Like Blackpool, Chelsea probably wish they could play Wigan every week, though, unlike Ian Holloway’s team, the London club’s supporters would soon become bored of such an arrangement. This was another six-goal mismatch for the Blues and, even if it only turned into a rout in the final minutes, the fact that Chelsea are in double figures for goals just two games into the season gives the lie to the idea that there are no easy games in the Premier League. There are certainly easy starts and they don’t come much less demanding than West Brom at home followed by Wigan away.
Chelsea must have returned home wondering how on earth they managed to lose here last season. Wigan’s support drifted off fearing the worst about the trip to Spurs next weekend, scene of a 9-1 mauling last season. People have been asking what is the point of Wigan Athletic, to which one of their own supporters claimed in a webchat last week that they were proud to sit at the bottom of the Premier League like an unflushable turd. Much more of this, one feels, and this could be the season they finally disappear round the U-bend.
The side taken to the cleaners by Blackpool last weekend, causing more mirth at Wigan’s expense than George Formby used to manage and prompting bookmakers to offer an astonishing 15-1 on a home victory here, actually kept the champions pinned in their own half for the first half-hour. That was just about all they did as Petr Cech made three comfortable saves from Maynor Figueroa and Hugo Rodallega (twice), but these were three more saves than Chris Kirkland needed to make. Without ever looking seriously threatening Wigan gave Chelsea a few things to think about, with Mohammed Diamé and Charles N’Zogbia working the ball up the right wing well and James McCarthy bristling with intent in central midfield.
John Terry, booed along with Chelsea’s other England players, made a couple of mistakes while the scores were level, though Wigan being Wigan he was allowed to get away with them. Mauro Boselli, the home side’s new record signing, at £6.5m, from Estudiantes, was not in the game enough to exude any menace and neither was James McCarthy quick enough to find him when Terry gave away the ball.
All too predictably, Wigan were left regretting this when Chelsea almost casually put a move together just past the half-hour mark and took the lead. Didier Drogba began the attack, before Ashley Cole combined with Frank Lampard on the left to remind the sparse Wigan crowd that booing decent players is not such a clever idea. Lampard only flicked a shot in Kirkland’s direction, but the Wigan goalkeeper still had to dive full length to get a hand to it, and with no defenders on hand to help him out, it was a simple matter for Florent Malouda to roll the loose ball over the line.
The question now was whether Wigan would retain enough self-belief to keep taking the game to Chelsea, or whether they would allow their heads to drop and suffer another heavy defeat. Even last season, Roberto Martínez was talking about the need to toughen up and fight back from recoverable situations before the cause became completely lost, but his players never seemed to get the message. At least they reached half-time here without shipping any more goals. By the same stage last week, Blackpool were three up.
Unfortunately for Martínez, Chelsea needed only three second-half minutes to extend their lead. Rodallega had a half-chance at the other end, but could not make anything of it, and when Mikel John Obi played in Nicolas Anelka a minute later, the man who blows his nose in the direction of French football showed how a real finisher goes about his work, slotting the ball coolly past Kirkland from a narrow angle.
Old habits die hard and Wigan characteristically conceded a third just four minutes later. Malouda’s cross from the left was turned back across goal by Drogba, a couple of defenders on the line did nothing to address the situation and Anelka was allowed to get his head to the ball for a simple second.
One thing Martínez must sort out, if he is to keep his job and prevent any more embarrassing scorelines, is who takes responsibility at the back. Steve Bruce made Wigan hard to beat, if occasionally hard to watch. Martínez appears to have loftier ideals, but no amount of passing and moving can overcome three- or four-goal deficits.
Wigan played some of their best football after going three down, with McCarthy seeing a shot touched onto the post and Boselli being denied his first goal by a raised offside flag, though by that stage Chelsea were easing up and thinking of their next game, even if Terry was fortunate not to see a second yellow card for a sly lunge at N’Zogbia’s ankle.
Chelsea on economy setting were still too much for Wigan to handle, however, and once Drogba’s strong run from halfway set up a goal for Salomon Kalou, there was always the chance that more would arrive before the end. They duly did, with Kalou adding another and Yossi Benayoun notching his first for his new club right at the end. Wigan are just no good at damage limitation.
Premier LeagueWigan AthleticChelseaPaul Wilsonguardian.co.uk