Wigan Athletic v Arsenal | Matches

Villarreal V
Arsenal
7TH APR 2009

Saturday 11th April
Kick off: 15:00
The JJB Stadium

Wigan Athletic
1 – 4
Arsenal

Arsenal V
Villarreal
15TH APR 2009

HIGHLIGHTS

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Wigan Athletic 1-4 Arsenal (April 11, 2009)

Live Text isn't live anymore, this is a record of the match events.

Full Time Full time: Wigan 1-4 Arsenal: After trailing at the break, Arsene Wenger calls upon some of his big guns to provide the catalyst for a storming second-half comeback. Walcott equalised for the Gunners before Silvestre, Arshavin and then Alex Song secured the victory.
90

GOAL! - Alex Song 1 : 4 Goal! Wigan 1-4 Arsenal: It gets better and better for the Gunners with Alex Song adding his name, and a touch of gloss, to the scoreline with a crisp finish from just inside the area. What a wonderful second-half performance.
90

Five minutes of added on time.
90

GOAL! - Andrey Arshavin 1 : 3 Goal! Wigan 1-3 Arsenal: The comeback is emphatically completed by Arshavin who caps a wonderful sweeping counter-attack after Koumas' sloppy back-pass. Dan's prediction might be correct after all!
88

Yellow Card Song is cautioned for a foul on Figueroa.
88

I don't wish to tempt fate but remember that Rich Clarke predicted a 2-1 before the game...
86

Yellow Card Sagna is fouled by Bramble and Wiley has no choice but to produce his yellow card once again.
85

Yellow Card Boyce is booked for a cynical foul on Adebayor, he can have no complaints.
84

Substitution Bruce makes his final change of the game with Watson, who hit the post in the first half, making way for Jason Koumas.
84

Watson's free-kick is thankfully straight into Fabianski's arms
83

Yellow Card Van Persie is booked for a trip on Valencia just outside the box. This is another very dangerous free-kick for the home side...
81

Dan has been very impressed with Adebayor's impact since coming on. "I've never seen him look so good than the last 10 minutes," he says.
80

Substitution Bruce makes his second change of the afternoon with Daniel de Ridder coming on for Brown.
77

Arsenal have the ball in net but it won't count. Arshavin crashes a long-range effort against the post but the linesman's flag is up when Van Persie taps in the rebound. The correct decision.
75

Yellow Card Brown is booked for an off-the-ball challenge on Fabregas
74

Kapo's left-footed shot flashes a couple of yards wide. "A reminder of Wigan's threat," according to Dan.
71

GOAL! - Mikael Silvestre 1 : 2 Goal! Wigan 1-2 Arsenal: Arshavin throws in to Fabregas whose low cross is turned home by Mikael Silvestre for his second Arsenal goal. More superb character shown for the turnaround.
69

Van Persie feeds Arshavin on the left but Boyce challenges the Russian brilliantly.
67

Substitution Wenger makes his final change of the afternoon with Walcott making way for in-form Adebayor.
66

Boyce's header is well over and it's a goal-kick.
65

Song scuppers Scharner at the expense of a Wigan corner. Watson to take...
63

It looks as though Fabregas and Song are now playing as a flat pair in central midfield with Arshavin, Walcott and Van Persie all supporting lone frontman Bendtner.
61

Substitution Wenger decides to shuffle his pack with Denilson making way for the ominous figure of Robin van Persie.
60

GOAL! - Theo Walcott 1 : 1 Goal! Wigan 1-1 Arsenal: Arshavin wriggles into the area and feeds Walcott who lashes the ball past Kirkland. Wigan are appealing for offside but Wiley shakes his head. "Let's kick on," says Rich.
58

Bendtner almost latches onto Fabregas' through-ball but Boyce produces a brilliant block to deny the Dane.
57

Rich thinks thats certainly beneficial for Arsenal who were struggling with the Egyptian's physical presence.
56

Substitution Mido, who was injured in that clash with Fabianski earlier, has to come off for Olivier Kapo.
54

Speaking of which, Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie are both warming up on the touchline.
53

Rich points out the options Arsene Wenger has on the bench in attack.
53

Off the line from Gibbs! Mido nods the ball past Fabianski who completely misses the ball but the left-back manages to nip in and avert the danger. Another real let-off for the Gunners.
53

Rodallega's effort curls a yard over the bar.
53

Wigan win a free-kick just outside the D and very central. This could be dangerous, Rodallega and Watson stand over it...
52

Sagna's front-post header doesn't trouble Kirkland and Wigan can clear.
51

Bramble puts it out for an Arsenal corner...
50

Gibbs deals well with Rodallega who threatened to burst down the right-hand side.
49

Dan thinks Wigan have looked dangerous already in this second half.
Kick Off No changes for either side and we're underway here...
Half Time Half Time: Wigan 1-0 Arsenal - So Mido's effort hands Wigan a deserved lead in a half where gilt-edged chances were at a premium. The Gunners are perhaps a shade lucky to still have 11 men on the pitch after a controversial Kieran Gibbs booking on the stroke of the break.
45

Watson's free-kick clatters the inside of the post and Scharner's follow-up effort is blocked well. That might've been a killer blow for the Gunners just before the break but they get away with it.
45

Dan noticed that Silvestre was alongside play so perhaps Alan Wiley was right not to dismiss Gibbs.
45

Yellow Card Gibbs is booked for bringing down Valencia as the Ecuadorian threatened to latch onto a high-ball. "We've got away with one there," says Rich.
45

Scharner has stayed down after a clash with Fabregas, the physio is on.
45

Three minutes of added time to be played here...
44

Rich and Dan don't think Fabregas or Arshavin have seen enough of the ball to have a real impact yet today.
44

Arshavin's poor delivery is easily cleared by Wigan.
43

Denilson has another effort deflected behind. Arsenal corner...
43

Denilson's effort drops out of a Wigan player. Fabregas to swing in another one...
42

Song's effort is blocked behind by Boyce for an Arsenal corner...
42

Walcott is hauled down by Brown and Arsenal have a free-kick about 40 yards from goal. Song and Silvestre both up for this...
38

Walcott bombs down the right but sees his right-wing cross nodded clear by Scharner.
36

So the Frenchman slots in alongside Toure with Sagna and Gibbs on either side.
35

Substitution There is that change. Silvestre comes on for Djourou who requires a stretcher.
34

Djourou is struggling with an injury to his left knee - Mikael Silvestre will replace him it seems. Yet more defensive injury troubles for the Gunners.
32

Watson's corner skims off Scharner's head and away.
31

Melchiot's cross is jabbed behind by Djourou for another Wigan corner.
29

Mido is limping here after a challenge with Toure - he looks like he's ok to continue though.
26

Bendtner swivels on the edge of the box and drives a low strike just wide. "He did everything right there," says Dan.
25

Rich has noticed that Wigan are targeting Gibbs down that right-hand side. Luis Valencia, touted as a possible 'Galactico', is not an ideal debut opponent it's fair to say.
25

Fabianski manages to punch it well clear
24

Gibbs concedes another corner to Valencia. Watson to take once again...
23

Gibbs swings in a sizzling cross to Bendtner who nods just wide from 8 yards. The cross was a little high for the Dane.
20

Scharner's presence almost puts Fabianski off Rodallega's high cross but the keeper manages to claim at the second attempt.
19

That is the Egyptian's first goal for Wigan since his debut for the club in January.
17

GOAL! - Hossam Mido 1 : 0 Goal! Wigan 1-0 Arsenal: The Gunners fail to clear Watson's corner at the front post and Mido manages to hook his scissor-kick through a thicket of players and into the back of the net from seven yards.
17

Deflected out for a Wigan corner...
17

Mido is shaping to shoot from a free-kick about 35 yards out and very central...
15

Dan has been very impressed by Ben Watson since his January move from Crystal Palace. The red-haired midfielder has looked typically combative already today.
14

Watson's outswinger is easy pickings for Fabianski.
13

Gibbs is forced to prod the ball behind. Wigan corner...
13

It has been a little bit of a flat start from both sides today. They both have at least of couple of gear changes in them.
11

Fabregas receives a low pass from Song and tries to curl an effort into the top corner from the edge of the area but it never threatens Kirkland's goal.
9

Valencia almost picks out the waiting Mido but Denilson intercepts brilliantly to avert the danger.
8

Arshavin's corner is claimed well by Chris Kirkland.
7

Arshavin is challenged by Melchiot and Arsenal win the first corner of the match...
5

Kieran Gibbs, making his first Premier League start, lets fly from range but it flashes well wide.
4

Fabianski catches Rodallega's long-throw confidentally. Remember this is his first Premier League start of the campaign.
2

Rodallega stings the hands of Fabianski from distance. Dan thinks that one will go down as a half-chance.
1

Mido has certainly started upfront on his own with an attacking trio sat just behind him.
Kick Off Arsenal get us underway here at the JJB..
Clarkey is predicting a 2-1 victory for the Gunners, Tim is saying 1-0 and Dan is the most confident - he predicts a 3-0. What do you think? www.arsenal.com/studio
Just as an aside, Liverpool are back on top of the Premier League after battering Blackburn 4-0 in today's early kick-off.
Not long until kick-off now, remember to keep those emails in to our commentary team before, during and after today's match - www.arsenal.com/studio
Wigan Team News: Despite finally returning from international duty this week, there is no place for Amr Zaki in Bruce's 18-man squad. On-loan Mido, who has only scored once since signing in January, starts upfront supported by fellow January signing Hugo Rodallega and Paul Scharner.
Arsenal Team News: Arsene Wenger makes five changes to the side who battled so valiantly for that crucial draw in Villarreal on Tuesday. Manuel Almunia, William Gallas and Gael Clichy all withdraw through injury with Lukasz Fabianski, Johan Djourou and Kieran Gibbs called up. In attack, Emmanuel Adebayor and Samir Nasri drop to the bench with Andrey Arshavin and Nicklas Bendtner given the nod.
Hello and the warmest of welcomes to today's minute-by-minute coverage of Arsenal's Premier League clash with Wigan. The Gunners have already dispatched the Latics twice this season and they'll be hoping to make it third time unlucky for Bruce's men.
Good afternoon. Today's pre-match show will start at 14:20, bringing you the video highlights and post-match reaction from Villarreal v Arsenal, Paddy Power's top betting tips for today's game, the key moments from Arsene Wengers pre-match press conference and much more.
Don't forget to stay tuned for the Post-match Show, live with Tim Peters straight after the final whistle.