Having reacted positively to conceding, we reasserted ourselves and the reward came soon after. Henry showed us some sheer brilliance, as he curled a long range free kick over the wall and in off the post with pin point accuracy giving the keeper no chance. That should have been the end of a high octane first half, but there was more drama still to come as a Cygan error gave Bullard the chance to pull one back which he duly did.
As is often the case in matches like these, the second half produced little. A few half chances at either end could have seen the scoring increase but some fine saves and poor misses meant that when the final whistle went we had finally got ourselves an away win after four months of the season.
Jens Lehmann (6) Could do nothing for the goals, but his kicking really let him down today.
Pascal Cygan (5) In a game where collectively the defence was poor, he did little to help. He was pulled out of position, and played far too narrowly for a left back, often leaving Campbell with two men to mark. Going forward has never been, and never will be his strong point. Hopefully we'll see Eboue move into this position for the next game.
Sol Campbell (6) Swept up well, but his passing was off again, and his decision making seemed slow at times.
Kolo Toure (6) Made some cracking tackles but a lack of communication with Lehmann handed Wigan some openings.
Lauren (6) Better going forward that at defending for this game.
Freddie Ljungberg (6) Moved to the left wing to provide more cover for Cygan at left back. He became increasingly frustrated as the game went on by the poor service he was getting, and it was easy to see why. His off the ball running could have seen him with 3 or 4 chances on another day.
Cesc Fabregas (8) Excellent creative play, and he had the beating of most players throughout. He was unlucky to blaze a chance over the bar after the ball bounced up in front of him.
Gilberto (7) Swept up all around him, allowing Fabregas the chance to move forward.
Robert Pires (6) A good first half display, but he seemed to become disinterested for spells in the second half.
Robin Van Persie (8) Another superb display. He is oozing confidence at the moment, and is willing to take a shot on from outside the box which is something that not many of our players are doing currently. His first touch and chest control were highly impressive and he adds another dimension to our play.
Thierry Henry (7) Showed up the Wigan backline on numerous occasions. Took his first goal well and stunned us with an awesome second.
Subs:
Dennis Bergkamp (5) Ineffective from the bench.
Mathieu Flamini (5) Saw little of the ball and got himself booked.
Philippe Senderos (N/A) 90th.minute sub.