Sunderland 1 Wigan Athletic 1

Feb 7 2010 by James Hunter, Sunday Sun

For yesterday’s game, Bruce made two changes to the side that started against Stoke.

He gave new loan signing from Spurs Alan Hutton his debut at right-back, in place of hamstring injury victim John Mensah, while Jordan Henderson was preferred to Steed Malbranque on the right side of midfield.

Sunderland’s other deadline-day loan signing, Man City’s Zimbabwe striker Benjani, was on the bench as Bruce kept faith with Kenwyne Jones as top- scorer Darren Bent’s strike partner.

Bruce’s successor at Wigan, Roberto Martinez, made four changes to the side that went out of the FA Cup at the hands of League Two Notts County in midweek, with Hendry Thomas, James McCarthy, Charles N’Zogbia and Hugo Rodallega coming in for Jason Scotland, Scott Sinclair, Jason Koumas and Jordi Gomez.

Wigan’s back four included Honduran left-back Maynor Figueroa, who Sunderland failed to prise away from the DW Stadium in the January transfer window.

Bent saw an early shot saved by Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland but it was the Latics that created the first real chance of the game in the 12th minute, Figueroa’s ball up the line on the left flicked-on by Rodallega

McCarthy outpaced Hutton and squared across the edge of the penalty area but Paul Scharner swung wildly at the ball as it came across his body and completely failed to make contact.

Wigan went ahead in the 20th minute when Sunderland skipper Lorik Cana was caught in possession midway inside his own half by Diame, and the Frenchman strode forward into the right-hand channel before unleashing a rocket shot from just inside the box which flew past keeper Craig Gordon.

Sunderland were a whisker away from drawing level on the half-hour as Jones got the better of Thomas and stepped around another challenge just inside the box.

However, his goalbound shot took a deflection off Figueroa and although it beat Kirkland, clipped the outside of the left-hand post and went behind.

Ten minutes later it was Kirkland to the rescue for Wigan as he pushed Lee Cattermole’s dipping 25-yard drive high up into the air, and the ball dropped onto the roof of the net.

Sunderland came out fired up for the second half and thought they’d equalised in the 55th minute when Jones fed the ball through for Bent and he raced clear of the defence, rounded Kirkland and fired into the net.

But a late flag from the linesman for a marginal offside call against the striker meant his effort did not count.

A big turning point came just a couple of minutes later when a slack pass from Cana let Wigan in and the ball was crossed from the left for McCarthy.

But Gordon came to Sunderland’s rescue with a brilliant save to block his shot behind for a corner. Had that gone in, Wigan would have been cruising.