Sunday Times
Wigan break winning run of mighty ChelseaWigan 3 Chelsea 1
Duncan Castles
“SIN MIEDO” is the Spanish phrase with which Roberto Martinez likes to sign off his programme notes. It means “without fear” and that is precisely how Wigan ended Carlo Ancelotti’s point-perfect introduction to English football, throwing themselves at a defence unaccustomed to afternoons as torrid as this.
Drawn into a headstrong lunge at the expense of both penalty and red card, Petr Cech watched the final 40 minutes impotently from the stands. Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry were out-muscled and out-manoeuvred by Jason Scotland and Hugo Rodallega, two forwards with less than a year of top-tier football between them.
Comprehensive losses at the hands of Arsenal and Manchester United having marred his first months as a Premier League manager, Martinez revelled in the justification of his team’s expansive approach. “When you are a team like Wigan Athletic and you play against the top four you have two options,” he said. “You can beat them or you can get hammered — and that’s what happened when we lost 4-0 and 5-0. The reason we won is because we learned our lessons.
“We’ve been brave from the first second. Nobody can say we didn’t deserve the win and to say that against a special team like Chelsea is a big, big compliment to our football club.”
In 34 previous attempts to beat one of the Big Four, Wigan had managed just four draws. Ancelotti had been halted one match short of emulating the Premier League record of seven wins with which Jose Mourinho started the 2005-6 season with Chelsea.
What had gone wrong? “This is the question,” said Ancelotti with a pained laugh. “I don’t know why because I think we prepared very well for this match. It can happen after a lot of victories. Today we played badly and Wigan played better than us, it was the right result for the game. We are disappointed for this because I didn’t expect this performance.”
Part of the Ancelotti method has been the steady shuffling of playing resources. With most of his key players close to, or past, their 30th birthday, no reinforcements allowed in January and African Nations Cup absences to follow, he has attempted to win while limiting early-season mileage. Tellingly, he appeared to place this game above Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Apoel Nicosia in fielding his strongest side. Only birthday boy Michael Ballack was absent with a “slight” calf complaint.
After being drubbed by Arsenal last weekend, Martinez gave Scotland’s bulky burlesque a first Premier League run at centre-forward. Leading scorer Rodallega was played on the left wing, Charles N’Zogbia the right, and Paul Scharner asked to mess with Chelsea’s trio of holding midfielders. The initial effect, however, was negligible as the visitors streamed confidently forward, creating creditable chances for Michael Essien, Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard.
Then Scotland slipped Terry to slam a tight-angled shot at goal and with it Wigan found their gear. When Wigan quickly won a corner, Rodallega waited for N’Zogbia to sprint across the area before he played the ball short. With Chelsea’s marking in disarray the Frenchman’s cross flew to an isolated Titus Bramble, who headed down and into the net.
Now coursing with the belief Martinez had spent the week fostering, Wigan took control. Rodallega’s pace and unpredictability panicked Jose Bosingwa, while Scotland bumped, turned and nutmegged the visiting centre-backs to lever more opportunities. Scharner should have done better than lift over a free shot; the same short-corner routine ended with Cech saving from Emmerson Boyce; only a last-ditch Terry tackle stopped Scotland.
An anxious Ancelotti encamped himself in the technical area, preparing John Obi Mikel’s half-time substitution and a teamtalk brief enough to have Chelsea out again five minutes before their opponents. The reward was an immediate — and soft — equaliser: Florent Malouda skimming into the area to feed Didier Drogba, whose close-range shot cannoned in off the inside of keeper Chris Kirkland’s right leg.
Advantage Chelsea? Not when Rodallega found himself one-on-one with Cech, shimmied slightly away from goal and was tripped by the goalkeeper’s outstretched left boot. That the Colombian was in a position to score justified Cech’s sending-off but stopped neither Chelsea’s complaints nor their attempts to unnerve the taker. Rodallega calmly drove the spot kick high over replacement goalkeeper Hilario. “Petr was unhappy,” said Ancelotti. “For a keeper this is a normal situation, sometimes one-on-one can happen. He took a red card but we hope he is not suspended for many games.”
Chasing the game, the Italian urged forward his full-backs and added Salomon Kalou, his third substitution, as a third attacker. Wigan kept four men up the park and continued to stretch the visitors, Rodallega almost curling a free kick into the top corner. When Ashley Cole was carried off with a knee injury, Wigan were two men to the good and too good for Chelsea. Maynor Figueroa jinked towards the touchline, sending in a cross that took out three defenders and let Scharner slide in for the easiest finish of his career. Three memorable points, and absolutely no fear.
Wigan: Kirkland 6, Melchiot 6, Bramble 6, Boyce 6, Figueora 7, Thomas 7, Diame 6, N’Zogbia 7, Scharner 6, Rodallega 8, Scotland 7 (King 89min).
Chelsea: Cech 5, Bosingwa 5 (Kalou 68min), Carvalho 5, Terry 5, Cole 6, Essien 6, Mikel 5 (Belletti 46min, 6), Lampard 6, Malouda 6 (Hilario 52min, 6), Anelka 5, Drogba .
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Telegraph:
Wigan Athletic 3 Chelsea 1 By Graham Chase at the DW Stadium
It all comes to an end sooner or later and as Wigan finally managed a victory against a big four team for the first time in 35 attempts, Carlo Ancelotti’s perfect start to life in England was no longer.
Titus Bramble got Wigan on their way with an early header and after Didier Drogba equalised five minutes after the restart, Petr Cech felled Hugo Rodallega, earning himself a red card.
Rodallega made no mistake with the penalty that followed and 10-man Chelsea worried Wigan only when the hosts began to sit deep in the closing stages before Paul Scharner added a third in added time.
There was little to suggest what might be ahead as, even in the absence of Michael Ballack, Chelsea began with authority and purpose that saw Michael Essien and Nicolas Anelka threaten in the early stages, while Frank Lampard was also narrowly off-target after fine attacking work from Ashley Cole.
But at the back, they looked unconvincing, with the hard work of Jason Scotland, who is in his first season in the top flight after joining from Swansea in the summer, unsettling both John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho.
The Trinidad forward was slipped through by Charles N’Zogbia and had a shot deflected wide off Cech. N’Zogbia was once mistakenly called ‘Insomnia’ by former manger Joe Kinnear but he made Chelsea pay a heavy price for going to sleep at the resulting corner.
No-one picked up the Frenchman’s long run to receive a short corner and his clipped cross was headed in by an unmarked Bramble.
After that breakthrough, there was little response from Chelsea, who were struggling to cope with Wigan’s aggressive pressing and impressive use of the ball.
Paul Scharner was playing in an unusually advanced role just behind Scotland and the Austrian scooped over from the forward’s strong off-load and only a well-timed slide from Terry stopped Scotland firing in after the ex-Swansea man seized on hesitation from Carvalho.
From the corner that followed, Wigan again played short and N’Zogbia’s hanging cross was knocked back in for Emmerson Boyce to force a fine block from Cech.
However, the chance of a shock result were severely dented just a minute and a half after the restart when Malouda crossed from the left for Drogba to scuff through Kirkland’s legs.
The game was turned on its head again five minutes later when N’Zogbia sent Hugo Rodallega through and although the Columbian took the ball wide, he was clipped by Cech, with referee Phil Dowd pointing to the post and showing the Czech goalkeeper a straight red card.
Rodallega sent the spot-kick straight down the middle and past substitute goalkeeper Henrique Hilario to restore Wigan’s lead.
Other than a Drogba lob over, there was little response from the visitors and when substitute Saloman Kalou swung at thing air after a rare threatening passing move before Scharner tapped in a late third.
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Independent:
Wigan leap into unknown after Cech clears way
Wigan Athletic 3 Chelsea 1: Martinez's men claim 'big four' scalp at the 35th time of asking,helped by goalkeeper's dismissal
By Steve Tongue at the DW Stadium
What inferiority complex? Wigan may have failed to win any of their 34 previous games against the acknowledged big four teams of English football and lost in recent weeks to Manchester United 5-0, at home, and Arsenal 4-0. At the 35th attempt, however, local history was made in eventful fashion: a half-time lead soon cancelled out, then quickly restored from a penalty that Petr Cech was sent off for conceding. Chelsea, finishing with nine men after an injury to Ashley Cole, threw everything and everyone forward, only to lose a third goal, their 100 per cent record and the League leadership.
A first defeat since losing at Tottenham under Guus Hiddink back in March brought no complaints from the Dutchman's successor, Carlo Ancelotti. "We played not a good game," he said. "It was the right result. Wigan played better than us, played very good football with good organisation. I was surprised."
His opposite number, the impressive Roberto Martinez, was less surprised. Despite the drubbings from Arsenal and United, he insisted that his team continue to play their football, asking only that they respond better than on previous occasions if they conceded – which was precisely what happened. "We learnt our lessons and carried on with our standards," he said. "No one can say we didn't deserve to win."
Wigan successfully employed the fashionable 4-2-3-1 with outstanding contributions from Hendry Thomas and the clever Mohamed Diame, both sitting back. Charles N'Zogbia and Hugo Rodallega stayed out, hindering the Chelsea full-backs. Jose Bosingwa's crossing was shocking, while he and Cole were often in danger of being caught upfield by swift counter- attacks. The opening goal was nevertheless unexpected, as the visitors had worked four passable chances in the opening 10 minutes.
In the 16th minute, everything changed. After Cech saved from Jason Scotland, Wigan worked a short corner on the left, N'Zogbia coming to collect it without hindrance from any defender and crossing for Titus Bramble to head powerfully in. So slack were Chelsea that they soon allowed N'Zogbia to bring off the same move, Paul Scharner heading down this time for a shot by Emmerson Boyce that Cech had no right to save.
Scotland, looking more Drogba-like than the real thing, laid off a pass for Scharner to hit over the crossbar and was then halted only by John Terry's saving tackle after losing Ricardo Carvalho. The crowd roared their team off at half-time, while the resident DJ played "Let's Hang On To What We've Got".
Wigan proved unable to do so for even 90 seconds of the second half, but within a few minutes of conceding an equaliser they were back in front. First Florent Malouda was wide enough to provide a low cross that Didier Drogba side-footed at goal. He was probably as surprised as anyone to see the ball dribble through Chris Kirkland's legs for a sixth goal of the season. Back came the home side. Rodallega, forsaking his unfamiliar position out on the left, ran on to N'Zogbia's pass in the inside-right channel, knocked it ahead and appeared to be tripped by Cech.
Once Phil Dowd decided on a penalty the red card was mandatory, and after Henrique Hilario arrived to stand between the posts – Florent Malouda was sacrificed – Rodallega smacked the spot-kick past him.
Ancelotti, who had sent his team out for the second half several minutes before Wigan, took the positive approach in putting on Salomon Kalou for Bosingwa; then the desperate approach of Terry in attack for the last frantic period. The five added minutes brought not an Old Trafford-style drama but a third home goal.
Chelsea, with Terry upfield and Cole off injured, were all over the place and hopelessly outnumbered as Maynor Figueroa crossed from the left for a Scharner tap-in. All this in front of a disappointingly small crowd, possibly reflecting a sense of inevitability about the result. Oh ye of little faith.
Attendance: 18,542
Referee: Phil Dowd
Man of the match: Thomas
Match rating: 7/10
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Guardian:
Petr Cech sees red as Chelsea crash to defeat at Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic 3 Bramble 16, Rodallega (pen) 53, Scharner 90 Chelsea 1 Drogba 47
Joe Lovejoy at the DW Stadium
Chelsea's 100% start to the season was always going to end somewhere, but it was expected to happen in more salubrious surroundings than the stadium that the shrinking violet Dave Whelan has named after himself. The league leaders arrived on the back of nine successive wins in all competitions, Wigan suffered a 4-0 drubbing at Arsenal last week, so this was billed as a no-brainer.
So much for conventional wisdom. In reality, the unfashionable team from rugby league country were superior from first to last, and it would be grossly unfair to attribute this shock result to Petr Cech's sending-off five minutes into the second half. True, it was 1-1 at that stage, but Wigan had been better throughout the first 45 minutes, playing against a full complement.
Carlo Ancelotti admitted as much, saying: "They played very well and ours was a bad performance. They were well-organised. Yes, I was surprised by how good they were."
Under Roberto Martínez, Wigan have been strangely inconsistent, beating Aston Villa, West Ham and now Chelsea, but conceding nine times in heavy defeats by Manchester United and Arsenal. It is very much to their credit, however, that they occupy a comfortable mid-table position after playing five of last season's top six.
The favourable impression Martínez created in bringing Swansea into the Championship playing an attractive passing game was further bolstered here, with Wigan eschewing kick-and-rush or roughhouse tactics in favour of pleasing football against their more celebrated opponents.
Ancelotti left out Joe Cole and Michael Ballack and saw his midfield stymied by a clever, combative unit in which Hendry Thomas was Claude Makelele reincarnate.
Jason Scotland, recalled to the starting line-up, had already required Cech to improvise a save with his legs when, after 16 minutes, Wigan took the lead. A corner taken short on the left led to Charles N'Zogbia delivering a cross which Titus Bramble buried with a firm, downward header from six yards. Chelsea's vaunted defence had gone to sleep, not for the first or last time, and the margin would have been doubled before half-time but for the excellent reflex save with which Cech repelled Emmerson Boyce's shot after another corner.
Chelsea stirred themselves at the start of the second half, Didier Drogba receiving from Florent Malouda and equalising with a crisp shot close in. Wigan may have folded in the past in such circumstances, but here they showed the sort of character which should serve them well in the difficult months ahead and, when Hugo Rodallega was put through by N'Zogbia, his incursion panicked Cech into bringing him down. Henrique Hilário, sent on for Cech at Malouda's expense, was immediately beaten by Rodallega's no-nonsense penalty, struck straight down the middle, and the upset was on.
Ancellotti sent on an extra forward, Salomon Kalou, but Wigan never looked like conceding again, and in the first minute of added time Paul Scharner applied the coup de grâce at point-blank range from Maynor Figueroa's cross.
With Chelsea due to resume Champions League combat in Nicosia on Tuesday, their manager said: "I don't know why we didn't play well, in football you can only look forward." Ashley Cole, whose knee injury left Chelsea with nine men at the end, is unlikely to make the trip to Cyprus, but should be fit for Liverpool's visit next Sunday.
Martínez, who was understandably "delighted", said: "A team like ours, playing one of the top four, can either be brave and play football, or defend and get hammered. All 11 of our players played up to our best standards."
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Mail:
Wigan 3 Chelsea 1: Carlo caned by rookie - Ancelotti is trumped by Roberto Martinez as keeper Petr Cech sees redBy Joe Bernstein
Carlo Ancelotti had been hailed as some sort of managerial genius after beginning his Chelsea career with eight straight victories. But yesterday the Italian with the global reputation was thoroughly out-manoeuvred by a rookie, Wigan's Roberto Martinez.Martinez somehow convinced a Wigan side who had not won in 34 previous attempts against a team from the Big Four that they could derail a Chelsea side who had won every game this season.
Chelsea's goalkeeper Petr Cech might have ranted to referee Phil Dowd about the decision to send him off after 51 minutes with the score at 1-1, allowing Wigan to go ahead from the resulting penalty smashed home by Hugo Rodallega. But even if the game had stayed 11-a-side for 90 minutes, Wigan would have deserved to win.
To his credit, Ancelotti conceded that. Perhaps warning his players not to hide behind the excuse of playing nearly half the game with 10 men, he said: 'It was the right result. Wigan played better than us. They were organised. We slept for the first goal.'
Despite Didier Drogba's 100th goal for his club, it was a dreadful day for Chelsea as they also lost John Obi Mikel and Ashley Cole to injury - and their place at the top of the Premier League to Manchester United.'This is football. You cannot say why a team win matches, then play like this,' said Ancelotti after losing his 100 per cent record this season. 'Their first goal made the game more complicated. Now we are together with Manchester United at the top. Maybe it will stay that way for the rest of the season.'
Martinez had lost four of his first six games in charge but still had the belief to throw in Jason Scotland for the first Premier League start of his career and trust the much-maligned Titus Bramble to keep Didier Drogba quiet.
It worked a treat, with Scotland roughing up John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, while Bramble stole forward to score the opener in addition to his defensive duties.
No wonder delighted Martinez said: 'It was the complete performance from us. You have to keep Chelsea from having the ball to unsettle them and that's what we did. Winning gives you confidence - and we will take great confidence from this.'
Ancelotti refused to blame Dowd, hiding his true feelings behind the non-committal: 'I don't like to talk about referees.' But a few more performances like this and people might start saying he does not have any more of a Plan B than predecessor Felipe Scolari.
Chelsea bossed the opening minutes like a team unbeaten since March and who had won their last dozen competitive games. But after Michael Essien and Frank Lampard missed chances they inexplicably took their foot off the accelerator.
Scotland was putting himself about and when Charles N'Zogbia fired a corner to the near post after 16 minutes, Bramble pushed forward and powered a header past Cech.
Ancelotti and Chelsea looked shellshocked and Wigan should have sewn up the game before half-time. Paul Scharner slipped in the area when about to score, Cech made brilliant saves from close range to deny Emmerson Boyce and Mario Melchiot, while Terry needed a perfect tackle on Scotland to stop him.
Ancelotti did send his team out early for the second half as a sign of his displeasure, with Juliano Belletti on for Mikel, who had hurt an ankle. And the move seemed to have worked when Drogba equalised within two minutes of the restart.Florent Malouda did well down the left side and his cross found Drogba close enough to goal for the Ivorian to squeeze the ball through Chris Kirkland's legs even though he did not make powerful contact. It was Drogba's sixth goal in seven games this season and should have been the sign for Chelsea to go on to win another three points. Instead, the game turned in the next Wigan attack.N'Zogbia fed Rodallega and the Colombian cleverly took a touch to round Cech. The goalkeeper could not pull out of the challenge quickly enough and made contact with the Wigan striker, who collapsed as if shot.The penalty award was bad enough but Cech was infuriated when Dowd also raised a red card. It seemed harsh as Rodallega had been going away from goal.
After the delay caused by Cech's protests and the introduction of substitute keeper Hilario, Rodallega kept his nerve to hammer home the penalty for his third goal of the season.
Ancelotti's decision to sacrifice Malouda rather than Belletti for Hilario could also be questioned. The last half-hour saw Chelsea pour forward desperately but without the craft needed to break Wigan down. Their one clear chance fell to Salomon Kalou and he lacked composure as he blasted high and wide.
Wigan were increasingly finding gaps in Chelsea's rearguard and it was no surprise when they grabbed a breakaway third in injury-time. Maynor Figueroa burst down the left and when Hilario failed to cut out his cross, Scharner had a tap-in.
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NOTW:
WIGAN 3, CHELSEA 1 Petr Cech sees red as Chelsea are stung by Latics By ANDY DUNN, 26/09/2009
THE LONG lenses intruded on only one person's emotions as the clock ticked towards a remarkable scoreline.
Television cameras swivelled as Carlo Ancelotti shrivelled. And shrivelled - sinking further into the inadequate refuge of a dugout as his team fell into a state of disrepair beyond his control.
In front of him, captain John Terry beating Lancashire turf in frustration. Behind him, Ashley Cole being chaired to the treatment table in agony.
Long gone, Petr Cech. And no sooner had he unclasped the hand of Robert Martinez than Ancelotti was being asked to assess the long-term significance of his first Chelsea defeat, being asked to ponder on events not just here - but at the Britannia Stadium and at Anfield.
They were legitimate lines of inquisition. After all, any defeat for one of the ruling quartet can have title-deciding ramifications.
But Ancelotti turned much of his attention to Wigan, raising his eyebrows not only in surprise but in praise.
In defeat here, Ancelotti was as impressive as he has been in the six opening Premier League wins - steadfastly crediting the result to Wigan's endeavour and Chelsea's torpor in equal measure.
He attached no significance to Phil Dowd's harsh decision to punish Cech's penalty-conceding trip with a red card soon after Didier Drogba had cancelled out Titus Bramble's first-half strike.
Good on you, Carlo. Yes, there were controversial moments. Yes, we could dwell on Chelsea's problems, on their obvious sense of over-confidence.
But there is a time when the Big Four obsession has to be conquered. Let's celebrate Wigan.
Raise a glass of something bubbly to an uplifting, exhilarating display rather than a tumbler of something bitter and flat to a lifeless Chelsea performance.
Wigan did not collect their first win against one of the elite in 35 attempts because Chelsea defended like amateurs for Bramble's goal.
Nor because a rush of blood to the skull cap saw Cech upend Hugo Rodallega and tease the red card from Dowd's pocket.
And nor because Chelsea were down to nine men when Paul Scharner slid in an injury-time third.
They ended so many streaks here because they were brave. In the tackle, in the way they attacked down the flanks, in their steely resistance to Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.
Most of all, in their attitude. All of their players had a zest for the contest. In the language of the streets, they were quite simply more up for it.
Rodallega was joyously adventurous, Charles N'Zogbia always inventive.
Scharner and Mohamed Diame relished the battle against the celebrated Chelsea midfield.
Relished it - and won it. Frank Lampard can rarely have endured a more frustrating afternoon.
And then, there were the disciplined bunch at the back. A bunch led by Bramble. Even the allure of an aristocratic visit is not sufficient to fully populate the DW Stadium.
But those inside know how to hold a tune. And their rendition of an old Bramble ditty was pitch-perfect.
"He used to be sh**e, now he's alright . . . walking in a Bramble wonderland."
He has actually never been the former. Just a defender whose mind wanders out of step with his feet. In later years, he will be a hoot on Strictly Come Dancing.
But central defenders should blossom in their late twenties - and Bramble, 28, is flowering. Schoolboy errors stick to his reputation like points to a driving licence.
And the idea Fabio Capello - with fresh concerns over centre-halves sprouting weekly - should at least run a cursory check on his form is not as hilarious as it seems.
For yesterday's goal, though, he had a small debt of gratitude to startling Chelsea ineptitude. Set-piece defending is rapidly becoming a neglected art throughout the Premier League.
It appears to be one of those trends. Designer formations are in, basic principles out. And even Chelsea, one of the more well-drilled, appear to be following suit.
The first crime was to allow N'Zogbia to collect a short corner, to pivot to face goal and to have a cigar-lighting allowance of time to measure his cross.
Measure he did, dropping it between nailed-down defenders for the bounding Bramble to bounce a header beyond Cech.
Terry looked on. Disbelieving. Bewildered at what appeared to be rank bad complacency. That was the architect of Chelsea's downfall. A complacency fertilised by 23 games unbeaten and by six Premier League victories on the spin.
And by Wigan's abysmal record against the Big Four. Chelsea were shaken out of their complacency at half-time but it was to return with dire consequences. For a short while, it seemed that Chris Kirkland would be the keeper who had thrown it all away.
There appears to be some sort of perverse race NOT to be England's last line of defence.
Kirkland made a couple of early saves that suggested he might yet emerge as a frontrunner in this butter-fingered battle for Capello's affections.
But he soon succumbed to the virus of inconsistency that afflicts English goalkeeping, helping a Drogba sidefoot through his own legs after persistent work from Florent Malouda.
And that, one assumed, was that. Cech would now be little more than a spectator.
And so it proved. He watched from the bench.
The debate over the incident will go on for some time. As Rodallega approached after a slick build-up, it was clear that Cech's outstretched leg would act as a mat for the Colombian to wipe his feet on.
He did, took the obligatory tumble and Dowd hesitated barely a jot . . . and even less so in terminating Cech's afternoon.
Cech took rather longer to depart and substitute keeper Hilario made his first job to whisper into Rodallega's ear. Pathetic.
Dowd should have booked him.
Hilario should concentrate on acrobatics rather than verbals - he jumped out of the way of Rodallega's straight one that made it 2-1 from the spot.
Chelsea went gung-ho to try and claw their way back.
In a pursuit of an equaliser that looked certain to bear fruit, sub Salomon Kalou and Drogba both scorched timber.
But Wigan, marshalled by Bramble, did not wilt and an unusual air of desperation began to seep through Chelsea ranks.
That desperation only deepened when Ashley Cole collided with N'Zogbia and disappeared to give Capello and Ancelotti deep cause for concern.
And that desperation was complete when a backline missing Terry - by now centre-forward No 4 - allowed Maynor Figueroa to cross and Scharner to score from formality range.
It was too much for Terry, who was to drop to his knees and pound the floor with his armband-hand.
Meanwhile, Ancelotti, who had been an animated figure for so much of this game, retreated into the shadow of Ray Wilkins.
The game was up and he knew it.
And then he at least had the decency to laud a marvellous performance from Wigan on perhaps one of their finest days in the Premier League.
This was the Latics' day. Not Cech's, not Dowd's. And Ancelotti knew it.
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Wigan break winning run of mighty ChelseaWigan 3 Chelsea 1
Duncan Castles
“SIN MIEDO” is the Spanish phrase with which Roberto Martinez likes to sign off his programme notes. It means “without fear” and that is precisely how Wigan ended Carlo Ancelotti’s point-perfect introduction to English football, throwing themselves at a defence unaccustomed to afternoons as torrid as this.
Drawn into a headstrong lunge at the expense of both penalty and red card, Petr Cech watched the final 40 minutes impotently from the stands. Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry were out-muscled and out-manoeuvred by Jason Scotland and Hugo Rodallega, two forwards with less than a year of top-tier football between them.
Comprehensive losses at the hands of Arsenal and Manchester United having marred his first months as a Premier League manager, Martinez revelled in the justification of his team’s expansive approach. “When you are a team like Wigan Athletic and you play against the top four you have two options,” he said. “You can beat them or you can get hammered — and that’s what happened when we lost 4-0 and 5-0. The reason we won is because we learned our lessons.
“We’ve been brave from the first second. Nobody can say we didn’t deserve the win and to say that against a special team like Chelsea is a big, big compliment to our football club.”
In 34 previous attempts to beat one of the Big Four, Wigan had managed just four draws. Ancelotti had been halted one match short of emulating the Premier League record of seven wins with which Jose Mourinho started the 2005-6 season with Chelsea.
What had gone wrong? “This is the question,” said Ancelotti with a pained laugh. “I don’t know why because I think we prepared very well for this match. It can happen after a lot of victories. Today we played badly and Wigan played better than us, it was the right result for the game. We are disappointed for this because I didn’t expect this performance.”
Part of the Ancelotti method has been the steady shuffling of playing resources. With most of his key players close to, or past, their 30th birthday, no reinforcements allowed in January and African Nations Cup absences to follow, he has attempted to win while limiting early-season mileage. Tellingly, he appeared to place this game above Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Apoel Nicosia in fielding his strongest side. Only birthday boy Michael Ballack was absent with a “slight” calf complaint.
After being drubbed by Arsenal last weekend, Martinez gave Scotland’s bulky burlesque a first Premier League run at centre-forward. Leading scorer Rodallega was played on the left wing, Charles N’Zogbia the right, and Paul Scharner asked to mess with Chelsea’s trio of holding midfielders. The initial effect, however, was negligible as the visitors streamed confidently forward, creating creditable chances for Michael Essien, Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard.
Then Scotland slipped Terry to slam a tight-angled shot at goal and with it Wigan found their gear. When Wigan quickly won a corner, Rodallega waited for N’Zogbia to sprint across the area before he played the ball short. With Chelsea’s marking in disarray the Frenchman’s cross flew to an isolated Titus Bramble, who headed down and into the net.
Now coursing with the belief Martinez had spent the week fostering, Wigan took control. Rodallega’s pace and unpredictability panicked Jose Bosingwa, while Scotland bumped, turned and nutmegged the visiting centre-backs to lever more opportunities. Scharner should have done better than lift over a free shot; the same short-corner routine ended with Cech saving from Emmerson Boyce; only a last-ditch Terry tackle stopped Scotland.
An anxious Ancelotti encamped himself in the technical area, preparing John Obi Mikel’s half-time substitution and a teamtalk brief enough to have Chelsea out again five minutes before their opponents. The reward was an immediate — and soft — equaliser: Florent Malouda skimming into the area to feed Didier Drogba, whose close-range shot cannoned in off the inside of keeper Chris Kirkland’s right leg.
Advantage Chelsea? Not when Rodallega found himself one-on-one with Cech, shimmied slightly away from goal and was tripped by the goalkeeper’s outstretched left boot. That the Colombian was in a position to score justified Cech’s sending-off but stopped neither Chelsea’s complaints nor their attempts to unnerve the taker. Rodallega calmly drove the spot kick high over replacement goalkeeper Hilario. “Petr was unhappy,” said Ancelotti. “For a keeper this is a normal situation, sometimes one-on-one can happen. He took a red card but we hope he is not suspended for many games.”
Chasing the game, the Italian urged forward his full-backs and added Salomon Kalou, his third substitution, as a third attacker. Wigan kept four men up the park and continued to stretch the visitors, Rodallega almost curling a free kick into the top corner. When Ashley Cole was carried off with a knee injury, Wigan were two men to the good and too good for Chelsea. Maynor Figueroa jinked towards the touchline, sending in a cross that took out three defenders and let Scharner slide in for the easiest finish of his career. Three memorable points, and absolutely no fear.
Wigan: Kirkland 6, Melchiot 6, Bramble 6, Boyce 6, Figueora 7, Thomas 7, Diame 6, N’Zogbia 7, Scharner 6, Rodallega 8, Scotland 7 (King 89min).
Chelsea: Cech 5, Bosingwa 5 (Kalou 68min), Carvalho 5, Terry 5, Cole 6, Essien 6, Mikel 5 (Belletti 46min, 6), Lampard 6, Malouda 6 (Hilario 52min, 6), Anelka 5, Drogba .
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Telegraph:
Wigan Athletic 3 Chelsea 1 By Graham Chase at the DW Stadium
It all comes to an end sooner or later and as Wigan finally managed a victory against a big four team for the first time in 35 attempts, Carlo Ancelotti’s perfect start to life in England was no longer.
Titus Bramble got Wigan on their way with an early header and after Didier Drogba equalised five minutes after the restart, Petr Cech felled Hugo Rodallega, earning himself a red card.
Rodallega made no mistake with the penalty that followed and 10-man Chelsea worried Wigan only when the hosts began to sit deep in the closing stages before Paul Scharner added a third in added time.
There was little to suggest what might be ahead as, even in the absence of Michael Ballack, Chelsea began with authority and purpose that saw Michael Essien and Nicolas Anelka threaten in the early stages, while Frank Lampard was also narrowly off-target after fine attacking work from Ashley Cole.
But at the back, they looked unconvincing, with the hard work of Jason Scotland, who is in his first season in the top flight after joining from Swansea in the summer, unsettling both John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho.
The Trinidad forward was slipped through by Charles N’Zogbia and had a shot deflected wide off Cech. N’Zogbia was once mistakenly called ‘Insomnia’ by former manger Joe Kinnear but he made Chelsea pay a heavy price for going to sleep at the resulting corner.
No-one picked up the Frenchman’s long run to receive a short corner and his clipped cross was headed in by an unmarked Bramble.
After that breakthrough, there was little response from Chelsea, who were struggling to cope with Wigan’s aggressive pressing and impressive use of the ball.
Paul Scharner was playing in an unusually advanced role just behind Scotland and the Austrian scooped over from the forward’s strong off-load and only a well-timed slide from Terry stopped Scotland firing in after the ex-Swansea man seized on hesitation from Carvalho.
From the corner that followed, Wigan again played short and N’Zogbia’s hanging cross was knocked back in for Emmerson Boyce to force a fine block from Cech.
However, the chance of a shock result were severely dented just a minute and a half after the restart when Malouda crossed from the left for Drogba to scuff through Kirkland’s legs.
The game was turned on its head again five minutes later when N’Zogbia sent Hugo Rodallega through and although the Columbian took the ball wide, he was clipped by Cech, with referee Phil Dowd pointing to the post and showing the Czech goalkeeper a straight red card.
Rodallega sent the spot-kick straight down the middle and past substitute goalkeeper Henrique Hilario to restore Wigan’s lead.
Other than a Drogba lob over, there was little response from the visitors and when substitute Saloman Kalou swung at thing air after a rare threatening passing move before Scharner tapped in a late third.
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Independent:
Wigan leap into unknown after Cech clears way
Wigan Athletic 3 Chelsea 1: Martinez's men claim 'big four' scalp at the 35th time of asking,helped by goalkeeper's dismissal
By Steve Tongue at the DW Stadium
What inferiority complex? Wigan may have failed to win any of their 34 previous games against the acknowledged big four teams of English football and lost in recent weeks to Manchester United 5-0, at home, and Arsenal 4-0. At the 35th attempt, however, local history was made in eventful fashion: a half-time lead soon cancelled out, then quickly restored from a penalty that Petr Cech was sent off for conceding. Chelsea, finishing with nine men after an injury to Ashley Cole, threw everything and everyone forward, only to lose a third goal, their 100 per cent record and the League leadership.
A first defeat since losing at Tottenham under Guus Hiddink back in March brought no complaints from the Dutchman's successor, Carlo Ancelotti. "We played not a good game," he said. "It was the right result. Wigan played better than us, played very good football with good organisation. I was surprised."
His opposite number, the impressive Roberto Martinez, was less surprised. Despite the drubbings from Arsenal and United, he insisted that his team continue to play their football, asking only that they respond better than on previous occasions if they conceded – which was precisely what happened. "We learnt our lessons and carried on with our standards," he said. "No one can say we didn't deserve to win."
Wigan successfully employed the fashionable 4-2-3-1 with outstanding contributions from Hendry Thomas and the clever Mohamed Diame, both sitting back. Charles N'Zogbia and Hugo Rodallega stayed out, hindering the Chelsea full-backs. Jose Bosingwa's crossing was shocking, while he and Cole were often in danger of being caught upfield by swift counter- attacks. The opening goal was nevertheless unexpected, as the visitors had worked four passable chances in the opening 10 minutes.
In the 16th minute, everything changed. After Cech saved from Jason Scotland, Wigan worked a short corner on the left, N'Zogbia coming to collect it without hindrance from any defender and crossing for Titus Bramble to head powerfully in. So slack were Chelsea that they soon allowed N'Zogbia to bring off the same move, Paul Scharner heading down this time for a shot by Emmerson Boyce that Cech had no right to save.
Scotland, looking more Drogba-like than the real thing, laid off a pass for Scharner to hit over the crossbar and was then halted only by John Terry's saving tackle after losing Ricardo Carvalho. The crowd roared their team off at half-time, while the resident DJ played "Let's Hang On To What We've Got".
Wigan proved unable to do so for even 90 seconds of the second half, but within a few minutes of conceding an equaliser they were back in front. First Florent Malouda was wide enough to provide a low cross that Didier Drogba side-footed at goal. He was probably as surprised as anyone to see the ball dribble through Chris Kirkland's legs for a sixth goal of the season. Back came the home side. Rodallega, forsaking his unfamiliar position out on the left, ran on to N'Zogbia's pass in the inside-right channel, knocked it ahead and appeared to be tripped by Cech.
Once Phil Dowd decided on a penalty the red card was mandatory, and after Henrique Hilario arrived to stand between the posts – Florent Malouda was sacrificed – Rodallega smacked the spot-kick past him.
Ancelotti, who had sent his team out for the second half several minutes before Wigan, took the positive approach in putting on Salomon Kalou for Bosingwa; then the desperate approach of Terry in attack for the last frantic period. The five added minutes brought not an Old Trafford-style drama but a third home goal.
Chelsea, with Terry upfield and Cole off injured, were all over the place and hopelessly outnumbered as Maynor Figueroa crossed from the left for a Scharner tap-in. All this in front of a disappointingly small crowd, possibly reflecting a sense of inevitability about the result. Oh ye of little faith.
Attendance: 18,542
Referee: Phil Dowd
Man of the match: Thomas
Match rating: 7/10
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Guardian:
Petr Cech sees red as Chelsea crash to defeat at Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic 3 Bramble 16, Rodallega (pen) 53, Scharner 90 Chelsea 1 Drogba 47
Joe Lovejoy at the DW Stadium
Chelsea's 100% start to the season was always going to end somewhere, but it was expected to happen in more salubrious surroundings than the stadium that the shrinking violet Dave Whelan has named after himself. The league leaders arrived on the back of nine successive wins in all competitions, Wigan suffered a 4-0 drubbing at Arsenal last week, so this was billed as a no-brainer.
So much for conventional wisdom. In reality, the unfashionable team from rugby league country were superior from first to last, and it would be grossly unfair to attribute this shock result to Petr Cech's sending-off five minutes into the second half. True, it was 1-1 at that stage, but Wigan had been better throughout the first 45 minutes, playing against a full complement.
Carlo Ancelotti admitted as much, saying: "They played very well and ours was a bad performance. They were well-organised. Yes, I was surprised by how good they were."
Under Roberto Martínez, Wigan have been strangely inconsistent, beating Aston Villa, West Ham and now Chelsea, but conceding nine times in heavy defeats by Manchester United and Arsenal. It is very much to their credit, however, that they occupy a comfortable mid-table position after playing five of last season's top six.
The favourable impression Martínez created in bringing Swansea into the Championship playing an attractive passing game was further bolstered here, with Wigan eschewing kick-and-rush or roughhouse tactics in favour of pleasing football against their more celebrated opponents.
Ancelotti left out Joe Cole and Michael Ballack and saw his midfield stymied by a clever, combative unit in which Hendry Thomas was Claude Makelele reincarnate.
Jason Scotland, recalled to the starting line-up, had already required Cech to improvise a save with his legs when, after 16 minutes, Wigan took the lead. A corner taken short on the left led to Charles N'Zogbia delivering a cross which Titus Bramble buried with a firm, downward header from six yards. Chelsea's vaunted defence had gone to sleep, not for the first or last time, and the margin would have been doubled before half-time but for the excellent reflex save with which Cech repelled Emmerson Boyce's shot after another corner.
Chelsea stirred themselves at the start of the second half, Didier Drogba receiving from Florent Malouda and equalising with a crisp shot close in. Wigan may have folded in the past in such circumstances, but here they showed the sort of character which should serve them well in the difficult months ahead and, when Hugo Rodallega was put through by N'Zogbia, his incursion panicked Cech into bringing him down. Henrique Hilário, sent on for Cech at Malouda's expense, was immediately beaten by Rodallega's no-nonsense penalty, struck straight down the middle, and the upset was on.
Ancellotti sent on an extra forward, Salomon Kalou, but Wigan never looked like conceding again, and in the first minute of added time Paul Scharner applied the coup de grâce at point-blank range from Maynor Figueroa's cross.
With Chelsea due to resume Champions League combat in Nicosia on Tuesday, their manager said: "I don't know why we didn't play well, in football you can only look forward." Ashley Cole, whose knee injury left Chelsea with nine men at the end, is unlikely to make the trip to Cyprus, but should be fit for Liverpool's visit next Sunday.
Martínez, who was understandably "delighted", said: "A team like ours, playing one of the top four, can either be brave and play football, or defend and get hammered. All 11 of our players played up to our best standards."
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Mail:
Wigan 3 Chelsea 1: Carlo caned by rookie - Ancelotti is trumped by Roberto Martinez as keeper Petr Cech sees redBy Joe Bernstein
Carlo Ancelotti had been hailed as some sort of managerial genius after beginning his Chelsea career with eight straight victories. But yesterday the Italian with the global reputation was thoroughly out-manoeuvred by a rookie, Wigan's Roberto Martinez.Martinez somehow convinced a Wigan side who had not won in 34 previous attempts against a team from the Big Four that they could derail a Chelsea side who had won every game this season.
Chelsea's goalkeeper Petr Cech might have ranted to referee Phil Dowd about the decision to send him off after 51 minutes with the score at 1-1, allowing Wigan to go ahead from the resulting penalty smashed home by Hugo Rodallega. But even if the game had stayed 11-a-side for 90 minutes, Wigan would have deserved to win.
To his credit, Ancelotti conceded that. Perhaps warning his players not to hide behind the excuse of playing nearly half the game with 10 men, he said: 'It was the right result. Wigan played better than us. They were organised. We slept for the first goal.'
Despite Didier Drogba's 100th goal for his club, it was a dreadful day for Chelsea as they also lost John Obi Mikel and Ashley Cole to injury - and their place at the top of the Premier League to Manchester United.'This is football. You cannot say why a team win matches, then play like this,' said Ancelotti after losing his 100 per cent record this season. 'Their first goal made the game more complicated. Now we are together with Manchester United at the top. Maybe it will stay that way for the rest of the season.'
Martinez had lost four of his first six games in charge but still had the belief to throw in Jason Scotland for the first Premier League start of his career and trust the much-maligned Titus Bramble to keep Didier Drogba quiet.
It worked a treat, with Scotland roughing up John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, while Bramble stole forward to score the opener in addition to his defensive duties.
No wonder delighted Martinez said: 'It was the complete performance from us. You have to keep Chelsea from having the ball to unsettle them and that's what we did. Winning gives you confidence - and we will take great confidence from this.'
Ancelotti refused to blame Dowd, hiding his true feelings behind the non-committal: 'I don't like to talk about referees.' But a few more performances like this and people might start saying he does not have any more of a Plan B than predecessor Felipe Scolari.
Chelsea bossed the opening minutes like a team unbeaten since March and who had won their last dozen competitive games. But after Michael Essien and Frank Lampard missed chances they inexplicably took their foot off the accelerator.
Scotland was putting himself about and when Charles N'Zogbia fired a corner to the near post after 16 minutes, Bramble pushed forward and powered a header past Cech.
Ancelotti and Chelsea looked shellshocked and Wigan should have sewn up the game before half-time. Paul Scharner slipped in the area when about to score, Cech made brilliant saves from close range to deny Emmerson Boyce and Mario Melchiot, while Terry needed a perfect tackle on Scotland to stop him.
Ancelotti did send his team out early for the second half as a sign of his displeasure, with Juliano Belletti on for Mikel, who had hurt an ankle. And the move seemed to have worked when Drogba equalised within two minutes of the restart.Florent Malouda did well down the left side and his cross found Drogba close enough to goal for the Ivorian to squeeze the ball through Chris Kirkland's legs even though he did not make powerful contact. It was Drogba's sixth goal in seven games this season and should have been the sign for Chelsea to go on to win another three points. Instead, the game turned in the next Wigan attack.N'Zogbia fed Rodallega and the Colombian cleverly took a touch to round Cech. The goalkeeper could not pull out of the challenge quickly enough and made contact with the Wigan striker, who collapsed as if shot.The penalty award was bad enough but Cech was infuriated when Dowd also raised a red card. It seemed harsh as Rodallega had been going away from goal.
After the delay caused by Cech's protests and the introduction of substitute keeper Hilario, Rodallega kept his nerve to hammer home the penalty for his third goal of the season.
Ancelotti's decision to sacrifice Malouda rather than Belletti for Hilario could also be questioned. The last half-hour saw Chelsea pour forward desperately but without the craft needed to break Wigan down. Their one clear chance fell to Salomon Kalou and he lacked composure as he blasted high and wide.
Wigan were increasingly finding gaps in Chelsea's rearguard and it was no surprise when they grabbed a breakaway third in injury-time. Maynor Figueroa burst down the left and when Hilario failed to cut out his cross, Scharner had a tap-in.
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NOTW:
WIGAN 3, CHELSEA 1 Petr Cech sees red as Chelsea are stung by Latics By ANDY DUNN, 26/09/2009
THE LONG lenses intruded on only one person's emotions as the clock ticked towards a remarkable scoreline.
Television cameras swivelled as Carlo Ancelotti shrivelled. And shrivelled - sinking further into the inadequate refuge of a dugout as his team fell into a state of disrepair beyond his control.
In front of him, captain John Terry beating Lancashire turf in frustration. Behind him, Ashley Cole being chaired to the treatment table in agony.
Long gone, Petr Cech. And no sooner had he unclasped the hand of Robert Martinez than Ancelotti was being asked to assess the long-term significance of his first Chelsea defeat, being asked to ponder on events not just here - but at the Britannia Stadium and at Anfield.
They were legitimate lines of inquisition. After all, any defeat for one of the ruling quartet can have title-deciding ramifications.
But Ancelotti turned much of his attention to Wigan, raising his eyebrows not only in surprise but in praise.
In defeat here, Ancelotti was as impressive as he has been in the six opening Premier League wins - steadfastly crediting the result to Wigan's endeavour and Chelsea's torpor in equal measure.
He attached no significance to Phil Dowd's harsh decision to punish Cech's penalty-conceding trip with a red card soon after Didier Drogba had cancelled out Titus Bramble's first-half strike.
Good on you, Carlo. Yes, there were controversial moments. Yes, we could dwell on Chelsea's problems, on their obvious sense of over-confidence.
But there is a time when the Big Four obsession has to be conquered. Let's celebrate Wigan.
Raise a glass of something bubbly to an uplifting, exhilarating display rather than a tumbler of something bitter and flat to a lifeless Chelsea performance.
Wigan did not collect their first win against one of the elite in 35 attempts because Chelsea defended like amateurs for Bramble's goal.
Nor because a rush of blood to the skull cap saw Cech upend Hugo Rodallega and tease the red card from Dowd's pocket.
And nor because Chelsea were down to nine men when Paul Scharner slid in an injury-time third.
They ended so many streaks here because they were brave. In the tackle, in the way they attacked down the flanks, in their steely resistance to Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.
Most of all, in their attitude. All of their players had a zest for the contest. In the language of the streets, they were quite simply more up for it.
Rodallega was joyously adventurous, Charles N'Zogbia always inventive.
Scharner and Mohamed Diame relished the battle against the celebrated Chelsea midfield.
Relished it - and won it. Frank Lampard can rarely have endured a more frustrating afternoon.
And then, there were the disciplined bunch at the back. A bunch led by Bramble. Even the allure of an aristocratic visit is not sufficient to fully populate the DW Stadium.
But those inside know how to hold a tune. And their rendition of an old Bramble ditty was pitch-perfect.
"He used to be sh**e, now he's alright . . . walking in a Bramble wonderland."
He has actually never been the former. Just a defender whose mind wanders out of step with his feet. In later years, he will be a hoot on Strictly Come Dancing.
But central defenders should blossom in their late twenties - and Bramble, 28, is flowering. Schoolboy errors stick to his reputation like points to a driving licence.
And the idea Fabio Capello - with fresh concerns over centre-halves sprouting weekly - should at least run a cursory check on his form is not as hilarious as it seems.
For yesterday's goal, though, he had a small debt of gratitude to startling Chelsea ineptitude. Set-piece defending is rapidly becoming a neglected art throughout the Premier League.
It appears to be one of those trends. Designer formations are in, basic principles out. And even Chelsea, one of the more well-drilled, appear to be following suit.
The first crime was to allow N'Zogbia to collect a short corner, to pivot to face goal and to have a cigar-lighting allowance of time to measure his cross.
Measure he did, dropping it between nailed-down defenders for the bounding Bramble to bounce a header beyond Cech.
Terry looked on. Disbelieving. Bewildered at what appeared to be rank bad complacency. That was the architect of Chelsea's downfall. A complacency fertilised by 23 games unbeaten and by six Premier League victories on the spin.
And by Wigan's abysmal record against the Big Four. Chelsea were shaken out of their complacency at half-time but it was to return with dire consequences. For a short while, it seemed that Chris Kirkland would be the keeper who had thrown it all away.
There appears to be some sort of perverse race NOT to be England's last line of defence.
Kirkland made a couple of early saves that suggested he might yet emerge as a frontrunner in this butter-fingered battle for Capello's affections.
But he soon succumbed to the virus of inconsistency that afflicts English goalkeeping, helping a Drogba sidefoot through his own legs after persistent work from Florent Malouda.
And that, one assumed, was that. Cech would now be little more than a spectator.
And so it proved. He watched from the bench.
The debate over the incident will go on for some time. As Rodallega approached after a slick build-up, it was clear that Cech's outstretched leg would act as a mat for the Colombian to wipe his feet on.
He did, took the obligatory tumble and Dowd hesitated barely a jot . . . and even less so in terminating Cech's afternoon.
Cech took rather longer to depart and substitute keeper Hilario made his first job to whisper into Rodallega's ear. Pathetic.
Dowd should have booked him.
Hilario should concentrate on acrobatics rather than verbals - he jumped out of the way of Rodallega's straight one that made it 2-1 from the spot.
Chelsea went gung-ho to try and claw their way back.
In a pursuit of an equaliser that looked certain to bear fruit, sub Salomon Kalou and Drogba both scorched timber.
But Wigan, marshalled by Bramble, did not wilt and an unusual air of desperation began to seep through Chelsea ranks.
That desperation only deepened when Ashley Cole collided with N'Zogbia and disappeared to give Capello and Ancelotti deep cause for concern.
And that desperation was complete when a backline missing Terry - by now centre-forward No 4 - allowed Maynor Figueroa to cross and Scharner to score from formality range.
It was too much for Terry, who was to drop to his knees and pound the floor with his armband-hand.
Meanwhile, Ancelotti, who had been an animated figure for so much of this game, retreated into the shadow of Ray Wilkins.
The game was up and he knew it.
And then he at least had the decency to laud a marvellous performance from Wigan on perhaps one of their finest days in the Premier League.
This was the Latics' day. Not Cech's, not Dowd's. And Ancelotti knew it.
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