| WIGAN ATHLETIC v ARSENAL, 0-1 Wed 13 Dec 2006
Emmanuel Adebayor scored his fifth goal of the season, providing a late winner at Wigan Athletic to lift Arsenal up to third in the Barclays Premiership.
The Togo striker struck in the 88th minute to continue Wigan’s misery against the top-flight’s big guns.
Since their promotion, Wigan have mustered a solitary point in 14 matches against last season’s top five of Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and the Gunners.
It was rough justice on the Latics who deserved a point, and who showed a marked improvement on their last home performance when they were hammered 4-0 by Liverpool 11 days ago.
Against a revamped Gunners lacking the services of the inspirational Thierry Henry, they more than held their own.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger opted to rest three of his main playmakers - Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Alexander Hleb - on the bench following the exertions of Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea.
In came Freddie Ljungberg, Julio Baptista and the lightning-quick Theo Walcott, the latter duo starting only their second and third games in the Barclays Premiership respectively.
The visitors were certainly quick out of the blocks, but the fact goalkeepers Jens Lehmann and Chris Kirkland were relegated to the role of spectators in the opening period spoke volumes.
In Kirkland’s case, it was perhaps much needed after the scare he suffered on Saturday in the 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough.
Kirkland required a night in hospital following a collision with team-mate Paul Scharner that resulted in the England international sustaining slight concussion.
After being declared fit to play, he enjoyed one of the quietest halves of football he has been involved with this season.
There was a shot from Mathieu Flamini in the third minute that was sliced over the bar, and a curled effort from Adebayor in the 28th that finished considerably wide.
Josip Skoko also produced a remarkable diving header from inside the six-yard box in clearing Flamini’s right-wing cross.
Although picking up four points on their travels at West Ham United and Middlesbrough since the Liverpool debacle, the memories of that game were undeniably still fresh for the Latics players.
They were in no mood to be so generous, but while tightening up at the back, they struggled themselves in attack.
There was also one skilful effort from Henri Camara, who skipped past two challenges before driving a 25-yard shot wide, that at least raised cheers from the home crowd.
The game was in desperate need of a lift and it arrived after the break as the tempo was raised, and so the chances came.
Two minutes after the restart Camara sent Emile Heskey through, but in attempting to lift a shot over the advancing Lehmann, he slipped, sliced his opportunity, allowing the German to claim.
Within a minute Arsenal countered, with Adebayor playing Baptista in behind the Wigan defence for a crisp first-time drive which Kirkland parried for the first save of the match.
He followed that up seven minutes later by racing off his line to bravely block at the feet of Adebayor after captain Gilberto had split the Latics defence with an incisive pass.
When Wigan were cut open again minutes later, with Gilberto sending Walcott sprinting clear down the right, the opener looked on the cards.
Racing into the area, the teenager unselfishly opted to square to Adebayor, but the pass had too much pace on it for the lone striker who was also put off his stride by Emmerson Boyce.
A dipping volley from Skoko that stung the fingers of Lehmann briefly interrupted Arsenal’s dominance.
After Fabregas and Van Persie came on in the 75th minute, Lehmann again denied Skoko from 20 yards, with Kolo Toure following up to block Camara’s attempt on the rebound.
After opportunities for Ljungberg and Camara, it was Adebayor who had the last word.
Fabregas’ ball over the top was inch-perfect for the forward, who toe-poked a low shot underneath the advancing Kirkland, much to the delight of Gunners fans. | 
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