Saturday February 25, 2012 Day 26 Finished DW Stadium

  1. Villa held in bore draw

    Villa held in bore draw

    Wigan stay rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table after playing out a drab goalless draw with Aston Villa at the DW Stadium. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Wigan Athletic
    • Aston Villa
    • - Don't forget you can watch highlights of this match, along with every Premier League game, from 00:01 on Monday morning (UK only).
    • 90' Full-time: Wigan Athletic 0-0 Aston Villa. A drab draw that will do neither side any favours.
    • 90+7' Wigan have a final corner after Heskey charges down Beausejour, but Ireland heads clear to safety.
    • 90+5' Villa win the corner but Bannan's attempt to get on the end of the set-piece delivery ultimately leads to nothing.
    • 90+3' Figueroa tees up Di Santo on the edge of the Villa box, whose low strike is plamed away for a corner by Given.
    • 90' A remarkable seven minutes of injury time to be played, mostly due to Bent's injury.
    • 90' Villa win the corner as we pass the 90-minute mark - Heskey leaps the highest, but his header flies over.
    • 89' Wigan sub: Victor Moses comes off for Albert Crusat
    • 88' Stephen Ireland wins a free-kick for Villa; 20 yards out off-centre. But Charles N'Zogbia curls the ball well over the Wigan goal.
    • 88' The game comes to life in the final minutes as Emile Heskey drives a shot wide after cutting in off the right flank.
    • 87' Rodallega fails to get a shot away after the ball comes in from Caldwell off the left flank, but it does find its way to Victor Moses who smashes the ball straight at Given and Villa clear.
    • 85' Robbie Keane takes a touch deep in the Wigan box, but Emmerson Boyce gets across to tackle the Irishman before he can pull the trigger.
    • 84' Rodallega lays the ball off for Victor Moses who slices the ball well wide. Of much better play was Rodallega's turn and curling shot from the edge of the Villa box, which narrowly flies over the visitors' goal.
    • 81' The ball is pumped forward for Rodallega but the Colombian receives in an offside position down the left channel.
    • 79' Final Aston Villa sub: Charles N'Zogbia comes on for the injury-stricken Darren Bent. Wigan sub: Mohamed Diame enters the fray for James McCarthy.
    • 76' Darren Bent goes down after landing awkwardly on his ankle following a challenge from Alcaraz, and the striker requires treatment from the physio and possibly a stretcher too.
    • 75' Aston Villa sub: Stephen Ireland comes on for Gary Gardner in midfield.
    • 74' Alan Hutton strays offside when collecting a ball sent back into the Wigan box from a central position.
    • 72' Aston Villa sub: Emile Heskey comes on for Marc Albrighton
    • 71' On the break, James McCarthy fails to find a man despite having options along both flanks and that sums up Wigan's current plight when advancing forward.
    • 69' Di Santo chases down a hopeful ball played back to Given, but the Irish 'keeper is alert to it in clearing quickly when under pressure.
    • 66' Wigan sub: Hugo Rodallega enters the fray for Jordi Gomez, looking to inject some spark into proceedings.
    • 65' Carlos Cuellar is booked for petulantly kicking the ball out of play after the ref's whistle had gone. Several Villa players now on thin ice.
    • 64' Alan Hutton is the latest Villa player to be booked, this one for tripping Victor Moses.
    • 63' Albrighton's low cross from the right is knocked out of play by Darren Bent, who takes a poor first touch when making his run across the Wigan goal.
    • 60' Another Wigan corner, and this time its Antolion Alcaraz who heads over the Villa goal at the Given's back post.
    • 58' Villa's Barry Bannan lets fly from 30 yards, but his strike is always travelling high of Al-Habsi's goal.
    • 58' Desperate defending from Villa, as Boyce finds Di Santo at the near post with a low cross from the right. But a double-block from James Collins and the tracking back of Gary Gardner sees the Argentinean's efforts deflected behind of Given's goal.
    • 56' Albrighton does well to come across and block out Beausejour, at the expense of a Wigan corner. But Cuellar is there to head clear the Chilean's delivery from the left.
    • 55' Both teams are struggling to keep hold of the ball at the moment, as the second-half picks up from where the first finished.
    • 52' Collins slices Beausejour's cross from the left behind his own goal for a Wigan corner. And the Chilean's delivery is met by the head of Di Santo at the near post; the Argentinean's effort flashing across the face of the Villa goal and out for a goal-kick.
    • 49' Gabby Agbonlahor is booked for a late challenge on Jordi Gomez in the centre circle.
    • 48' Barry Bannan delivers a free-kick deep into the Wigan box and James Collins' header across the goal is directed straight into the arms of Al-Habsi from the head of an unmarked Cuellar, positioned only a few yards out. Should have done a lot better there, the Spaniard.
    • 46' And Wigan get us back underway at the DW Stadium for the second-half.
    • 45' Half-time: Wigan Athletic 0-0 Aston Villa
    • 45' One minute of stoppage time to be played at the end of a drab first-half.
    • 45' Free-kick for Villa, out on their left flank, after Di Santo clips the heels of Warnock. The delivery into the box pinballs around before Robbie Keane attempts a speculative bicycle kick which is always travelling over the Wigan goal.
    • 44' Hutton journeys in off the right flank with the ball, and the right-back appears to be barged off the ball, but no Villa free-kick is given. The visitors continue to advance though as we approach half-time, but Gary Gardner's clipped ball-over-the-top is overhit into the arms of Al-Habsi.
    • 41' Villa finally manage to fashion an opportunity of their own, but Cuellar and Collins both fail to get something on a corner as the ball flies behind for a Wigan goal-kick.
    • 38' Moses and Beausejour combine down the Wigan left, and the latter's cross is expertly headed clear by Cuellar as the home side begin to crank up the pressure.
    • 36' James Collins literally runs into Franco Di Santo, and that level of impeding earns the Villa centre-back the second yellow card of the match for the visitors.
    • 33' Maynor Figueroa unleashes a 35-yard drive at the Villa goal, but the ball is always travelling over Shay Given's bar. The lack of attacking quality in the final third from the home team is clear for all to see.
    • 31' From that free-kick, Gomez delivers a terrible ball into the box to waste another Wigan set-piece opportunity.
    • 30' Given is called on to come out quickly to clear, but the ball only finds its way to Jordi Gomez who snatches at his shot. However, the Latics manage to win a free-kick in a promising position after Albrighton's clumsy challenge, which earns the Villa winger a yellow card.
    • 28' Successive poor deliveries into the box for Wigan courtesy of first Beausejour and next Victor Moses, whose low delivery is hooked clear of danger by James Collins.
    • 26' Beausejour wins a corner off of Albrighton and, after a second effort, the ball travels through all of the players in the Villa box on its way out for a goal-kick. But better set-piece play from Wigan there.
    • 23' A deep cross from Beausejour is headed out beyond the back post by Stephen Warnock for a Wigan throw-in deep in Villa territory. Now the Latics have a free-kick, following Cuellar's handball, but Jordi Gomez's delivery from the right flies over Given's goal; a wasted opportunity.
    • 20' Wigan have yet to test Shay Given, and have only now begun to regain some possession. The poor quality of the pitch is playing its part, but there is also a distinct lack of incisiveness from the home side, as summed up by Beausejour whose drive across goal travels harmlessly out.
    • 18' Barry Bannan lays the ball off for the on-rushing Stephen Warnock who had burst down the left flank, but the Englishman's angled drive from deep inside the Wigan penalty box is powerfully driven over Al-Habsi's goal.
    • 15' Keane is pulling all the strings for Villa at the moment, as the Irishman finds Darren Bent with a clipped delivery over the top but the striker's shot, when one-on-one, is brilliantly turned behind by Al-Habsi. The Latics 'keeper stood tall there to deny Bent.
    • 14' Albrighton and Keane link-up, but the through-ball from the latter is just slightly overhit as the Villa winger had sliced open the opposition's defence with a direct run through the middle.
    • 12' Albrighton gets in a cross from the right flank which Al-Habsi flaps at, although luckily for the Wigan 'keeper, no other Villa player can get anything on that sweeping delivery.
    • 10' From that Wigan chance, we go right up the other end and Al-Habsi is called on to make a fingertip save to divert Robbie Keane's low drive around his far post.
    • 9' Good chance for Wigan. Moses travels down the left wing with the ball but his pull-back goes behind Franco Di Santo and two further Wigan players get in each others' way when looking to pull the trigger.
    • 8' A Beausejour free-kick finds its way to James McArthur, just outside the Villa box, but the midfielder drives his shot against the Villa defence. Moments later, Beausejour strays offside when looking to receive down the left.
    • 6' Robbie Keane attempts delivers an inswinging cross from the left using the outside of his boot, but Al-Habsi reads it and comes off his line to collect the ball.
    • 5' Franco Di Santo clips the ball over for Jordi Gomez, who chests the ball and then proceeds to blaze well over from 25 yards out for Wigan.
    • 3' Wigan have started on the front foot, with Victor Moses darting down the left flank and managing to win an early corner for the home side. From that delivery, Gary Caldwell pulls off at the back post but sends a first-time volley over the Villa bar.
    • 1' And Aston Villa get us underway kicking from left to right.
    • 14:57 And the teams venture out onto the pitch at DW Stadium as we steadily approach the 3pm kick-off.
    • 14:55 The reverse fixture from earlier in the season saw Aston Villa run out 2-0 winners over Wigan in October, and today's visitors have never completed the Premier League 'double' over the Latics before.
    • 14:50 Nevertheless, the home side will be buoyed by the fact that they face an Aston Villa side similarly out-of-form. The Villans have lost their last two Premier League matches and have won only one of their last seven league games in the North-west. However, Alex McLeish's men can call on the impressive firepower of Agbonlahor, Keane and Darren Bent for today's encounter, as well as former Wigan man Charles N'Zogbia who starts on the Villa bench.
    • 14:45 It's all doom and gloom for Wigan at the moment. The Latics have kept only one clean sheet in their previous 22 Premier League matches, have scored fewer goals (23) than any other club in the division so far this season, and have no win to their name in any of their last 10 home league games.
    • 14:40 Aston Villa, meanwhile, field Gabby Agbonlahor who has missed the Villians' last three matches with back and hamstring problems. Agbonlahor, Stephen Warnock, and Barry Bannan come in for Richard Dunne, Stiliyan Petrov, and Emile Heskey. Robbie Keane also starts, with the Irishman playing his last game for Alex McLeish's men before returning to the MLS with LA Galaxy.
    • 14:38 Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has a fully-fit squad to choose from after Callum McManaman's recovery from a back strain (but he is not included in today's squad). Midfielder Mohamed Diame, who is still waiting to make his first Wigan appearance since returning from Africa Cup of Nations duty, starts from the bench this afternoon.
    • 14:30 Team News... Wigan: Al Habsi, Alcaraz, Caldwell, Figueroa, Boyce, McArthur, McCarthy, Gomez, Beausejour, Moses, Di Santo. Subs: Kirkland, Crusat, Watson, Jones, Rodallega, Diame, Stam /// Aston Villa: Given, Hutton, Collins, Cuellar, Warnock, Agbonlahor, Gardner, Keane, Bannan, Albrighton, Bent. Subs: Guzan, Ireland, N'Zogbia, Heskey, Weimann, Herd, Baker /// Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire).
    • 14:25 Hello and welcome to live text coverage of this afternoon's Premier League clash between basement club Wigan Athletic and Aston Villa.

  • Summary

    • 90+3' Figueroa tees up Di Santo on the edge of the Villa box, whose low strike is plamed away for a corner by Given.
    • 84' Rodallega lays the ball off for Victor Moses who slices the ball well wide. Of much better play was Rodallega's turn and curling shot from the edge of the Villa box, which narrowly flies over the visitors' goal.
    • 48' Barry Bannan delivers a free-kick deep into the Wigan box and James Collins' header across the goal is directed straight into the arms of Al-Habsi from the head of an unmarked Cuellar, positioned only a few yards out. Should have done a lot better there, the Spaniard.
    • 15' Keane is pulling all the strings for Villa at the moment, as the Irishman finds Darren Bent with a clipped delivery over the top but the striker's shot, when one-on-one, is brilliantly turned behind by Al-Habsi. The Latics 'keeper stood tall there to deny Bent.
    • 10' From that Wigan chance, we go right up the other end and Al-Habsi is called on to make a fingertip save to divert Robbie Keane's low drive around his far post.
    • 9' Good chance for Wigan. Moses travels down the left wing with the ball but his pull-back goes behind Franco Di Santo and two further Wigan players get in each others' way when looking to pull the trigger.
    • 14:30 Team News... Wigan: Al Habsi, Alcaraz, Caldwell, Figueroa, Boyce, McArthur, McCarthy, Gomez, Beausejour, Moses, Di Santo. Subs: Kirkland, Crusat, Watson, Jones, Rodallega, Diame, Stam /// Aston Villa: Given, Hutton, Collins, Cuellar, Warnock, Agbonlahor, Gardner, Keane, Bannan, Albrighton, Bent. Subs: Guzan, Ireland, N'Zogbia, Heskey, Weimann, Herd, Baker /// Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire).

Team Line-up & Ratings

  • Line-up

    Live Team Line-Up

  • Rate Players

    Rate Players

    Please to rate the players.

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    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      5.6 6
      Defenders
      3.9 5
      5.9 6
      4.9 5
      Midfielders
      4.4 4
      Substitution Out66′ 3.9 4
      4.1 5
      Substitution Out79′ 3.9 4
      6.3 5
      Strikers
      Substitution Out89′ 5.1 6
      5.1 6
      Subs
      Substitution In66′ 7 5
      Substitution In79′ 7 5
      Substitution In89′ 7 5
    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      8.5 6
      Defenders
      Yellow Card 5.2 4
      Yellow Card 7.6 5
      Yellow Card 7.8 5
      6.7 4
      Midfielders
      Substitution Out74′ 7.3 5
      6 6
      Yellow Card 8.3 5
      Yellow Card Substitution Out71′ 5.3 6
      Strikers
      9.4 6
      Substitution Out79′ 7.7 6
      Subs
      Substitution In71′ 5.7 5
      Substitution In79′ 8 5
      Substitution In74′ 8.3 5

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