordi Gomez: "I think after six games without a win at home we needed one. It was a very good performance especially as it's sometimes difficult to play against a team who have a man down." [LNB]WRAP: When you lose a player so early on you give yourself a mountain to climb, but for most of that game it looked like Wolves would probably hold on, such was the bluntness of the Wigan attack. But after Edwards carelessly conceded a free-kick Gomez inspired his team-mates with a sumptuous strike. Maybe Hahnemann should have done better, yet it was the moment the game needed and Wigan needed. Rodallega's goal added gloss, but was ultimately unnecessary because if Wigan's attack was blunt then Wolves' was made of sponge. [LNB]FULL-TIME: Wigan 2 - Wolves 0[LNB]90+3 min: Berra into the book after a cynical and frankly lazy challenge. [LNB]90+1 min: Chance for Wigan. Ben Watson lays it on a plate for the Rod but he fires straight at Hahnemann. Good save from the American but that should have been goal time. [LNB]90 min: Points are firmly in the bag and into the top half go Wigan. Clean sheet would be the icing on the cake so Martinez will be hoping for no slip-ups now. Four minutes of added time to be played. [LNB]85 min: GOAL! Wigan 2 - Wolves 0 (Rodallega 85') The dam finally bursts and with it goes Wolves' hopes of stealing a point. Rodallega is all over the Wolves back four after a through-ball from N'Zogbia and Berra has to intervene but his clearance knocks against the striker and into the back of the net. [LNB]Di Santo gets a standing ovation (really?) as he makes way for Ben Watson. [LNB]84 min: Wolves have so many men forward that they are leaving themselves exposed at the back. Fascinating final few minutes about to unfold. [LNB]82 min: Edwards makes way for Bent, and Ward for Ebanks-Blake. [LNB]81 min: They better bring them on sharpish though because Wigan continue to attack with purpose, if not skill. [LNB]79 min: Uh oh, Wigan. Marcus Bent is warming up, as is Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. It's go time for Wolves! [LNB]77 min: Chance for Wigan. Bit of bite shown by Wolves in the last couple of minutes but it's almost undone by a spectacular effort on goal from Di Santo! He catches Hahnemann off his line from about 35 yards out, on the wide right, and almost completely embarrasses him! Fine effort! [LNB]76 min: Wigan would move up to 10th if this result stays the same. [LNB]75 min: N'Zogbia dances off his right wing and past Elekobi before drilling a shot on goal. Hahnemann gets down well at the near post and saves. [LNB]74 min: Rhythmic drumming emanates from the cauldron that is the DW. Wolves under all sorts of pressure as the hosts continue their assault. [LNB]73 min: Wigan are pumped up after the goal and have a fair few men committed forward in pursuit of a second. Hendry Thomas makes way Mohamed Diame. [LNB]70 min: What now for Wolves? They were happy as Larry sitting back and playing for a 0-0. Call to the bench? Bring on Premier League hotshot Marcus Bent? Or what about Sylvan Ebanks-Blake? Not great. [LNB]69 min: If you want to know what the sound of 500 fans suddenly finding their voice is like then get yourself down to the DW. Much better atmosphere now. [LNB]67 min: Jarvis has an attempt from the left, which is deeper and wider than Gomez's. And it's fairly average and out for a goal kick. Wigan have had 10 attempts on goal, compared to the one from Wolves. [LNB]65 min: GOAL! Wigan 1 - Wolves 0 (Gomez 65') Oh yes! Gomez curls it left-footed and puts some real force behind it. Hahnemann dives to his right but is beaten by the pace of the ball and Wigan take an emphatic lead! McCarthy's containment plan is in shreds! [LNB]64 min: Wigan win a free-kick on the edge of the area after Edwards brings down N'Zogbia. Gomez fancies it. [LNB]63 min: Rodallega just shoots from outside the box with three defenders for company. That, my friends, is a microcosm of today's fixture. Well, that's not strictly true. It would be more accurate if he did that then Karl Henry came from nowhere to chop him down. That would be the real microcosm. [LNB]61 min: As it stands Wigan would remain in the drop zone in and 18th. [LNB]60 min: Two-thirds through the match and I am still fairly confident that it's heading for 0-0 draw. [LNB]59 min: Sub coming here for Wigan, with Ronnie Stam coming on for Maynor Figuero. [LNB]58 min: I think the whole Wolves team are in their area now as Wigan fruitlessly try to thread through a perfect pass. [LNB]56 min: It's boiling over now with Doyle and Gohouri getting their legs tangled. Playing football, not Twister. [LNB]55 min: Latest flashpoint is between Doyle and Alcaraz who go eye-to-eye over an accusation of a stray elbow from the Irishman. [LNB]53 min: Chance for Wigan. Gomez winds one up from distance but it's nothing to bother Hahnemann. [LNB]52 min: Nasty looking head injury for the Rod and he is receiving some attention on the deck . Bit of a clash with Berra in the build-up to the McCarthy shot. Elokobi on for Fletcher. [LNB]50 min: Wigan all over the visitors now! McCarthy the latest to see his effort saved by Hahnemann. [LNB]49 min: George Elokobi is warming up for Wolves. [LNB]48 min: That was much better from Wigan. Have they been inspired during the break? [LNB]46 min: Chance for Wigan. Lovely interplay between the Rod and Di Santo. The former should have taken the shot on but slides it back to his junior partner and Di Santo's wimpy shot is saved by Hahnemman. [LNB]We're back with the scores at 0-0. [LNB]13.45: From Swiss Ramble on Twitter: "13 November - Wolves v Bolton. Grown men will wince when Karl Henry meets Paul Robinson in a "good, old-fashioned, 50-50 challenge". Ouch." [LNB]13.43: Karl Henry now the top trending topic on Twitter. Public not keen on that challenge, I assume. And it's already on YouTube if you want to take a look. [LNB]13.38: Arjen De Zeeuw and Matt Murray discuss the Karl Henry in the studio. The latter stands by the skipper of his former employers but stops short of condemning the red, insisting that Henry can have no arguments due to the lateness and velocity of the challenge. [LNB]WRAP: Wigan have failed to take advantage of the extra man after Karl Henry's ridiculous challenge, while Wolves have done, well, brilliantly. They've not allowed themselves to be exposed in any part of the field and have even gone close on a few occasions. I think Mick McCarthy knows what he has to do - play for the point and get men behind the ball. The harder challenge is for Roberto Martinez to try and engineer a goal from his impotent attack. 0-0 is written all over this, but I'm dying to be proven wrong. [LNB]HALF-TIME: Wigan 0 - Wolves 0[LNB]45 min: Edwards is caught by Hendry Thomas, who enters the book. Just the one added minute to be played here. [LNB]44 min: Chance for Wigan. Beautiful ball in from N'Zogbia should be buried by Gomez but he doesn't fancy taking on Hahnemann and it's out for a goal kick. [LNB]43 min: Chance for Wigan. Nice effort from Di Santo looks like it's hitting the target, but Craddock gets a head on it and a corner is given. Almost at the break and it doesn't take a genius to work out which manager will be happy for things to remain 0-0. Just the three Wolves men in the Wigan half. [LNB]41 min: Fletcher goes into the book for the saintly Wolves. [LNB]40 min: From Oddvar in Norway: "Two times earlier this year Wigan were 11 vs 10 but only managed a draw against Sunderland and Birmingham." [LNB]39 min: McCarthy dispossesses Edwards and sets Wigan going. Di Santo is unmarked in the middle from Boyce's cross but Craddock intervenes to head it away for a throw. [LNB]37 min: Still 0-0 then. As if you're surprised. [LNB]36 min: Chance for Wigan. Decent-ish shot from Rodallega after he received a square ball from N'Zogbia. Bit too strong though, and it's over. [LNB]35 min: You have to feel for Roberto Martinez. He wants his players to play sexy football, but his players are the equivalent of 10-pinters in the cloakroom queue at 2am. Ugly. [LNB]34 min: Marcus Hahnemann, ranked 10 in the EA Sports Player Performance Index, shows why by confidently claiming a Wigan corner. Wolves look calm and in control. [LNB]31 min: Jarvis' ball in from the right is ordinary and evades Berra. [LNB]30 min: Foley is dominating down the right flank and his latest burst of energy sees him drawing the foul from Alcaraz. Wolves are looking well placed to strike a blow for pantomime villains everywhere. [LNB]29 min: N'Zogbia is fed by Rodallega and he speeds to the byline, but there's no one in the middle for his tasty ball in. [LNB]28 min: From Owen in Malta: "Wigan need to start winning and this is their best chance to get back to winning ways if they want to avoid relegation. Since Wolves have 10 men I predict a 1-0 win to Wigan - Rodallega." [LNB]27 min: Di Santo storms upfield but panics and passes when he needed to keep hold of possession. [LNB]26 min: Foley allowed to cross the ball from the right at his leisure and Gohorui climbs above Fletcher to head away for a corner. Bit heavy handed though and Fletcher is prone on the turf. [LNB]25 min: Not seeing where Wigan are going to grab a goal from... According to the EA Sports stats they've had 60 per cent of possession but when they get in the final third they're simply blunt. [LNB]23 min: Gomez floats a lovely ball over the Wolves defence to Di Santo, but the Argentine looks low on confidence and drifts wide hesitantly before dinking in an ordinary ball that's easily cleared. [LNB]22 min: Alcaraz strides forward confidently into the Wolves half and picks out....nobody. Poor pass and neither side seem keen about passing it round. [LNB]20 min: Chance for Wolves. Fletcher floats a lovely free-kick effort just over the bar. Effortless stroke but a bit too heavy. [LNB]From Opta Joe on Twitter: "11 - Karl Henry was given a red card after just 11 minutes in his match; the quickest given in the Premier League this season. Rough." [LNB]19 min: Hearing that Alcaraz took so long to stitch up because he had a 3/4 inch gash. Presumably picked up accidentally. [LNB]18 min: Rodallega, N'Zogbia and Di Santo combine beautifully but the Zog is ruled to be offside after Di Santo's delicious chip over the top. [LNB]17 min: Alcaraz back on the field with some taping on that gash and now Wigan have the full compliment. Wolves, however, do not. [LNB]16 min: Chance for Wigan. Gomez, unbelievably still in possession of two legs, shoots wide. All Wigan right now. [LNB]15 min: Chance for Wigan. Figueroa is given free rein to cut in from the left but is on his unfavoured right foot and blazes over. [LNB]13 min: Slight delay in the game as Gomez recovers from that butchering. McCarthy tries one from long range but it's over. Wigan need to settle down and let their one-man advantage do the talking. [LNB]11 min: RED CARD (Henry) Oh dear, Karl, oh dear. Sorry that's not an unfair label. That's unadulterated thuggery. Gomez on the ball and Henry sprints 10 yards to wildly slide in and almost break his opponent's leg. Straight red and presumably a hefty ban. [LNB]10 min: Hosts still down to 10 but they're coping well, often dictating the terms in attack. Wolves would be well served to give it some width and test out the Alcaraz-less backline. [LNB]8 min: First proper roar of the day from the home fans as Emerson Boyce goes on a direct run from the right wing. He's dispossessed but he was really motoring for a while. [LNB]7 min: Skipper Alcaraz heads to the gallows of the DW to receive some treatment to a nasty flow of claret coming from his head. Wigan down to 10 for the time being. [LNB]6 min: Henry is not keen on his 'thug' label, but that quite blatant shove to concede a free-kick will not help his cause. [LNB]5 min: Fair few long balls, fair few tussles down the wide channels, and fair few fouls so far. Hoping for more. [LNB]4 min: My namesake Stuart Pearce is in the crowd. To watch Michael Mancienne I presume. [LNB]3 min: For a crowd of 17 the noise is actually quite good. Some impressive chanting. The much-maligned Karl Henry does well to win possession back in the Wolves third and launch an attack. [LNB]2 min: Wolves have the first half-chance, Fletcher connecting with a nicely whipped-in cross by Jarvis. [LNB]1 min: And we're off! [LNB]12.41: Teams out on the field and we're minutes away from what promises to be a game of Premier League football. [LNB]12.38: I can see a lot of empty seats. [LNB]12.34: So Franco Di Santo is back from ankle injury, with Jordi Gomez also coming in and Mohamed Diame and Ronnie Stam dropping down to the bench. [LNB]For the visitors, Michael Mancienne is preferred to David Jones, while Jelle Van Damme is named among the substitutes in place of Adlene Guedioura, who broke his leg in the defeat against Aston Villa last week. [LNB]12.25: From Opta Joe on Twitter: "3 - Wigan have converted just 3% of their shots into goals this season, a lower percentage than any other side. Banjo." [LNB]12.15: Teams are in! [LNB]Wigan Athletic: Al Habsi, Boyce, Gohouri, Alcaraz, Figueroa, McCarthy, Thomas, Gomez, N'Zogbia, Di Santo, Rodallega. Subs: Kirkland, Watson, Boselli, Moses, Steven Caldwell, Diame, Stam. [LNB]Wolverhampton Wanderers: Hahnemann, Foley, Craddock, Berra, Ward, Edwards, Henry, Mancienne, Jarvis, Doyle, Fletcher. Subs:Hennessey, Van Damme, Elokobi, Stearman, Ebanks-Blake, David Jones, Bent. [LNB]12.10: Here's what was said in yesterday's press conferences: [LNB]Roberto Martinez: "The home form is important in any season and something we need to put together. Maybe it is about time but sometimes this early in the season the table can give the wrong impression. [LNB] "The league, I feel, is closer than ever. We want to fulfil our potential as soon as we can." [LNB]Mick McCarthy: "I watched Wigan at Birmingham and I thought they were a different team to last season. It wasn't about open expansive football and the best team winning. They've got a really tough side to them. [LNB] "We've got the DVD of a home game, and I've no doubt they will play a bit more expansively at home, but they've got a harder edger to them." [LNB]12.05: Good morning. It's Super League grand final day. Wigan against St Helens at Old Trafford with the pride of the north at stake. While, in Wales it's the clash of the titans with Europe taking on USA in the Ryder Cup. Throw in to the equation that this game is also televised and I ask you this: will there be anyone at a ground that has an average attendance of 15,499? You're not allowed to count staff, stewards and cameramen. I start the sweepstake at 10,000. Nearest to the mark gets a pint from me. [LNB]--- [LNB]Actual football preview stuff [LNB]Wigan Athletic v Wolverhampton Wanderers team news [LNB]Wigan Athletic: Al Habsi, Boyce, Gohouri, Alcaraz, Figueroa, McCarthy, Thomas, Gomez, N'Zogbia, Di Santo, Rodallega. Subs: Kirkland, Watson, Boselli, Moses, Steven Caldwell, Diame, Stam. [LNB]Wolverhampton Wanderers: Hahnemann, Foley, Craddock, Berra, Ward, Edwards, Henry, Mancienne, Jarvis, Doyle, Fletcher. Subs:Hennessey, Van Damme, Elokobi, Stearman, Ebanks-Blake, David Jones, Bent. [LNB]Referee: Lee Mason. Matches: 3. R0 Y13. [LNB]Bet of the game: Two teams out of form need the points but a draw is 11-5. [LNB]Fact: Wigan have failed to win by more than one goal in their last 24 outings. [LNB]
