Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Wigan 2:WOLVES WERE booed off at half-time and at the end as they sank to the bottom of the table, intensifying the pressure on Mick McCarthy.
After this defeat to opponents who had been their closest rivals in the relegation dogfight, McCarthy and his team will not relish a fixture list which has them away to Liverpool on Wednesday and against Chelsea in their next home match.
Wigan’s supporters came dressed as bananas, and Wolves duly slipped up, conceding two poor goals in the first 20 minutes, which left them with too much to do when roused in the second half. Steven Fletcher, on as a substitute, scored in the 87th minute, setting up a frenetic finale, but the equaliser was beyond them.
The Latics, who started in the bottom two, move up to 16th after what was only their second away win. Hugo Rodallega was the man of the match, scoring one goal and making another for Tom Cleverley, his rival for the honour. Roberto Martinez praised both, saying of Rodallega: “He has a natural gift for moving with perfect timing. His work ethic is a real inspiration to the team.”
Cleverley, 21, on a season-long loan from Manchester United, is “an outstanding talent whose tactical awareness is not normal for such a young man”.
Wolves were unhappy after having two penalty claims refused by Mike Dean in the first half. Sympathy was in order over the way Steve Gohouri floored Stephen Ward from behind, but when Antolin Alcaraz handled the ball inside the area it appeared unintentional. The first, McCarthy said, was “an absolute stone-waller”.
Wigan opened the scoring after nine minutes, Cleverley knocking a defensive clearance back into the penalty area where Rodallega made a mug of Richard Stearman before scoring from six yards. The second goal, after 20 minutes, was embarrassing. Wolves were opened up with ease from a throw-in, Rodallega again exposing Stearman before supplying Cleverley, who scored through Wayne Hennessey’s legs.
Martinez thought a “key moment” came in the 35th minute, when Ali al-Habsi improvised a save with a boot to keep out a free-kick from Nenad Milijas.
McCarthy sent on Matt Jarvis and Fletcher, whose impact was such that one wondered why neither had started. Jarvis provided width and menace, and Fletcher’s predatory instincts are wasted on the bench. The pair combined in the 87th minute, when a Jarvis cross was met by Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, whose header hit Alcaraz and fell for Fletcher to score.
Guardian Service
Thrown to the Wolves Upcoming EPL Fixtures
Wednesday December 29th Liverpool v Wolverhampton 8pm
Saturday, January 1st West Ham Utd v Wolverhampton 3pm
Wednesday, January 5th Wolverhampton v Chelsea 7.45pm
Saturday, January 15th Manchester City v Wolverhampton 3pm
Saturday, January 22nd Wolverhampton v Liverpool 12.45pm
Tuesday, February 1st Bolton v Wolverhampton 8pm
Saturday, February February 5th Wolverhampton v Manchester Utd 5.30pm
Saturday, February 12th Arsenal v Wolverhampton 3pm
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