FOOTBALL Live

Saturday January 17, 2009 Finished City of Manchester Stadium

1 - 0

Manchester City

  • Zabaleta 52’

Wigan Athletic

  1. Ten-man City battle to win

    Ten-man City battle to win

    A second-half goal by Pablo Zabaleta and a horror-miss by Amr Zaki helped 10-man Manchester City to a 1-0 win over Wigan at Eastlands. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Manchester City
    • Wigan Athletic
    • 90+4 The corner is cleared and Kirkland is stranded, Elano can lob it in but his chip is terrible and almost goes out for a throw. Kirkland gets back, takes the goal kick and that's the whistle! City hang on for the three points! A huge win for Mark Hughes's side under real pressure.
    • 90+3 City hanging on! A corner is not cleared by City and with a succession of headers on target Hart has to punch clear. Kirkland goes up for the next one, can Wigan nick a point...
    • 90+1 Incessant late pressure from Wigan but they can't break City down. They want a penalty as the ball spun up to strike Elano but that looked like it hit his chest to me.
    • 90' Palacios on the right, he holds it up inside the area and plays Camara in, he can't get a shot away with his back to goal but Wigan still have it...
    • 89' Surely a penalty for Wigan! But no, play on! Cattermole's legs were swept from under him by Zabaleta after a goalmouth scramble! Definite penalty, how on earth did Lee Mason miss that? One of the more obvious fouls this season.
    • 88' Melchiot slides in on Elano and gets the ball but the ref adjudges he got the man first and City have a free-kick in the left corner.
    • 87' WIGAN SUB: Desperate stuff from Steve Bruce as striker Camara comes on for defender Bramble.
    • 85' Palacios booked for clattering into Zabaleta.
    • 84' Long ball from Wigan, Onuoha with a poor header clear and Cattermole challenges on the edge of the box and his looping header beats Hart and comes off the bar AND IT DROPS TO ZAKI WITH AN OPEN GOAL BUT OH WHAT A MISS FROM ZAKI! Oh deary me he headed it a yard over from two yards with no keeper. Terrible miss from a normally clinical finisher.
    • 83' Another surging run from De Ridder down the left but he falls as he makes the cross and it skews out for a goal kick.
    • 82' Wright-Phillips charges forward from halfway and has a crack from the edge of the D but it's miles over.
    • 81' De Ridder swings the ball over and ZAKI WITH THE HEADER but it's off target.
    • 80' Elano loses the ball to Cattermole and Wigan come forward. City have men back in numbers but Palacios on the right sends a great cross in for Heskey but Kompany heads behind for a corner!
    • 77' Hart flies out to punch clear through a mass of bodies... the ball is back on the right with Valencia who cuts on to his left and puts it back stick for DE RIDDER WITH THE HEADER but he nods it over under pressure! All this pressure has to tell for the Latics.
    • 76' More good play on the right by Valencia, who sends a cross for Zaki who controls and volleys but his shot is blocked by his own man De Ridder!!
    • 74' WIGAN SUB: Kapo comes on for Figueroa as Wigan go 3-5-2.
    • 72' The ref has to speak to Robinho after he commits a foul in frustration. Surely City won't go down to nine men?
    • 71' Good play by De Ridder who picks the ball up on the left, cuts inside and shoots but it flies just over!
    • 70' Poor delivery this time, far too deep and City clear. The ball is launched forward and Robinho is played through, he beats the last defender Palacios and lobs the onrushing Kirkland from just inside their half but wide! Oh it seems the flag was up and the referee books him for playing on.
    • 69' Corner to Wigan on the right but it's behind Zaki and City clear through Robinho. But he loses the ball and Wigan come forward again to win a corner on the left.
    • 68' Good delivery from De Ridder and City don't clear and it's an old-fashioned goalmouth scramble with bodies everywhere and first Bridge and then Melchiot slide in but somehow it stays out!
    • 67' The free-kick is taken quickly and the play switched to the right with Valencia bursting down the wing and playing a great far-post cross that Hart has to palm behind for a corner!
    • 66' Wright-Phillips goes in hard on De Ridder but no card, just a free-kick on the left.
    • 64' Elano is forced to hack the ball away from his six-yard box as Wigan turn the screw on City - can the hosts hang on for another half hour?
    • 62' CITY SUB: Sturridge has had another good game for City but Hughes wants to hold on to this lead so brings on Javier Garrido.
    • 60' Superb play by City coming forward, nice interplay between Robinho, Elano and Sturridge but again no end product.
    • 58' WIGAN SUB: Daniel de Ridder comes on for Ryan Taylor, a clear offensive move from Steve Bruce.
    • 56' After the hoo-haa following that sending off, Taylor sends the free kick well over. City have this quite bizarre habit of shooting themselves in the foot that Mark Hughes can only really eradicate by a total overhaul of their squad, who time and time again show mental weakness.
    • 54' IDIOTIC FROM DUNNE! What a fool! He kicks out at Zaki, aiming a pretty clean dig at his ribs after the pair challenged for an aerial ball on the egde of the box, right in front of the referee and the City captain has to walk! Oh dear. Stupid, stupid act from one of the most experienced players in the Premier League.
    • 53' Sturridge has the ball on the right, he cuts past Bramble brilliantly, then inside another man and plays a cross over which is headed clear only to land at Zabaleta's feet AND THE MEXICO MAN TAKES ONE TOUCH AND FIRES AN UNSTOPPABLE SHOT PAST KIRKLAND FOR 1-0! What a strike, and what great build-up play by Sturridge!
    • 52' City are struggling to clear after a Wigan break but the final ball from Valencia on the right is low and poor, straight at Hart.
    • 50' City come forward in numbers on a counter, Robinho sees Bridge overlapping on the left but the England man's cross spins towards goal, high and over Kirkland's bar.
    • 48' Kompany is fortunate not to see yellow after a heavy tackle on Zaki, Wigan have a free-kick on halfway which Melchiot will launch long.
    • 46' Second half underway!
    • 45+1 Free-kick to Wigan on the right is sent far post with Bramble rising to head across but City clear. Cattermole clatters into Wright-Phillips but the whistle goes for half time, goalless at Eastlands.
    • 45' One minute added time being played.
    • 44' Wigan seem to have gained confidence and are keeping the ball quite well now, Palacios and Zaki are the key men as they come out of the City storm.
    • 42' Corner to Wigan on the right, an outwsinger from Taylor and it causes the hosts problems and with Heskey about to pounce Dunne takes a wild swing at it and the ball bounces into the ground and over for another corner! That could have gone anywhere!
    • 41' Bramble is really harshly booked when Sturridge seemed to slip. Zaki leads the charge forward and wins a corner off Richards.
    • 39' Palacios again goes on a surging run, cutting inside and unleashing a low drive this time that beats Hart but goes wide and into the side netting! He's certainly doing his contract negotiations - whether with Wigan or Spurs - a world of good at the moment, he looks slightly too good for Tottenham in fact.
    • 36' City are effectively camped in Wigan's half but there is a lack of genuine cutting-edge to match the build-up play. Wigan break after Palacios dispossesses Robinho on halfway and he surges forward and lofts a delighful high, diagonal ball across from the right that plays Heskey in but his first touch on the chest is poor and it runs away from him and back to Hart! A batter touch and he'd have been in.
    • 34' Cattermole gets the first booking of the match for a late tackle from behind on Onuoha.
    • 32' Wigan come forward now and Palacios is in space around 30 yards out and he sends a vicious strike on goal but it's too close to Hart, who claims at chest-height.
    • 31' Wright-Phillips now gets the ball on halfway, he cuts inside, beats one man, then another and he's made the box but his shot is blocked and trickles behind for a corner! Super mazy dribble from the former Chelsea man.
    • 30' Sturridge gets the ball around 35 yards out, he moves forward and shoots from some distance and the low, rising drive zips just wide! Great effort from the youngster.
    • 29' City break but Zabaleta's run from full-back comes to nothing as the through ball is too strong for him.
    • 27' Really good defending by Onuoha getting across to the left to snuff out a Wigan attack and immediately release Bridge down the wing. The counter attack comes to nothing though.
    • 25' Melchiot swings in a cross from deep that Heskey dives across to loop a header over from just inside the City box.
    • 23' Richards sears down the right and he plays it wide to Wright-Phillips who races to the byline and swings over a brilliant far-post cross AND STURRIDGE FLIES IN AT CLOSE RANGE BUT HEADS IT OVER! He was hugely pressurised by Melchiot and Bramble but that was a chance! City are all over Wigan at the moment.
    • 22' A poor defensive clearance from Melchiot goes straight to Elano who delicately slips it into the area AND ROBINHO IS FREE IN THE BOX TO LIFT IT OVER THE ONRUSHING KIRKLAND BUT OFF THE LINE BY TITUS BRAMBLE! Brilliant defending from the man who looked washed-up at Newcastle.
    • 20' Long throw from Figueroa is headed back out by City. He has a another chance to launch one but sends it straight back to Joe Hart in the City goal.
    • 18' Robinho gets it just inside his own half and he releases Elano on the left but Melchiot is across to challenge. Wigan now come forward, Valencia on the right, he has Zaki on the overlap but he miscontrols it and it's a throw.
    • 17' Great skill by Elano to turn away from his marker and into space. He has no support but City keep the ball and finally it's worked left to Robinho, who teases the Wigan defenders with some juggling out wide before Palacios hurtles into him! Robinho rides the challenge but the cross isn't good, straight into Melchiot's midriff, and Wigan clear.
    • 15' Bramble has a pop at his keeper Kirkland after a lack of communication forces him to head a harmless Elano centre behind for a City corner. Elano sends it far post but Wigan clear.
    • 13' Bridge is lucky not to see yellow after coming down the ankle of Palacios. Free-kick on the right to be swung in by Taylor but city clear.
    • 11' Ball over the top and surely Robinho is offside but the flag stays down AND ROBINHO IS THROUGH AND HE CAN PUT CITY IN FRONT BUT KIRKLAND SCRAMBLES OUT AND SCHARNER COMES ACROSS AND ROBINHO SCUFFS IT WIDE! Neither did enough to block Robinho but they seemed to put him off sufficiently to fluff the finish! Should have been 1-0.
    • 10' The game enters a lull after a bright opening as Wigan go long looking for their bruise-brother partnership of Zaki and Heskey.
    • 8' Kompany has a pop from distance but it's way off target. Mark Hughes is suited and pensive on the sidelines.
    • 6' Good stuff from Robinho deep in the Wigan half, he flicks it wide to SWP who sets up ELANO WITH A DRIVE but the long-range strike goes well over.
    • 5' Great turn by Palacios in the middle of the park, now he goes wide right to Valencia but Bridge is back defending to block his low cross behind for a corner. Taylor goes across to take it and he sends it to the penalty spot where BRAMBLE RISES WITH A HEADER but over the bar with Hart covering.
    • 4' Good counter attack from City sees Sturridge link up with Robinho to play it wide left to Bridge, whose cross is decent but headed clear by Bramble.
    • 3' Free-kick to Wigan just inside City's half on the left, won by Zaki. Ryan Taylor swings it in but City clear. The ball is still with Wigan though.
    • 2' Bridge latches on to a loose ball and plays a one-two but can't get on to the return... Still with City as Bridge lofts it into the box AND WRIGHT-PHILLIPS IS IN BUT HE CAN'T MAKE CONTACT AND KIRKLAND PARRIES! SWP gets the ball back on the edge of the box but cannot work a shot and Wigan clear.
    • 1' The first half is underway at Eastlands!
    • - LATE WIGAN TEAM NEWS: Well, there is none. The expected starting line-up with Amr Zaki partnering Emile Heskey, and Wilson Palacios starting despite ongoing negotiations regarding a £14 million move to Tottenham.
    • - LATE CITY TEAM NEWS: It seems that Wayne Bridge is being played in midfield on his City debut with Gelson left on the bench. Nedum Onuoha plays centre-half with Micah Richards at right-back which, if we're honest, is his better position. Youngster Daniel Sturridge partners Robinho up front.
    • - WIGAN TEAM NEWS: Steve Bruce has no injury or suspension concerns ahead of the trip to City, with in-demand midfielder Wilson Palacios set to start and Emile Heskey to partner Amr Zaki in attack.
    • - CITY TEAM NEWS: Does anyone really care about who is playing for City today? Most of them wonÂ’t be there by the end of January anyway, and Kaka probably will be. Robinho has been passed fit and will start but Dietmar Hamann (toe) is out and Shaun Wright-Phillips and Benjani are waiting on late fitness tests. Stephen Ireland is suspended.
    • - Hello and welcome to Eurosport-Yahoo!'s LIVE coverage of Manchester City's relatively local derby against Wigan, from 15:00 UK time!

  • Team Stats

    Manchester City Stats Wigan Athletic
    48% Possession 51%
    10 Shots 22
    2 Shots on target 3
    2 Saves 1
    2 Corners 11
    17 Fouls 10
    2 Offsides 4
    1 Yellow cards 4
    1 Red cards 0
    27 Tackles 31
    235 Accurate passes 265
    48 Bad passes 49

  • Player Stats

    G =
    Goals
    S =
    Shots
    SoT =
    Shot on Target
    F =
    Fouls
    FW =
    Fouls Won
    O =
    Offsides
    A =
    Assists
    AP =
    Accurate Passes
    BP =
    Bad Passes
    T =
    Tackles
    • Manchester City
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Joe Hart 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 5 0
      2 Micah Richards 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 13 0 3
      22 Richard Dunne 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 26 1 0
      33 Vincent Kompany 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 28 2 2
      4 Nedum Onuoha 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 26 2 2
      5 Pablo Zabaleta 1 1 1 1 4 0 0 15 2 10
      25 Wayne Bridge 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 27 7 4
      11 Blumer Elano 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 29 12 3
      8 Shaun Wright-Phillips 0 2 0 1 2 1 0 14 3 2
      10 Robson de Souza 0 2 1 4 2 0 0 30 6 0
      28 Daniel Sturridge 0 2 0 0 3 1 0 13 4 0
      16 Kasper Schmeichel 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      15 Javier Garrido 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 4 1
      40 Vladimir Weiss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      14 João Alves de Assis Silva 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      20 Felipe Caicedo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      12 Darius Vassell 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      19 Gelson Fernandes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    • Wigan Athletic
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Chris Kirkland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 1 0
      19 Titus Bramble 0 2 0 2 1 0 0 21 6 3
      7 Paul Scharner 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 18 1 1
      31 Maynor Figueroa 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 19 11 4
      25 Mario Melchiot 0 2 1 3 1 0 0 28 0 2
      2 Ryan Taylor 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 15 3 3
      4 Lee Cattermole 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 36 6 9
      5 Wilson Palacios 0 5 1 3 2 0 0 40 8 5
      16 Luis Antonio Valencia 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 31 1 3
      9 Emile Heskey 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 13 0 0
      13 Amr Zaki 0 4 1 0 3 2 0 16 8 0
      18 Daniel De Ridder 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 7 2 1
      17 Emmerson Boyce 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      27 Henri Camara 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 4 1 0
      11 Michael Brown 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      23 Olivier Kapo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1 0
      3 Erik Edman 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      22 Richard Kingson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

  • Summary

    • 90+3 City hanging on! A corner is not cleared by City and with a succession of headers on target Hart has to punch clear. Kirkland goes up for the next one, can Wigan nick a point...
    • 89' Surely a penalty for Wigan! But no, play on! Cattermole's legs were swept from under him by Zabaleta after a goalmouth scramble! Definite penalty, how on earth did Lee Mason miss that? One of the more obvious fouls this season.
    • 84' Long ball from Wigan, Onuoha with a poor header clear and Cattermole challenges on the edge of the box and his looping header beats Hart and comes off the bar AND IT DROPS TO ZAKI WITH AN OPEN GOAL BUT OH WHAT A MISS FROM ZAKI! Oh deary me he headed it a yard over from two yards with no keeper. Terrible miss from a normally clinical finisher.
    • 81' De Ridder swings the ball over and ZAKI WITH THE HEADER but it's off target.
    • 77' Hart flies out to punch clear through a mass of bodies... the ball is back on the right with Valencia who cuts on to his left and puts it back stick for DE RIDDER WITH THE HEADER but he nods it over under pressure! All this pressure has to tell for the Latics.
    • 76' More good play on the right by Valencia, who sends a cross for Zaki who controls and volleys but his shot is blocked by his own man De Ridder!!
    • 71' Good play by De Ridder who picks the ball up on the left, cuts inside and shoots but it flies just over!
    • 68' Good delivery from De Ridder and City don't clear and it's an old-fashioned goalmouth scramble with bodies everywhere and first Bridge and then Melchiot slide in but somehow it stays out!
    • 54' IDIOTIC FROM DUNNE! What a fool! He kicks out at Zaki, aiming a pretty clean dig at his ribs after the pair challenged for an aerial ball on the egde of the box, right in front of the referee and the City captain has to walk! Oh dear. Stupid, stupid act from one of the most experienced players in the Premier League.
    • 53' Sturridge has the ball on the right, he cuts past Bramble brilliantly, then inside another man and plays a cross over which is headed clear only to land at Zabaleta's feet AND THE MEXICO MAN TAKES ONE TOUCH AND FIRES AN UNSTOPPABLE SHOT PAST KIRKLAND FOR 1-0! What a strike, and what great build-up play by Sturridge!
    • 36' City are effectively camped in Wigan's half but there is a lack of genuine cutting-edge to match the build-up play. Wigan break after Palacios dispossesses Robinho on halfway and he surges forward and lofts a delighful high, diagonal ball across from the right that plays Heskey in but his first touch on the chest is poor and it runs away from him and back to Hart! A batter touch and he'd have been in.
    • 31' Wright-Phillips now gets the ball on halfway, he cuts inside, beats one man, then another and he's made the box but his shot is blocked and trickles behind for a corner! Super mazy dribble from the former Chelsea man.
    • 23' Richards sears down the right and he plays it wide to Wright-Phillips who races to the byline and swings over a brilliant far-post cross AND STURRIDGE FLIES IN AT CLOSE RANGE BUT HEADS IT OVER! He was hugely pressurised by Melchiot and Bramble but that was a chance! City are all over Wigan at the moment.
    • 22' A poor defensive clearance from Melchiot goes straight to Elano who delicately slips it into the area AND ROBINHO IS FREE IN THE BOX TO LIFT IT OVER THE ONRUSHING KIRKLAND BUT OFF THE LINE BY TITUS BRAMBLE! Brilliant defending from the man who looked washed-up at Newcastle.
    • 11' Ball over the top and surely Robinho is offside but the flag stays down AND ROBINHO IS THROUGH AND HE CAN PUT CITY IN FRONT BUT KIRKLAND SCRAMBLES OUT AND SCHARNER COMES ACROSS AND ROBINHO SCUFFS IT WIDE! Neither did enough to block Robinho but they seemed to put him off sufficiently to fluff the finish! Should have been 1-0.
    • 5' Great turn by Palacios in the middle of the park, now he goes wide right to Valencia but Bridge is back defending to block his low cross behind for a corner. Taylor goes across to take it and he sends it to the penalty spot where BRAMBLE RISES WITH A HEADER but over the bar with Hart covering.
    • 2' Bridge latches on to a loose ball and plays a one-two but can't get on to the return... Still with City as Bridge lofts it into the box AND WRIGHT-PHILLIPS IS IN BUT HE CAN'T MAKE CONTACT AND KIRKLAND PARRIES! SWP gets the ball back on the edge of the box but cannot work a shot and Wigan clear.
    • - Hello and welcome to Eurosport-Yahoo!'s LIVE coverage of Manchester City's relatively local derby against Wigan, from 15:00 UK time!

Live Team Line-Up

  • Referee: Lee Mason

  • Manchester City

    Manager: Mark Hughes

    Captain: Richard Dunne

    Starting line-up

    • J. Hart
    • M. Richards
    • N. Onuoha
    • R. Dunne Red Card
    • P. Zabaleta Goal
    • S. Wright-Phillips
    • V. Kompany
    • B. Elano
    • W. Bridge
    • D. Sturridge Substitution Out (62′)
    • .. Robinho Yellow Card

    Subs

    • D. Vassell
    • J. Garrido Substitution In62′
    • K. Schmeichel
    • .. Jo
    • F. Caicedo
    • G. Fernandes
    • V. Weiss

    Injured

    • D. Hamann
    • M. Petrov
    • V. Bojinov
    • M. Johnson
    • C. Evans

    Suspended

    • S. Ireland

  • Wigan Athletic

    Manager: Steve Bruce

    Captain: Mario Melchiot

    Starting line-up

    • C. Kirkland
    • M. Melchiot
    • T. Bramble Yellow Card Substitution Out (87′)
    • P. Scharner
    • M. Figueroa Substitution Out (74′)
    • A. Valencia
    • W. Palacios Yellow Card
    • L. Cattermole Yellow Card
    • R. Taylor Substitution Out (58′)
    • A. Zaki
    • E. Heskey

    Subs

    • O. Kapo Substitution In74′
    • M. Brown
    • E. Edman
    • H. Camara Substitution In87′
    • E. Boyce
    • D. De Ridder Substitution In58′
    • R. Kingson

    Injured

    None

    Suspended

    None