Manchester United had lost at Wigan in April. That started the decline which would ultimately see Man City pip them to the title with a last-gasp Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero goal.
United visited Wigan on New Year’s Day looking to maintain their 7 point lead over their ‘noisy’ neighbours.
First Half:
Wigan began the stronger side. They pressed hard for each ball and had the lion’s share of the possession. They were, however, unable to make good their spell of domination. United, for the opening 25 odd minutes were content to sit back and slowly find their feet in the game.
They started to grow as time passed on and Javier Hernandez managed to score from a chance but he was offside. However, he was on hand to put United ahead in the 35th minute from a rebound. His sharpness in front of goal is simply brilliant. He laid the ball for Robin van Persie who shifted it onto his weaker foot and curled it masterfully past Ali Al-Habsi, 2-0 at the break and going strong; Sir Alex Ferguson would’ve wanted precisely this from his side.
Second Half:
United didn’t slacken this half and their attacking frequency increased as the game progressed. Chicharito put United 3-0 up from an RvP free kick rebound and at the end of the game, Danny Welbeck crossed for RvP to score his second and finish the rout at 4-0.
The home side clearly looked tired from the spate of games over the Christmas period and the subsequent defensive errors cost them the game. Wigan’s substitutes namely Jordi Gomez brought some life into the home side but despite their efforts, Wigan were simply no match for the Old Trafford side who were professional from the go and did their bit at both ends of the pitch to get the desired result.
Special mentions here for Michael Carrick, Jonny Evans, Ryan Giggs, RvP and Chicharito. These five were the bedrock of United`s success here.
Carrick has been in fine form over the past 4-5 games and he was imperious here, constantly breaking up play and distributing the ball quickly. He was substituted for Shinji Kagawa with the game at 3-0 to United. He deserved the rest. The guy’s played all four of United’s games over the Christmas period and was great in all of them.
Jonny Evans had a good game as well. He was a big part of United’s resolute backline. He defended well and helped out in attack too! With Nemanja Vidic needing time to get back to his best, Evans` good form comes as a big plus to the side.
Ryan Giggs had one of his best games of this season. His vision and crossing were simply class and it never looked that he is 39 years old. Hats off to the boss for using him sparingly.
RvP and Chicharito need no mention really. These two were brilliant today. Chicharito now has 8 goals and 4 assists in 605 minutes of BPL action. He’s been involved in a goal every 50 minutes! Kun Aguero, who has similar stats, has played 1220 minutes.
He has been lethal for United and if used properly, can easily get 25 goals this season. He needs to be played more and the boss must be smart to capitalize on his sharpness in front of goal. United play Liverpool next and you can bet that Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel will not want to see the `little pea` i.e. Chicharito playing. They’ll know that one small error and they’ll lose a goal. He`s been THAT good.
RvP has been a star. It seems ludicrous to think that he came to United in August. The ways he’s bedded in it seems as if he was always there! Roberto Mancini this week rued not getting him. I think if he had wanted money, the £300k per week on offer would’ve been tempting. But as he said, he WANTED United. And that desire to be at the club and give it your best is what has seen him get 16 goals and 9 assists in just 21 league games. He is well on course to get 33+ league goals and 17+ assists just in the league. £24million? Small change! He’s been the buy of the year definitely.
To conclude, Wigan tried hard. But the spate of games saw them get punished by a fresher United side that were professional and did exactly what they were to do. The gap stays at 7 points and Sir Alex would drill the importance of keeping up the performance levels for the remaining 17 games. The home side must freshen up their squad and keep working so that they can stay up again.
By Yashasvee Prasad @yash647
