Al Habsi was the undoubted saviour of a point for Wigan

Ali Al Habsi was once again the hero as Latics picked up another useful point against top-four challenging Liverpool. Though the visitors largely bossed proceedings, the game could have gone either way thanks to the Muscat-born shot stopper, who made eight saves to keep his side in the contest. Most pertinent was his right-handed punch to keep Charlie Adam’s 51st minute penalty from finding the back of the North Stand net, though it was his performance over the 90 minutes that earned him a deserved man of the match award.

The Wigan starting lineup remained unchanged once more, with David Jones covering at left back alongside Figueroa, Caldwell and Alcaraz. Diame and McCarthy took up position in the heart of midfield, while Jordi Gomez had free reign in the centre of the park. Much as on Saturday afternoon, Conor Sammon played a bustling ‘battering ram’ role, paving the way for the fresh legs of Rodallega and Di Santo to push for late goals.

It was all Liverpool in the first half hour, penning a nervous Wigan firmly into their own penalty area with some relentless attacking play. Al Habsi was made to earn his money with a string of saves during a hectic period which saw the hosts’ goalmouth peppered. Henderson was the first to test the Wigan keeper, his right-footed shot fisted away for a corner. Dirk Kuyt was next to produce a strike of note with a short-range effort just to the left of Al Habsi, who managed to shovel the ball out for David Jones to clear. Wigan’s clean sheet was still intact, for the time being at least.

Liverpool’s best chance of the half fell to Glen Johnson, who was also foiled by the on-song Latics keeper. The England international latched onto a Wigan clearance and worked his way past McCarthy before playing a quality one-two to find himself one-on-one with Al Habsi. Luckily for the home side, the Omani closed down well to block the effort and deny Liverpool a deserved goal.

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Marmite Man Gomez strikes again: that's four in five now for the Spaniard

The Latics produced another late strike to rescue a deserved point against third-placed Chelsea. With but minutes remaining, Jordi Gomez was on hand to slot away Petr Cech’s fumble and cancel out Daniel Sturridge’s 59th minute sidefoot past Ali Al Habsi. In what was initially a turgid meeting, neither side really hit their straps but the second half was a much sprightlier affair which produced two goals and a modicum of excitement.

An unchanged Wigan were quicker out of the blocks, finding themselves with some possession in the first five minutes to settle their nerves. Chelsea countered with their own spell of dominance, but, like their hosts, could not muster any shots on target. Sturridge threatened, but saw two of his crosses headed away by Gary Caldwell in the space of a minute. Former Barca defensive midfielder Oriel Romeu forced Al Habsi into the only save of the first half, while Didier Drogba went closest for the Pensioners with a header just past the post on 38 minutes.

Wigan’s only shot in the first stanza came from Mo Diame, whose strike caught the wrong side of his boot and sliced wide of Cech’s left upright. Victor Moses was arguably closer to opening the scoring for the home side with what would have been the last kick of the half. David Jones flashed a decent ball across the face of goal and the Anglo-Nigerian was just inches from poking it into the net and sending his team into the break 1-0 to the good.

A relatively even first half –at least in terms of chances– made way for a similarly equal second stanza. Though Chelsea finished the game with marginally more possession (47%-53%), their inability to create the chances was reminiscent of Wigan just one month ago. Fortunes are beginning to change at the DW however, and one should write them off at one’s own peril.

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Victor Moses's last goal came on 13 November 2010 against... West Brom.

Latics climbed out of the relegation zone, albeit temporarily, with a battling away win against all odds at the Hawthorns. Though it wasn’t quite as smash and grab as their previous away win at Sunderland two weeks ago, it followed much the same formula: concede first before coming back strong to grab the points in the second stanza.

Wigan made one change as the previously suspended Antolin Alcaraz returned to the heart of defence, displacing Steve Gohouri. The Ivorian took his place on the bench for this afternoon’s game alongside Watson, Di Santo, Maloney, McArthur and Hugo Rodallega, whose recent lack of form has warranted a spell in the reserves. Conor Sammon was in the starting XI for the fourth game on the spin, his best run of starts since joining the club.

The sprightly Baggies could have been a goal ahead as early as the third minute, when Al Habsi tipped Chris Brunt’s piledriver onto the crossbar in spectacular fashion. This was representative of the first half hour, which saw the hosts threaten on a number of occasions only to be denied by the odd admirable piece of covering from the Latics backline. Make no mistake, Wigan’s early defending was a little scratchy, and but for West Brom’s lack of a finishing touch they could have found themselves one, maybe two goals behind. For all the hosts endeavours, however, they were still on level terms.

It wasn’t long before Wigan found themselves on the back foot. Gary Caldwell conceded a soft free kick on the edge of his own penalty area, and a masterful effort from Steven Reid put the home side into a deserved lead. His strike, which flew just to the left of Al Habsi’s right hand post, left the Omani with no chance.

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It never rains...

It’s funny how much a win can alter one’s perspective. Just eight days ago, nobody would have given us even a sniff of a chance against Arsenal, but a quick smash-and-grab job at the Stadium of Light offered hope that fortunes may be changing for Wigan Athletic. Despite being without their most experienced striker, the out-of-form and out-of-luck Hugo Rodallega, Latics scraped a 2-1 victory from the hands of a lacklustre Sunderland thanks to some dodgy defending on behalf of the Black Cats. Makes a change from our own usual defensive cock-ups, doesn’t it?

Unfortunately, regular service resumed at a wet and windy DW Stadium this afternoon as any real possibility of an upset was quashed as early as the half hour mark. Wigan could not get away with more characteristically iffy defending, not against a team as good as Arsenal, and the Latics attack still obviously lacks a talisman.

Martinez stuck with the lineup that had won him four points in two games, with the likes of Crusat, Di Santo and McArthur on the bench to provide some attacking options should the need have arisen. Emmerson Boyce obviously wasn’t fit enough for a return to the squad, so Ronnie Stam would continue to cover on the right of defence for Wigan.

The first half can split into two segments: the first twenty-five minutes, during which Latics enjoyed most of the play, and the last twenty, in which Arsenal asserted some dominance. The main difference between the two spells was that the visitors managed to score, and both of Arsenal’s goals came within a two-minute period around the half-hour mark. They could probably have been avoided, but momentary defensive lapses ensured the Gunners went into half-time 2-0 to the good. They could also have added to their tally, but the visitors just failed to capitalise on the odd dodgy pass and fumbled clearance – most notably Gary Caldwell’s fluffed kick which rebounded off his other leg and trickled into Al Habsi’s waiting arms. A moment of fortune, but Wigan’s luck was about to run out.

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