West Ham United 0 Wigan Athletic 2:Unlike the lugubrious, almost vacant, expression habitually adopted by Roman Abramovich when watching Chelsea, the emotions of Eggert Magnusson are writ large upon the Icelander's face.
On the day he introduced his consortium's "main financial supporter", chairman of the Landsbanki bank Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, to an appropriately appreciative crowd, West Ham's new owner looked decidedly thoughtful when the whistle blew on a defeat which leaves their new £108million investment in the relegation zone.
West Ham's appalling away form this season is making games like this, at home to another club in the lower reaches of the Premiership, increasingly critical, but Wigan had won their last two matches here and they began like a team who fancied their chances.
In fact, barely 30 seconds had gone when the visitors hit the post. Josip Skoko swung a free-kick from a central position into the box, Lee McCulloch flicked it on and Robert Green, scrambling to his left, pawed the ball on to the post.
Carlos Tevez never stopped putting himself about and gradually West Ham began to look more threatening. Marlon Harewood, set up by Yossi Benayoun, volleyed wide on the half hour.
Tevez's penchant for going it alone very nearly paid off in the 49th minute when he ended a strong, clever run with an angled drive that came back off the inside of the right-hand post. A minute later though, the home team were behind.
Kevin Kilbane beat James Collins too easily on the left, and though his low cross was missed by Skoko, it ran through for David Cotterill. The young striker controlled the ball, cut back on to his left foot, and hit a powerful shot high past Green.
That it was going to be Wigan's night was confirmed soon afterwards. The home defence cleared a corner, but from all of 35 yards Leighton Baines hit a low shot which took a wicked deflection off Jonathan Spector to leave Green hopelessly wrong-footed.
WEST HAM UTD:Green, Spector, Ferdinand (McCartney 68), Collins, Konchesky, Benayoun (Sheringham 58), Mullins, Reo-Coker, Etherington (Bowyer 82), Harewood, Tevez. Subs Not Used: Carroll, Zamora.
WIGAN ATHLETIC:Kirkland, Wright, Boyce, Hall, Baines, Cotterill (Camara 80), Scharner, Skoko (Landzaat 75), Kilbane, Heskey, McCulloch. Subs Not Used: Pollitt, Johansson, Webster. Booked: Skoko, Cotterill, Scharner. Goals: Cotterill 51, Spector 58 og. Att: 33,805.
Referee:A Wiley (Staffordshire).
