Pre match news
Good afternoon from a bright and breezy Wigan. City are looking to bounce back after the midweek disappointment at the Withdean Stadium, but it’s set to be a tough one for Mark Hughes’ men as City have yet to win here at the JJB Stadium after three defeats and a draw last December.
Team news: City are unchanged from the side that started the 6-0 rout of Portsmouth last Sunday, so Hart, Garrido, Richards, Wright-Phillips, Elano and Robinho are all back.
The Match
Unusually for this fixture, the first three minutes passed without a goal for either side but the 4,000 or so City fans were in fine voice from the off, easily making more noise than the home support.
Amr Zaki went close with a long range effort on 14 minutes, and this should have served as a warning as the hosts next effort saw them take the lead. A free kick on the left found its way out to Antonio Valencia, who took aim from 25 yards out with Joe Hart nowhere near the ball as it tore across him and into his top right hand corner.
This stung City into action, and a chance for Robinho within a minute saw the Brazilian shoot just wide from inside the area.
And City’s fans did not have too long to with for an equaliser, when on 22 minutes Elano’s free kick from near the right corner flag took a deflection before arriving with Vincent Kompany, totally unmarked in the six yard box and allowed to tap in for his first goal since arriving from Hamburg.
But Wigan went back in front in controversial circumstances on 33 minutes. Garrido challenged Palacios inside the area, the Wigan player went to ground theatrically after going a few feet into the air and referee Steve Bennett pointed to the spot immediately. After a long delay, during which City protested and the yellow card was shown to Kompany & Robinho, Amr Zaki stepped up and sent Joe Hart the wrong way to restore ‘Latics lead.
City tried to get back straight away once again, with Stephen Ireland not far off getting a touch to Zabaleta’s cross just after the restart. With three minutes to the break, Richards fed Wright-Phillips, whose chip looked to be dipping in at the last minute, until it was turned over well by Kirkland. At the resulting corner Richard Dunne was clipped by Heskey – but this time the referee waved the pleas for a penalty away. The last action of the half was at the other end, with Hart making a fine stop with his feet to deny the England striker.
First chance of the second half fell to the hosts, with Bramble heading wide three minutes in. A former Blue showed his face on 53 minutes when Michael Brown replaced Cattermole. Within a minute Wright-Phillips was breaking into the right of the box and finding Jo, but the Brazilian striker was unable to threaten Kirkland.
Brown gave away a free kick (and earning a booking within five minutes of coming on) in a dangerous spot, which Elano chose to roll to Jo – but his shot flew a long way over the bar. There was a better effort on the hour, when Elano curled a right-footed effort from the edge of the box just the wrong side of Kirkland’s left post.
A defence-splitting pass from Elano on 65 found Stephen Ireland bearing down on Kirkland, but the Irishman’s toe-poke rolled agonisingly wide. At the other end, Dunne cleared over his bar after Hart could not take a high ball from the led, and at the corner Bramble nodded wide again.
It had been a lively game anyway, and it heated up again with around 20 minutes left when first Richards and then Melchiot went into the book. The latter had body-checked Wright-Phillips, who showed no ill-effects 60 seconds later when his shot brought a fine save out of Chris Kirkland.
The Wigan keeper looked lucky not to have given away a penalty on 77, appearing to collide with Ched Evans after the substitute had poked the ball around him. Referee Bennett earned himself more of the wrath of the City fans with eight minutes left when he gave Wigan a free kick when Bramble and Richards had clashed as the City player tried to break into the box. The home fans were on his case just afterwards when he waved play on after Kompany had brought down Melchiot.
The final few minutes were predictably frantic, but the closest City could come to getting the equaliser was Kompany fired straight at Kirkland. Wigan broke away and went close to adding a third through Zaki, but the new cult hero’s shot was superbly tipped over by Hart.
But that was the last action of the game, as City once again left the JJB Stadium empty-handed.
