Despite a recent run of draws against Swansea and Norwich, Wigan finally picked up their first win over the season in the third of a new boy triple header. The 2-0 victory of Neil Warnock’s Queens Park Rangers was in big part thanks to some superb attacking play by the strike trio of Di Santo, Hugo Rodallega and Victor Moses.
It was a solid display from Wigan who also got the rub of the green as QPR hit the woodwork on three occasions. Credit should never be taken away from Wigan though who passed the ball round in the style of Barcelona. The fans seemed to finally realise that patience is a virtue, as Jordi Gomez orchestrated the midfield in his new central role and was pivotal in the majority of Wigan attacks. The defence was pretty miserly yesterday as Adrian Lopez showed signs of improvement from his shaky display against the Canaries on the opening day of the season.
All round Wigan did a great job of impressing their fans, and the boos of impatience that usually ring round the DW Stadium began to disappear as clever build up play and a deflection off Shaun Derry’s hand led to the opening goal. The technique of Di Santo matched with the 14 passes that led to the goal highlighted Roberto Martinez’s stylish philosophy and made Wigan look in complete control.
Yes, QPR had their fair share of chances but, it’s about time the Latics got a bit of look and it was a similar occurrence for the second goal. Di Santo took the ball off a furious Rodallega’s boot, but the Colombian soon forgot about it when Di Santo’s speculative effort deflected into the top corner and sent the fans into raptures.
Overall Wigan showed the exuberance and flow in the final third that has been lacking for a considerable period of time. The front three seem to have gelled perfectly and it was a delight to see the impressive attacking style.
How they rated
Al-Habsi – 7 – Made a string of great saves including one that hit the post, starting to regain confidence after the mistake against Norwich
Boyce – 7 – His mazy run from right back to centre forward showed he does have an attacking side to his game. Defensively solid.
Figueroa – 7 – Helped to play the ball out of defence effectively and ease pressure QPR created.
Lopez – 7 – Much improved and even provided the comedy moment of the match when he pulled the shorts of Adel Taarabt down.
Caldwell – 7 – Again much improved but never really troubled by a poor striker in Patrick Agyemang.
Watson – 6 – Wasn’t the best game he’ll ever have but solid nonetheless.
Diame – 6 – Despite a great performance going forward, he did give the ball away too much in midfield and against better opposition could have been punished.
Gomez – 8 – What a difference a position makes, he ran the game from the middle and may have cemented a first team place.
Moses – 7 – Always a handful and linked up well during the build-up for both goals. Needs some himself soon though.
Rodallega – 9 – Sharing the burden of N’Zogbia’s departure with Moses excellently. Caused endless problems to QPR’s defence.
Di Santo – 9 – Slightly fortunate but two goals are two goals, best performance in a Wigan shirt.
Subs
McArthur – 6 – Not enough time to tell but, he was solid and effective a breaking play down.
Sammon – 6 – Such a nuisance up front, with a little more pace he could easily have scored a couple.
Stam – 6 – Always plugging away to get a start and looked good once again.
The Verdict
Up to seventh in the league now but could easily have been top with nine points. It was an impressive display but a run of difficult games including back to back away games at Manchester City and Everton could prove costly in Wigan’s aim to steer away from the relegation zone.
