Premier League
August 15, 2009
Aston Villa
0 - 2
Wigan Athletic
Premier League
15:00 BST, August 15, 2009
Villa Park, England
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
Martinez makes flying start
Scoring Summary
| Aston Villa | Wigan Athletic |
|---|---|
| Hugo Rodallega (31') | |
| Jason Koumas (56') |
Teams
| Aston Villa | Wigan Athletic |
|---|---|
| 1 Brad Friedel | 1 Chris Kirkland |
| 15 Curtis Davies | 19 Titus Bramble |
| 24 Carlos Jimenez Cuellar | 7 Paul Scharner |
| 21 Nicky Shorey | 31 Maynor Figueroa |
| 23 Habib Beye | 25 Mario Melchiot |
| 19 Stiliyan Petrov | 11 Michael Brown |
| 16 Fabian Delph | 6 Hendry Thomas |
| 7 Ashley Young | 15 Jordi Gómez |
| 8 James Milner | 10 Jason Koumas |
| 18 Emile Heskey | 14 Charles N'Zogbia |
| 11 Gabriel Agbonlahor | 20 Hugo Rodallega |
| Substitutes | |
| 4 Steve Sidwell | Michael Pollitt 12 |
| 20 Nigel Reo-Coker | Marlon King 30 |
| 22 Brad Guzan | Emmerson Boyce 17 |
| 26 Craig Gardner | Erik Edman 3 |
| 14 Nathan Delfouneso | Scott Sinclair 16 |
| 47 Ciaran Clark | Cho Won-Hee 5 |
| 12 Marc Albrighton | Jason Scotland 9 |
| Substitutions | |
| Steve Sidwell for Fabian Delph (61) | Scott Sinclair for Charles N'Zogbia (68) |
| Marc Albrighton for Habib Beye (69) | Cho Won-Hee for Jason Koumas (90) |
| Nathan Delfouneso for Gabriel Agbonlahor (77) | Jason Scotland for Hugo Rodallega (90) |
| Yellow Cards | |
| Fabian Delph (43) | Titus Bramble (79) |
| Ashley Young (85) | Maynor Figueroa (83) |
| · Squads: Aston Villa | Wigan Athletic | |
Roberto Martinez made a dream start to life as a Barclays Premier League manager as his Wigan side ran out convincing 2-0 winners over Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Hugo Rodallega's stunning strike and a second-half effort by Jason Koumas secured the points for the visitors, who extended their unbeaten run in this fixture to five league matches.
The margin of victory could have been even greater, Rodallega seeing an effort cleared off the line and Charles N'Zogbia hitting the post.
But as it was, there was much to displease the Villa fans in the 35,578-strong crowd - who showed their displeasure with a chorus of boos at the full-time whistle.
Villa boss Martin O'Neill handed full debuts to new signings Fabian Delph and Habib Beye, while Stiliyan Petrov was passed fit to start after recovering from a dislocated shoulder.
Villa went with Emile Heskey and Gabriel Agbonlahor up front. But John Carew was unable to take his place on the bench after injuring his foot in the warm-up, Nathan Delfouneso instead getting drafted in.
Martinez also handed full debuts to two new recruits, Honduran midfielder Hendry Thomas and Jordi Gomez. Jason Scotland was on the bench.
Villa immediately looked to attack, James Milner turning his marker on the edge of the box and delivering a dangerous ball that was cleared to safety.
Nineteen-year-old Delph gave a demonstration of his burgeoning talent after 12 minutes, his controlled left-footed half-volley flying just over after good work again by Young.
But it was the visitors who had the best chance of a busy opening to the match, Gomez again pulling the strings with a lay-off for N'Zogbia - whose low shot was brushed on to the post by Brad Friedel.
Villa hit back almost immediately as Milner chanced his arm from 22 yards with a drilled effort that Kirkland did well to parry - while moments later at the other end of the pitch, Rodallega saw a goalbound effort blocked.
Two corners followed, and from the second Rodallega's header was cleared off the line by Milner - with Friedel beaten.
Wigan's superiority in midfield was beginning to tell on Villa's players, who retreated into their shells and allowed the Latics to dominate possession.
Wigan's threat going forward was converted into the lead in stunning fashion after 30 minutes, Villa full-back Nicky Shorey's misplaced header sitting up perfectly for Rodallega - who dispatched a superb looping 20-yard finish over Friedel and into the top-left corner.
Villa almost got on level terms in the 39th minute when Young underlined his international class with a delightful 25-yard free-kick that brought an equally eye-catching one-handed save from the alert Kirkland.
Villa's defensive frailties returned moments later, however - Curtis Davies letting the ball drop over his head to give Rodallega a clear shot on goal. But Friedel saved with his feet to ensure it was only 1-0 at the break.
Seven minutes into the second period, Petrov hung up an inviting cross for Carlos Cuellar who should have done better than head wide. Moments later Agbonlahor had the chance to level in a goalmouth scramble, but Titus Bramble hacked to safety.
Disgruntlement in the stands increased after 55 minutes when the hosts fell further behind.
N'Zogbia was the creator of the goal, his probing run from the middle of the park culminating in a precise lay-off for the onrushing Koumas - who kept his head to finish low through Friedel's leg from the left side of the area.
Delph's solid if unspectacular Villa debut came to an end after 15 minutes of the second period as Steve Sidwell replaced him.
The former Reading man was soon in the thick of the action, his heavy challenge on N'Zogbia perhaps giving some hint of the job he had been asked to do by O'Neill in a bid to shore up Villa's midfield.
Villa pushed for the breakthrough in what time remained, Young the chief tormentor going forward but failing to find a killer ball in the final third.
Confirmation it was not to be Villa's day arrived two minutes from the end when Heskey beat Kirkland to a loose ball and squared for Young to take aim at an open goal - only for the winger's goalbound effort to be brilliantly deflected to safety by Bramble.
Asked if he had been left frustrated by his team's display, O'Neill replied: "Well, more disappointment. You can be frustrated if you feel that you deserved something out of the game, but we didn't. After the initial 15 minutes, we were second best all afternoon.
"You can analyse everything but at the end of it all I thought we looked tired, which was a wee bit of a surprise considering we've had a pretty decent pre-season. We've been beaten when we should have been ready to go, and it was very disappointing indeed.''
O'Neill also felt the boos at the final whistle from many in the 35,578-strong crowd were largely justified. "That's my responsibility, it's as simple as that,'' he said. "If you pay your money, you can criticise as you see fit.''
An indifferent debut for new £8million signing Fabian Delph will have added to the gloom at Villa Park, but O'Neill insists the 19-year-old will develop into a class act.
"I think that in time he will be a real quality player,'' he said. "I knew he would get tired in the game, but we were loose everywhere, and we weren't good enough.''
Wigan's display by contrast will have confounded the doubters who feared the summer exits of Antonio Valencia to Manchester United and Lee Cattermole to Sunderland would leave the Latics facing a season battling against the drop.
N'Zogbia was the creator, his probing run from the middle of the park culminating in a precise lay-off for the onrushing Koumas, who kept his head to finish low through Friedel's legs from the left side of the area.
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez hailed the performance of his players as he basked in the accolade of winning his first ever match as a Premier League manager.
He said: "I always felt that we had too many disruptions this pre-season and we knew the key to the game was going to be the first 10, 15 minutes, and Aston Villa didn't disappoint us.
"They put us under massive pressure, they looked very, very sharp, and I'm proud of the players for the way they dealt with that situation. After that, Wigan Athletic deserved to win today. It's been a big turnaround and credit should go to the players.''
When asked if he would employ the free-flowing football on show today in every match this season, the Spaniard replied: "Yes. As always in football you need to find solutions, you need to be wary of the opposition, but football is about enjoying yourself and making sure you can express yourself as well."In football, if you are not going to enjoy the game, you are in the wrong business. I take pride in the high standards of the players but I want them to enjoy their football, I want them to be creative and I want them to put a smile on the supporters' faces, and they did that.''