Wigan Athletic 3 v 0 Sunderland
Saturday 18th August 2007
Wigan Athletic finished this game at the summit of the Premier League. After what was a merciless destruction of media darling, Roy Keane's, expensively assembled flops, being the current best team in the land was just reward for a job that was very well done. Not content with that accolade, Antoine Sibierski ended the game as the Premiership's leading scorer as well!
Chris Hutching's side is now getting to grips with becoming an established Premiership outfit and their massacre of Sunderland, destined for the drop given this poor showing, showed Roy 'I will sign Leighton Baines, no matter what' Keane, the kind of team work, sublime skill and artistry that is needed to be a top flight team in this country.
To say that the blue and white clad Latics could have won this game by a landslide score is an under statement. If Sunderland had been a horse, they would have fallen at Beecher's Brook and would most certainly have been put down as early as half time, that is how bad Keane's charges were.
As early as the third minute Emile Heskey was brought down in the box with the goal at his mercy only for referee, Mike Riley to deny his penalty appeal. Mario Melchiot almost opened his Latics goal scoring account three minutes later.
Two more penalty appeals were given short shrift by Riley, who was probably feeling sorry for the shell shocked Black Cats, but there was no denying Heskey on the twenty minute mark when he latched on to a peach of a cross from Sibierski to slot past nine million pound Craig Gordon in the Sunderland goal. He was denied adding to his tally just 120 seconds later when he was adjudged to be offside by Riley, who must have seen something that the vast majority of people in the ground didn't!
From then on, Latics seemed to step up a gear, and the only surprise at half time was the 1-0 score line to the Latics.
Roy Keane had read the riot act to his inept team at half time had replaced Dwight Yorke and Anthony Stokes for Danny Collins and Liam Miller respectively. Hutchings was content to let his 'relegation certainties' (copyright all the so called professional pundits and national media) continue the obliteration of the poorest team to ever grace the JJB Stadium since Latics won promotion to the Premiership.
Sunderland's five million pound striker, Michael Chopra, actually managed a shot on target in the 53rd minute, but it came to nothing. Then the Black Cats had their most promising three minutes of the game when they won three successive corners, but their blatant lack of Premiership quality meant that nothing materialised from any of them.
Wigan Athletic then proceeded to put on the best football show seen at the JJB Stadium for many years. In the 61st minute midfielder Danny Collins resorted to thuggery to bring down Sibierski in the penalty area and Holland international, Denny Landzaat slotted the ball easily past a bemused Gordon.
Keane immediately brought on Russell Anderson for the woeful Paul McShane, then Dickson Etuhu was booked for a callous foul on Scharner before Anderson himself brought down Heskey in the penalty area in the 68th minute. Up popped Sibierski to become the Premiership's top scorer, courtesy of a well struck spot kick a minute later.
With the game won and Latics playing as though they were having a training session, Hutchings decided to bring on Julius Aghahowa for 'Le Sib' and Caleb Folan for Heskey. He even felt sorry for Michael Brown in the 82nd minute and decided to give him a run out in place of Scharner, to enable him to make his Latics Premiership debut.
By this time the 'finest supporters in the land' had left the JJB Stadium in droves, but in truth, you couldn't really blame them. Whether or not Latics will get any credit for this mind blowing display is open to debate. However, if you are a Latics fan reading this now...... are you bothered?
WIGAN ATHLETIC, Chris Kirkland, Mario Melchiot, Andreas Granqvist, Titus Bramble, Kevin Kilbane, Luis Antonio Valencia, Paul Scharner, (Michael Brown 83), Denny Landzaat, Jason Koumas, Emile Heskey, (Caleb Folan 78), Antoine Sibierski, (Julius Aghahowa 76). Subs not used, Mike Pollitt, Fitz Hall
Goal scorers, Emile Heskey 19 mins, Denny Landzaat (pen) 62 mins, Antoine Sibierski (pen) 69 mins
SUNDERLAND, Craig Gordon, Greg Halford, Nyron Nosworthy, Paul McShane, (Russell Anderson 62), Ross Wallace, Kieran Richardson, Dickson Etuhu, Dwight Yorke, (Danny Collins 46), Daryl Murphy, Michael Chopra, Anthony Stokes, (Liam Miller 46). Subs not used, Stern John, David Connolly.
Booked, Danny Collins 60 mins, Dickson Etuhu 65 mins
Referee, Mike Riley (West Yorkshire)
Attendance, 18,639
Wigan Athletic finished this game at the summit of the Premier League. After what was a merciless destruction of media darling, Roy Keane's, expensively assembled flops, being the current best team in the land was just reward for a job that was very well done. Not content with that accolade, Antoine Sibierski ended the game as the Premiership's leading scorer as well!
Chris Hutching's side is now getting to grips with becoming an established Premiership outfit and their massacre of Sunderland, destined for the drop given this poor showing, showed Roy 'I will sign Leighton Baines, no matter what' Keane, the kind of team work, sublime skill and artistry that is needed to be a top flight team in this country.
To say that the blue and white clad Latics could have won this game by a landslide score is an under statement. If Sunderland had been a horse, they would have fallen at Beecher's Brook and would most certainly have been put down as early as half time, that is how bad Keane's charges were.
As early as the third minute Emile Heskey was brought down in the box with the goal at his mercy only for referee, Mike Riley to deny his penalty appeal. Mario Melchiot almost opened his Latics goal scoring account three minutes later.
Two more penalty appeals were given short shrift by Riley, who was probably feeling sorry for the shell shocked Black Cats, but there was no denying Heskey on the twenty minute mark when he latched on to a peach of a cross from Sibierski to slot past nine million pound Craig Gordon in the Sunderland goal. He was denied adding to his tally just 120 seconds later when he was adjudged to be offside by Riley, who must have seen something that the vast majority of people in the ground didn't!
From then on, Latics seemed to step up a gear, and the only surprise at half time was the 1-0 score line to the Latics.
Roy Keane had read the riot act to his inept team at half time had replaced Dwight Yorke and Anthony Stokes for Danny Collins and Liam Miller respectively. Hutchings was content to let his 'relegation certainties' (copyright all the so called professional pundits and national media) continue the obliteration of the poorest team to ever grace the JJB Stadium since Latics won promotion to the Premiership.
Sunderland's five million pound striker, Michael Chopra, actually managed a shot on target in the 53rd minute, but it came to nothing. Then the Black Cats had their most promising three minutes of the game when they won three successive corners, but their blatant lack of Premiership quality meant that nothing materialised from any of them.
Wigan Athletic then proceeded to put on the best football show seen at the JJB Stadium for many years. In the 61st minute midfielder Danny Collins resorted to thuggery to bring down Sibierski in the penalty area and Holland international, Denny Landzaat slotted the ball easily past a bemused Gordon.
Keane immediately brought on Russell Anderson for the woeful Paul McShane, then Dickson Etuhu was booked for a callous foul on Scharner before Anderson himself brought down Heskey in the penalty area in the 68th minute. Up popped Sibierski to become the Premiership's top scorer, courtesy of a well struck spot kick a minute later.
With the game won and Latics playing as though they were having a training session, Hutchings decided to bring on Julius Aghahowa for 'Le Sib' and Caleb Folan for Heskey. He even felt sorry for Michael Brown in the 82nd minute and decided to give him a run out in place of Scharner, to enable him to make his Latics Premiership debut.
By this time the 'finest supporters in the land' had left the JJB Stadium in droves, but in truth, you couldn't really blame them. Whether or not Latics will get any credit for this mind blowing display is open to debate. However, if you are a Latics fan reading this now...... are you bothered?
WIGAN ATHLETIC, Chris Kirkland, Mario Melchiot, Andreas Granqvist, Titus Bramble, Kevin Kilbane, Luis Antonio Valencia, Paul Scharner, (Michael Brown 83), Denny Landzaat, Jason Koumas, Emile Heskey, (Caleb Folan 78), Antoine Sibierski, (Julius Aghahowa 76). Subs not used, Mike Pollitt, Fitz Hall
Goal scorers, Emile Heskey 19 mins, Denny Landzaat (pen) 62 mins, Antoine Sibierski (pen) 69 mins
SUNDERLAND, Craig Gordon, Greg Halford, Nyron Nosworthy, Paul McShane, (Russell Anderson 62), Ross Wallace, Kieran Richardson, Dickson Etuhu, Dwight Yorke, (Danny Collins 46), Daryl Murphy, Michael Chopra, Anthony Stokes, (Liam Miller 46). Subs not used, Stern John, David Connolly.
Booked, Danny Collins 60 mins, Dickson Etuhu 65 mins
Referee, Mike Riley (West Yorkshire)
Attendance, 18,639
Labels: Wigan vrs Sunderland
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