Wigan 1-0 Manchester United

At the fifteenth attempt the Latics have finally triumphed over Manchester United, as Shaun Maloney’s historic second half strike lifts his side out of the drop zone.

The Scottish international buried the winner from 20 yards out to give the Latics a deserved victory against an out of sorts United.

Shaun Maloney

Victor Moses’ first half header was wrongly ruled out in the first half after Captain Gary Caldwell was adjudged to have impeded visiting keeper David De Gea.

In yet another game littered with poor decisions from the officials, the eventual winner was seen to have come from a corner that should not have been. But as the old saying goes, decisions do have a tendency to even themselves out over the course of a season.

The result sees Wigan finally overcome the 19 time league Champions, and ensured that they keep up with their impressive run of form. Following their contentious last gasp defeat at Chelsea on Saturday, it would have perhaps been easy for their heads to drop.

Instead Roberto Martinez’s men made up for Saturday’s heartache by sealing what could prove to be a huge victory for his side. He had called for a “perfect” performance and they delivered ten fold.

As usual they dictated much of the play in the first half, but once again failed to trouble the opposition keeper. This was until Moses’ goal was ruled out, sparking outrage from the home bench.

Despite the setback they kept their cool and finally took the lead early into the second half.  It was nothing more than their play merited, Maloney worked a short corner with the impressive Jean Beausejour to curl an outstanding strike past De Gea.

Jean Beausejour

For much of the game Wigan were comfortable with 52% of the possession, and United were restricted to just three attempts on target. Even the expected late onslaught from the Champions didn’t materialise.

In the other results QPR picked up three points with a 3-0 victory against Swansea which sees them remaining level on 31 points with the Latics. Crucially Martinez’s men are now out of the drop zone, for the first time since November.

Despite this being an unexpected victory it will serve as a huge boost in the push for survival and next up is an equally tough task on Monday night at Arsenal.

On tonight’s evidence the belief is flowing throughout the team and the performances of late have shown that the Latics are up for the fight and are ready to pull of the great escape once again.

Latics Prepare For Visit of Champions

Wigan take on Manchester United on Wednesday night looking to pick up their first points against the champions in their top flight history.

Going into Saturday’s game at Stamford Bridge, the Latics had just lost once in eight matches, and despite the controversial defeat, they will be confident of picking up something on Wednesday evening.

Gary Caldwell 

Defeats for Bolton and Blackburn over the last couple of days mean that they are still within touching distance of survival and they will look to take advatage at the DW. 

They head into the clash at the DW Stadium looking to finally end their run of 14 consecutive defeats against Sir Alex Ferguson’s men.

Speaking ahead of the clash Roberto Martinez believes his side are in the right frame of mind ahead of the game. “Against Manchester United you have to be perfect and we know now we can be perfect against these sides.”

“We are now facing the champions and the team most in form in the league. It is a great football occasion for us, and that is why we want to be in this league.”

Last season’s hero Hugo Rodallega is again likely to miss out tomorrow and, Martinez is likely to stick with the same XI that has done well over recent weeks.

Emerson Boyce 

Bringing a halt to the horrendous run against Manchester United would be huge for the Latics survival chances and anything they can get from the Champions Elect will be massive. The run in includes clashes against Blackburn and Wolves as well as trips to Arsenal and Fulham.

Despite not scoring against United in nearly 3 years, fans and players alike, can be very confident of pulling off a victory and re-ignite the push for survival and once thing for certain is that the DW will be rocking come kick off. 

David Moyes - Everton boss celebrates 10 years at the helm

Recently lauded by the great Sir Alex Ferguson it is fair to say that, despite not winning any trophies the job done at Everton by David Moyes is nothing short of remarkable. He deserves the plaudits coming his way this week as he celebrates ten years in charge of the blue half of Merseyside.

Tim Cahill & David Moyes

When he joined back in the spring of 2002 his appointment was met by many of Gladys Street faithful with scepticism. The decision from Bill Kenwright to blood a young rookie manager in the place of the hugely experienced Walter Smith was a bold move and looking back now was perhaps the best decision ever made by the owner.

At the time they were a club going nowhere fast. Moyes joined a dressing room that was on its last legs and seemingly heading out of the league. He swiftly moved the likes of Paul Gascoigne and David Ginola out and focussed on bringing in youth with Leon Osman and Tony Hibbert being the first to be blooded in.

His focus from an early stage was on youth and he has given opportunities to a number of youth starts including Wayne Rooney. Today he has Jack Rodwell who is attracting interest from a number of big clubs and has Ross Barkley knocking on the door for a first team slot.

Year on year he has produced teams who play with pride and passion. Osman and Hibbert are prime examples players who technically are not the greatest who have ever worn the shirt but can be relied upon to a job and do it very well.

He has worked the transfer market very well bringing in the likes of Joleon Lescott, Mikel Arteta and Steven Pienaar in and selling them on for huge profit. He has done very well to keep hold of Phil Jagielka and Tim Cahill who were brought in from the Championship and have blossomed into top players and are the heartbeat of the club.

Phil Jagielka

His financial control over the years would surely make him an attractive proposition for any club, as the financial fair play rules are set to kick in over the next couple of seasons. With Sir Alex taking note of his due diligence in the market: “David has had to contend with not having a strong financial structure.”

The January transfer window saw plenty of action with Darron Gibson and the return of Pienaar bolstering the numbers. The signing of Nikica Jelavic from Rangers looks an excellent bit of business with the Croat scoring the winner on his full debut against Tottenham over the weekend.

The decision to move Louis Saha on will have perhaps raised a few eyebrows but, put simply the former Manchester United man does not fit into Moyes’ ethos he was also a big earner and his sale balanced the books.

The recent run of results see Everton go into a big week in good form. A win in the Derby on Tuesday could see them overhaul their neighbours in the league and then they face Sunderland in the cup on the weekend with a place at Wembley on offer.

Over the years it would have been easy for Moyes to walk away he has had many suitors. Many thought the sale of Arteta to Arsenal back in August would have perhaps seen him turn his back on the club. He held firm and any move from Goodison would be well thought out as he has fallen in love with the ‘People’s Club.’

Cup success this season would be truly deserved having come so close in 2009 when his side fell just short at the hands of Chelsea.

Sir Alex Ferguson & David Moyes

At the age of 48 he is relatively young and has plenty more to offer the game and will go onto achieve much more, Evertonian’s will hope it comes with their club.

Sir Alex Ferguson will have a huge say in who comes into replace him when he finally calls it a day. Following his praise of his fellow Glaswegian over the recent months, who would be surprised if Moyes moved over Old Trafford? No one will more deserving of a shot at the big time than Moyes and he would without a doubt make it work. 

Gibson Deal could spell Trouble for Everton

As Darron Gibson sealed his move from Manchester United to Everton on Friday, despite the needed addition, many believe that the exodus of top players from Goodison Park is set to continue come the summer. 

Paul Scholes’ return from retirement last Sunday in the FA Cup victory over their rivals, was the final nail in the coffin for Darron Gibson’s career at Old Trafford.

It was clear that Gibson needed to make the move in order to play football on a regular basis. For much of this season despite a string of injuries to the squad, he has been limited to cameos and cup appearances and was most recently captain of the reserves in front of 500 people in Altrincham.

Darron Gibson

This is a very good move for Gibson, as he will get a lot more game time and in doing so will secure his place in the Irish squad for the European Championships come June.

A lot has been made of the return of Scholes, many people have suggested that there is no money to spend, but realistically except for the 2006 window United have not done any significant business in January.

Sir Alex has been a long term admirer of Everton youngster Jack Rodwell who many believe is destined to follow in the footsteps of Wayne Rooney and make to switch to Manchester.

As with the vast majority of big deals they are done and planned months in advance and you get the feeling that this one is almost nailed on. Another six month’s playing time will allow him to continue in his development.

A full pre-season for Rodwell with United next summer will give him the chance to bed in which will be crucial if he is to hit the ground running.

If he was to join now the pressure on him to go in and deliver from the off would perhaps be too much. He is potential arrival would be a plan for the next ten years, and for now, Scholes is a perfect to come in and do more than just a job.

Jack Rodwell

Unfortunately for David Moyes his hands are tied behind his back. The club cannot say no to a ‘big offer’ and they are unable to invest it all back into the squad. Gibson now adds some much needed cover to the most depleted squads in the league.

Without any investment on or off the field Everton are not going to progress and there is only so much that Moyes can do. For over a decade now, he has continually found players who buy into his ethos of playing for the team and pulling together as one. This was typified in their qualification for the Champions League in 2005.

Speaking to a number of Evertonian’s today the feeling is that they are set to lose yet another of their brightest young stars. Worryingly they have the best left back in the country in Leighton Baines and he is sure to be topping the list of a number of clubs come the summer.

The fans have now started to make their voices heard with a number of protests and the overall feeling within Goodison Park, is that Bill Kenwright needs to go. Investment is needed sooner rather than later because one the greatest clubs in the world game will be in a serious mess very soon. 

Manchester's finest spark life into the Third Round

On June the 30^th 1999, Manchester United went a long way to devalue the oldest cup competition in the world as they pulled out of the FA Cup to play in the FIFA World Club Championships in Brazil, finally today's Manchester derby has gone some way to revive a dying old tradition.

At the time it was a decision that was set to play into the hands of the FA, it was made to aid England in their bid to host the 2006 World Cup. That of course never happened, Germany won the bid and United only finished fifth. 

United and the FA sold their soul to the devil and ever since it is something that wrangled with Sir Alex in particular. Ever since the infamous decision to withdraw the then Treble winners from the competition, year on year it has lost its importance with the Champions League’s riches proving to be more enticing that a trip out to Wembley.

Sunday’s barnstorming tie at the Etihad finally sparked some life into the cup weekend. Paolo Di Canio’s passionate post match interview was epic and magical. His League Two Swindon dumped out Wigan which provided us with the only genuine shock of the weekend, but we all know what Wigan's target is for this season.

Paolo Di Canio

The Wayne Rooney saga and the return of Paul Scholes ensured that pre match focus was taken off United’s poor run heading into argueably the biggest game of the season for the red half of Manchester.

The decision to rest Joe Hart and not risk the fitness of Mario Balotelli was testament that the trophy that launched Robert Mancini into City folklore, had taken a slide down in importance only a few months after winning it.

United fielded their strongest possible XI, and it was clear from the outset that they wanted it more and after soaking up the early pressure Wayne Rooney converted the fantastic Antonio Valencia’s cross.

Wayne Rooney

Then came the big talking point, never in a million years was it a red but if City are unsuccessful in their appeal Vincent Kompany will miss four games as it was his second dismissal of the season. It can be said this will be a more of a concern to Mancini than the exit, as Kompany would miss the entire Carling Cup tie and league games against Wigan and Tottenham.

City were excellent in the second half, and led by Sergio Aguero made a fantastic game of it. Sir Alex bemoaned his sides’ second half display as they took their foot of the gas and very nearly let City back into the game, but deep down he will be delighted with his team in a competition he loves. Earlier this week he discussed the need to re-ignite the magic of the cup and I believe his main suggestion of moving the semi finals away from Wembley would go some way.

This was the tie of the weekend, and early suggestions are that the average attendances are on the up and having the leading sides taking it seriously will also help with the push in popularity. You just get a feeling with their exit from the Champions League and City’s league form that the FA Cup is going to be very important to Sir Alex this season.

As I finish writing this piece I’ve just seen that United have the headline tie in the fourth round also having been drawn away to Liverpool. It is a mouth-watering game for obvious reasons, but on the pitch both teams have designs on winning the trophy and will be going hell for leather in what will be a pulsating game, it will be too close to call. 

Also for the other teams one of United and Liverpool will be out along with the holders, this season’s cup is brewing nicely and I hope it goes someway to breathing new life into the best competition in the world game. 

City go Clear as United are left stunned

An interesting final round of festive fixtures took place this week and there was plenty of entertainment on show right across the board.

For many the game of the week was expected to be at the Etihad, but in fact it turned out to be at a windswept Sports Direct Arena as it played host to a cracker.

I will start with Monday’s action and the game of the day was the evening encounter at Craven Cottage, where Arsenal imploded in a disastrous final twenty minutes and Arsene Wenger blamed everyone but his team.

Bobby Zamora 

A questionable decision from Lee Probert saw Johan Djourou pick up a second yellow card and from then there was only going to be one winner and a fired up and seemingly reborn Bobby Zamora duly delivered in added on time.

There were crucial away wins for both Swansea and Norwich and a Peter Crouch inspired Stoke stalled the Blackburn charge. Elsewhere Frank Lampard scored a crucial winner for Chelsea as they look to keep up with the chase for fourth.

As we moved on to Tuesday’s action and to the home of the league leaders, despite having much of the possession once Stewart Downing missed his early chance Liverpool looked flat and unimpressive.

City were not easy on the eye but after the hammer blow they received on Sunday, the performance and their lethal touch when it mattered was impressive. Vincent Kompany was immense and he is going to be crucial in the run in, as there are not too many quality centre half’s around at the minute.

Despite the ineffectiveness of Edin Dzeko yet again his team mates rallied and ensured that Roberto Mancini’s men came through their toughest test of their mental strength so far this season.

Tottenham’s impressive form continued as they finally broke down a stubborn West Brom at the Lane in a tight win. Martin O’Neil’s Midas touch continued as the smashed a poor Wigan with Stephane Sessegnon again running havoc.

Perhaps the most entertaining set of games were saved for Wednesday as Wayne Rooney returned to a United team looking to go back level on top at Newcastle. Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabeye dominated a woeful United midfield and the irresistible Demba Ba was unplayable all night.

Demba Ba and Alan Pardew

Rio Ferdinand looked exposed and behind the pace well before Ba’s wonderful opener, who is for me, the signing of the season and plenty of sides will be kicking themselves for missing out on him. I believe United will have to strengthen in the transfer window, but can they really challenge with the big boys in the market any more?

Finally to round up a great start to 2012, a weird, yet wonderful goal from Everton’s goalkeeper Tim Howard was not enough to deny Bolton as they picked up a crucial three points after a great second half fight back.

The league now takes a break to make way for the FA Cup and on Wednesday Tottenham entertain Everton as they finally play their delayed game from the opening weekend of the season due to the London riots.