Yakubu buys time for Kean

Wigan Athletic 3 Blackburn Rovers 3:STEVE KEAN may just have the touch required to dig Blackburn Rovers and himself out of their hole. Second bottom going into this one and with a section of supporters demanding he be sacked, the manager knew his fate was tied to his ability to conjure a run of results.

Somehow he began here, fashioning a 3-3 draw that allowed Kean a far less awkward sit-down yesterday with Venkatesh and Balaji Rao, the club’s owners, in Manchester where they were due to discuss the January transfer policy and budget and how best to move the Rovers project forward. “When it gets to the window time I’m sure we’ll have funds,” he said.

Wigan Athletic’s future is also uncertain, with their chairman, Dave Whelan, revealing this could be his last season in control of the club as he weighs handing over the reins to his 21-year-old grandson David.

David Dunn’s second-half sending-off, Michel Salgado’s concussion, an extremely dodgy second Rovers goal and a last-kick, point-sharing penalty from Yakubu Ayegbeni – won by Paul Robinson, the goalkeeper – were the headline incidents from an afternoon of top value.

Yakubu opened the scoring after 67 seconds, Jordi Gomez equalised a few minutes later and Gary Caldwell sent Wigan into the break ahead.

After Dunn’s second yellow card proceedings brightened courtesy of an illegal corner. Yakubu put the ball down in the quadrant but did not touch it. Morten Gamst Pedersen then took the kick to himself, strolling towards Ali al-Habsi’s goal with the ball before playing in David Hoilett to equalise.

Roberto Martinez, the Wigan manager, was incensed that Andre Marriner had allowed the goal – the referee appeared to have his back turned when Pedersen took over at the corner flag.

Albert Crusat’s 88th-minute finish under Robinson’s body seemed to kill the game and render Kean’s nascent career almost moribund. But that was before Yakubu’s last gasp penalty.

Guardian Service