SOCCER/Wigan Athletic 0 Arsenal 1:This arena echoed to the strains of a familiar chant last night, though Arsenal may wonder quite how they chiselled reward from this mishmash of a performance.
Emmanuel Adebayor, so wasteful in the second period here as the visitors roused themselves from their initial inadequacies, departed just as he had from Old Trafford - as the striker who had conjured a late winner - though Wigan could be forgiven their disbelief.
This contest was drifting towards its final minute when substitute Cesc Fabregas liberated the striker, onside and behind Wigan's frantically retreating rearguard, and Adebayor's finish was true and into the corner.
He had produced little previously: his miss in front of an open goal midway through the second half defied belief, and a fizzed shot wide of another gaping net was just as ridiculous.
Yet, for Adebayor, there was reward to be had late on.
Arsenal sit third this morning, the squabble for the title still some way off, but they will feel better for this result.
Arsene Wenger prowled his technical area, occasionally breaking away from delivering advice to his young charges to flap his arms in frustration when their exuberance replaced discipline.
This is a team in transition which appears to lack leadership at times, and without Thierry Henry, the player who had inspired a glorious 3-2 away win in the corresponding fixture last term, there had been little bite to offer the manager relief.
Gael Clichy scuttled down the left flank to promise reward if ultimately little delivery, while Theo Walcott, on a third top-flight start, offered flashes of pace on the opposite wing. But Adebayor retreated at the interval having barely mustered a touch.
Chris Kirkland, back in the home goal after sustaining a head injury at Middlesbrough on Saturday, might have wondered whether he was still dazed and confused: games against the Gunners are not supposed to be this uneventful.
Yet, for all the visitors' clear frailties at the back, Wigan still departed cursing that they had failed to prise them apart. Lee McCulloch, a battering ram of an attacker who had defenders bouncing off him, twice might have tested Jens Lehmann only for the excellent Kolo Toure - a rare experienced head in among the bright young things - to hack the loose ball away as the Scot threatened to swing a shot goalwards.
The Switzerland international Johan Djourou copied his lead to deflect Henri Camara after Kevin Kilbane's shot had ricocheted alarmingly around the edge of the visitors' penalty area.
Yet those same centre-halves were split in the opening forays of the second half. Camara, his yellow boots a blur, conjured a fine pass for Emile Heskey to collect. The former England striker had time to ponder his finish only for the ball to skip up off the turf, with the forward left helpless by the bounce and he flicked it into the sprawling Lehmann's hands.
It was the opportunity Wigan had craved, the clearest opening they had chiselled, and Paul Jewell must have winced at the waste.
Immediately, inevitably, Arsenal stirred.
Heskey was still wailing at his ill luck when Julio Baptista burst on to Emmanuel Eboue's pass at the other end and forced Kirkland to block a rasping drive at his near-post.
That served notice that the visitors had revived, with Fredrik Ljungberg duly skimming a cross-shot which was deflected just wide of the far post.
Seconds later Kirkland, an immense presence, did well to smother on the edge of his area as Adebayor sprinted on to Gilberto Silva's pass.
Wigan, for the first time, were gasping as the visitors sliced them apart, though they clung to their good fortune.
Baptista's slide-rule pass had sent Walcott scurrying clear with Kirkland by-passed and despairing as the winger squared unselfishly for the marauding Adebayor in the centre. The centre-forward was under pressure from Fitz Hall at his back, but would still have tapped easily into the gaping net had the ball not bobbled up and over his outstretched leg.
Wigan breathed again, though their agony was reserved for the last.
WIGAN:Kirkland, Wright, Boyce, Hall, Baines, McCulloch, Landzaat, Skoko, Kilbane, Camara, Heskey (Johansson 67). Subs not used: Pollitt, Jackson, Cotterill, Todorov. Booked: Wright.
ARSENAL:Lehmann, Eboue, Djourou, Toure, Clichy, Walcott (Hoyte 89), Flamini (Fabregas 74), Julio Baptista (Van Persie 75), Silva, Ljungberg, Adebayor. Subs not used: Almunia, Hleb.
Referee:R Styles (Hampshire).
