Premier League - Last-gasp Wigan beat Spurs

Eurosport - Mon, 12 Jan 08:30:00 2009

Wigan Athletic continued their remarkable run of form by snatching a 1-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur at the JJB Stadium.

FOOTBALL; Wigan Athletic's Maynor Figueroa head's in the first goal v Tottenham, Jan 2009 - 0

Maynor Figueroa scored in the 90th minute to register his first goal for the club and extend Wigan's run to six wins from their last seven league matches and see them close the gap in sixth-placed Everton to four points, with their game in hand against Manchester United to come on Wednesday.

Tottenham remain in the relegation zone with 20 points - two points above West Brom and Blackburn, who have a game in hand - and the Londoners have now failed to score in five of their last seven games in the league.

Spurs keeper Heurelho Gomes had pulled a groin muscle midway through the second half but, despite him visibly struggling, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp could not bring him off as he had already used all three of his substitutes.

When Ryan Taylor's corner came in just as four minutes of injury time were signalled, Honduras full-back Figueroa lost his marker to head past the immobile Gomes.

The late winner was not the dream return to Spurs that Jermain Defoe had been hoping for. The striker made his first appearance since rejoining the club from Portsmouth a year after leaving, but was unable to continue his impressive record of debut goals.

Defoe partnered Roman Pavlyuchenko up front as Redknapp fielded his side in a 3-5-2, with Jonathan Woodgate, Michael Dawson and captain Ledley King as the three central defenders.

Wigan boss Steve Bruce was able to pick from an entirely fit first-team squad as he aimed to extend his side's run of one defeat in nine league games.

Spurs, who found themselves back in the bottom three at the start of the day following Saturday's results, began the stronger of the two sides, and could have been ahead within 60 seconds when goalkeeper Chris Kirkland dropped King's header and scrambled to block Dawson's follow-up effort for a corner.

Jamie O'Hara came off the bench to orchestrate the 4-1 comeback win over Burnley in the Carling Cup in midweek, and was rewarded with a place in the starting line-up at the JJB, and should have scored when he sidefooted a shot wide from a well-rehearsed free-kick routine with Luka Modric.

As the half wore on, however, Wigan's front pairing of Amr Zaki and Emile Heskey began to threaten more and more.

Both men were thwarted by last-ditch blocks from Dawson, and Zaki saw his glancing header from Ryan Taylor's corner bounce the wrong side of the far post with Gomes beaten.

The Egyptian striker then turned Dawson on the halfway line and left him behind before bending a cross in for Heskey at the far post, but the England striker was too close to the goal and at too acute an angle and Gomes was on hand to smother the shot.

Redknapp introduced Darren Bent five minutes into the second half, but Defoe struggled to get anymore involved in the match than he had in the first-half, and remained something of a peripheral figure. The one time the striker got to run goalwards with the ball at his feet he was pulled back by Wilson Palacios, but somehow referee Andre Marriner failed the spot the infringement.

After Dawson was replaced by Jermaine Jenas after clashing heads with Heskey, Tottenham reverted to a 4-4-2 that seemed to play right into Wigan's hands, and the final stages were dominated by the home side, with Zaki heading wide and Taylor firing a free-kick over the bar before Figueroa became the most unlikely of heroes for the Latics.

Tony Mabert / Eurosport

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  1. rick c what u talkin we couldnt play for ur tatics! and mugg whats up been watchin football factory?!?! going down the the bolton!

    From 1982, on Thu 15 Jan 12:09PM

  2. Harry is a spiv and Tony Adams had a lot to do with the "Redknapp success" at Portsmouth. And Tony will do OK now that he can get players to fight for Portsmouth.

    From Martin, on Mon 12 Jan 6:03PM

  3. See i told you on Friday spurs are a 5th rate london club only fit for the championship and arry is still a spiv

    From Malc, on Mon 12 Jan 11:05AM

  4. As a Spurs supporter for many years Im afraid we are not too good to down, the results and performances show that. The team most of the time lack any creativity and as for stringing a few passes together and crossing the ball, we are clueless. I will always support Spurs however we have bought some right donkeys who are over paid and couldn't get a job on Blackpool Beach! For all the hype at the beginning of the season, all the money on players we are now in a relegation battle and not fighting for a top 4 place!

    From adrian.edwards22, on Mon 12 Jan 10:17AM

  5. Harry Redknapp said in the press conference you can't always blame the manager,
    in this case i think you can, look at the rows of class players warming the bench,
    i believe they played badly & lost the game because of Redknapp's poor 1 team choices
    What was Harry thinking leaving those players on the bench!?

    From Eluive, on Mon 12 Jan 9:52AM

  6. bring on utd they have had some bad results this year and feel over confident from beating chelsea,will be a different story this time igan fears no team in the premiership cmon you european latics.

    From AUDREY G, on Mon 12 Jan 9:28AM

  7. I was there and u lot sayin this game was terrible u just need to look y! Spurs came 2 our small club prayin for a 0 - 0 overloading the midfield only looking to stop us playing. When we got goin with valencia down the right we looked dangerous could still be playing now and spurs wouldnt of scored! Up the latics!!!

    From 1982, on Mon 12 Jan 8:48AM

  8. Terrible performance!!

    Come on Tottenham, sort it out!!!!

    From craigelli2, on Mon 12 Jan 8:31AM

  9. TOTTENHAM ARE IN DANGER PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    From Nath, on Mon 12 Jan 7:40AM

  10. disgraceful performance, not taking it away from Wigan who wanted it much more.
    How do you go to places like there and look to be happy with a 0-0 score??
    Got what we deserved, the rot has set in.Are transfer policy of the last few years has come to fruitricion!!
    Darren Bent,David bentley and a host of other overatted no show's are dragging this club down to oblivion.
    Harry sell them all now,you wont get the blame,its the previous fool Camolli's fault. His policy of having a list of different players to buy and getting who ever is first available has not worked......its left us with so much S**t on too high wages!!

    From Wayne, on Mon 12 Jan 7:21AM

  11. 3,000 - 0

    From Nath, on Mon 12 Jan 7:06AM

  12. Harry Redknapp shall regret moving to Spurs.

    From sappercommando25, on Mon 12 Jan 6:24AM

  13. Spurs can do either of the two things:
    1. If you win, you release a DVD.
    2. When you lose few games, you change the Manager.

    So, lets see what they do in the next couple of weeks.

    From Hamad, on Mon 12 Jan 5:47AM

  14. UNTIL REDKNAPP FIELDS A SETTLED SIDE SPURS WILL KEEP LOSING, SORRY TO SAY, BUT LEDLEY KING HAS HAD HIS DAY,YOU CANT KEEP CHANGING A DEFENCE,OK KING PLAYS WELL WHEN HE DOES PLAY,BUT SPURS NEED A SIDE THAT PLAYS TOGETHER,IF SPURS ARE NOT CAREFUL THEY JUST COULD GET RELEGATED.COME ON HARRY PICK YOUR BEST TEAM AND STICK WITH IT,GIVE LENNON AND HUDDLESTON A RUNOUT FOR A FEW GAMES,PUT JENUS AND BALE IN THE RESERVES,AND IF YOUR GOING TO PLAY THREE,FIVE,TWO,THEN PLAY IT, NOT FIVE, THREE, TWO. COME ON YOU SPURS BUCK YOUR IDEAS UP AND EARN YOUR MONEY

    From jim, on Mon 12 Jan 5:30AM

  15. Its not a surprise of course that Spuds lost. What was surprising was their 3-1 win at home to Wigan in the FA cup, but hey, they were missing essential players and their crowd are pretty hostile, generally unpleasnt people. Supporting your team is one thing, being abusive or intimidating the other team is just wrong.
    Anyway the point I wanna make is, after all the praise, wonder and awe of the arrival of Harry, how soon before he too gets sacked?? Spuds always seem to blame their manager, for though they have many skilled players, they lack the class and desire to win required for this level. Its no good having lots of big names put together, if they can't play well together. The club attracts players who are almost all inconsistent plonkers, who think there it and all the decisions etc are always against them, well boo hoo! Yet if tables reversed they don't care.
    Anyway I don't care , I'm a gooner so Spuds I hope you get relegated, that would be just so funny!!

    From stephen, on Mon 12 Jan 1:09AM

  16. hahahaha awesome, down you go spurs

    From Eluive, on Mon 12 Jan 12:41AM

  17. Harry Redknapp - Wes Ham, Southampton, Portsmouth and now Spurs will let him spend all the money!

    From Martin, on Sun 11 Jan 11:13PM

  18. Tottenham are an embarrassment, It doesn't matter how much money Daniel Levy spends, they're going nowhere. 15 million on Defoe after selling him for half that last year!!! Harry Redknapp is a good manager, but he has gone to a jinxed club. The Carling Cup is the best that Tottenham can ever expect to win!!!!

    From gordonmcg1951, on Sun 11 Jan 10:54PM

  19. Wigan were the better team in all areas by a million miles. Spurs were clueless, simple as that!

    From Bobby Robson A Legend, on Sun 11 Jan 10:51PM

  20. maxdobinson, make me shut up, @#$% mug.

    You mean i'm spot on, most of you are ignorants, knuckle dragging morons.

    COME ON YOU SPURS!!

    From Karl G, on Sun 11 Jan 10:46PM
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