Source: Daily_Mail
Wolves 1 Wigan 2: McCarthy's men rock bottom as Latics claim victory
The crushing pressure of a relegation battle is not supposed to be a place for kids but try telling that to Tom Cleverley.[LNB]Just when the heat was turning up on Wigan and Wolves for that matter the 21-year-old youngster on a season-long loan from Manchester United came to the fore.[LNB]He helped make one goal and calmly scored another to leave Wolves, dumped to the bottom of the table at lunchtime by West Ham's win, being booed off their own pitch by disgruntled home fans.[LNB] Double your money: Tom Cleverley scores Wigan's second goal at Molineux[LNB] [LNB] It was Cleverley's third goal in fourPremier League games and the only cloud on Roberto Martinez's horizon was that Sir Alex Ferguson might make use of a recall clause and take him back to Old Trafford to join the contest at the other end of the table.[LNB]Wigan's manager said: 'There is a recall clause, but I choose not to worry about what I can't control.[LNB]'We have him until the end of the season and all I want is for him to carry on enjoying his football and learning different aspects of the game.[LNB]'Last season he learned a lot in the Championship when he went out to Watford and now he is getting perfect development in the Premier League.[LNB]'I think he can go right to the top, more than anything because of his attitude. His tactical awareness is not normal for somebody so young.[LNB]'Whoever lost this game would have been bottom of the table and that might have played on their minds, but Iwas delighted with how my players reacted to that pressure.'[LNB]Cleverley's coolness only underlined how Mick McCarthy's side failed to handle the pressure.[LNB] Eye for goal: Hugo Rodallega scores Wigan's opener[LNB] [LNB]Richard Stearman was far too easily turned by Hugo Rodallega after only nine minutes whenCleverley had knocked a half-cleared corner back into the box.[LNB]And Stearman was again at fault 10 minutes later when he sold himself into a clumsy challenge on Rodallega and the Colombia striker strolled off into the space remaining before feeding his pass toCleverley.[LNB]The young left winger finished with the aplomb of a kid who had grown up watching Ryan Giggs in training.[LNB]It was horror defending and left Wolves boss Mick McCarthy struggling for explanations as to why a full-house home crowd were so badly let down.[LNB]'If you'd seen us in our last home game you wouldn't say we weren't capable of dealing with pressure, but today couldn't have been further from the performance we wanted,' he admitted.[LNB]Wolves had little to offer. Defender Christophe Berra had already missed their best chance to hit back, shooting straight at Ali Al Habsi from close range.[LNB] Battle: Kev Foley tries to put pressure on Wigan's Steve Gohouri[LNB]And when the Wigan goalkeeper did look to be beaten, when a Nenad Milijas free-kick took a big deflection,he responded with brilliant improvisation by flicking out a foot at thefinal second to divert the ball to safety.[LNB]Even when substitute Steven Fletcher stabbed home an 84th-minute effort quickest to react to the loose ballafter Sylvan Ebanks-Blake challenged for a Matt Jarvis cross Wolves couldn't find an extra gear to chase the game.[LNB]The travelling fans, mocked by the home supporters for their lack of numbers, had earlier hit back by singing: 'Two-nil to the empty seats.'[LNB]By the final whistle there were just as many unoccupied seats throughout the rest of the stadium as Wolves' disconsolate supporters trudged home fearing a long, hard battle for survival in the top flight in the new year.[LNB] [LNB] [LNB] PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE: All the Boxing Day action as it happenedRecord signing Fletcher is 'going nowhere' insists Wolves manager McCarthy Man City could scupper Wigan's hopes of signing Bolton keeper Al-HabsiWOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS FC
