Thursday, May 2, 2013

Wigan Athletic 2 Tottenham Hotspur 2 match report: Late own-goal declines... - The Independent

It had been being charged as a sport for both sides using their varying dreams. Regrettably football does not accommodate such a risk and therefore, after Tottenham's late equalising target, there clearly was briefly an of anti-climax around a formerly vivid ground. Victory for just one side or the other would either have carried Wigan out of the relegation places or jumped Tottenham in to third place. Because it was, Aston Villa now have a chance to move five points before Roberto Martinez's staff by beating Sunderland tomorrow evening, while they may have played a game more; Spurs remain outsiders of three for the accessible Champions' League sites and have by far the worst goal difference. They've winnable house games against Southampton and Sunderland but will need some thing from visits to Stoke and, crucially, Chelsea. Martinez has been here before, many times, and consequently knows the value of staying hopeful even after having victory snatched away therefore close to the end. "No, it does not feel like a defeat," he said. "We had the worst start possible and gave away an objective but from this time on we were wonderful. I could maybe not become more pleased with the performance. We're experienced enough to understand we have 12 points to combat for." That knowledge does count for some thing and Martinez was wise enough both to feed a sense of injustice and put some pressure on other competitors. He thought the free-kick which led to Tottenham's scrambled late target must have been granted the other way; and that "there are other teams involved, not merely Villa." Tottenham director Andre Villas-Boas, while not even close to defeatist, was prepared to accept that his side's fate might be moving out of the hands, based on today's effects for Arsenal and Chelsea. "We did ever so well first half and had control of the game," he explained. "Their next purpose really shook our confidence and the effect was on the edge. Now this will depend on link between our rivals whether we could maintain get a grip on of our future or not." They'd get a handle on of the overall game for hardly sixty seconds, by virtue of a goal. It arrived when Maynor Figueroa, later carried off and prone to miss the FA Cup final, played two back-passes in quick succession to his goalkeeper. Jol Robles needs to have eliminated the first upfield but that is not the Wigan way. He was done no favours by getting the ball back from Figueroa at such close range and his second hasty clearance hit the on-rushing Gsareth Bale and moved on the line. This kind of target so in early stages could have done permanent emotional injury to a less tough area. Martinez's soldiers simply went along to one other end and won a large part which Shaun Maloney, exceptional as ever, floated for Emmerson Boyce to head in a unguarded post. Tottenham, with Bale straight back on the right-hand side where he'd starred in the comeback victory over Manchester City last week-end, then made the better chances until the interval; Clint Dempsey, Scott Parker (twice) and Jermain Defoe were all not able to bring them and immediately afterwards Wigan borrowed a lead. David McCarthy set up Callum McManaman, who had obtained in the Cup semi-final but never in the League before moment he accepted the pass and destroyed an excellent picture past Hugo Lloris. Bale, favorite to be named Player of the Entire Year by his friends today, wasn't at his best, McCarthy carrying out a wonderful job on him, and he moved inside when Spurs sent on Aaron Lennon with 20 minutes to play. It was Kyle Walker's spirit of adventure down that same proper flank, however, that brought the late blow to Wigan's success hopes. He tangled with Jean Beausejour and received your choice that Martinez felt should have gone another way. Ben Huddlestone drove across a free-kick and with Bale failing continually to produce a important relationship, the sad Boyce was credited with the final touch. The very fact that Tottenham's people hurried back once again to the halfway point reflected not just the own purpose but a feeling that there might yet be more in the overall game for them and therefore it almost proved. In added time, Dempsey chipped just extensive of the far post and then Robles redeemed himself by keeping from Bale before usually defiant defensive blocks held out rebounds by Huddlestone and Defoe. The home crowd, who have experienced so several destinations throughout seven years in the Premier League, easily got over their frustration to applaud their staff down. The music is always vigilantly chosen at the DW Stadium and getting a young opera singer on to the pitch for an interpretation of "The Impossible Dream" before kick-off had seemed unduly pessimistic. "I am A Believer", which followed within the tannoy, was similar to it and would later be reprised by the house support, continuing to believe in the dream of protecting their status. Wigan (4-3-3 ): Robles; Boyce, Scharner, Figueroa (Stam, 35), Beausejour; McArthur, McCarthy, Gomez (Espinoza, 79 ); McManaman (Di Santo, 63), Kone, Maloney. Tottenham (4-2-3-1 ): Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Naughton (Assou-Ekotto, 64 ); Huddlestone, Parker (Lennon, 73 ); Bale, DembAlA (Holtby, 41), Dempsey; Defoe. Referee: Martin Atkinson. Person of the match: Maloney (Wigan) Match rating: 7/10

Link: [Soccer] Manchester City - West Bromwich Albion - English Premier League

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