Blackburn Rovers 0 - 1 Wigan: Blackburn are relegated

STEVE KEAN saw his Blackburn side relegated from the Premiership last night in agonising fashion as Wigan struck just three minutes from time through Antolin Alcaraz.

The beleaguered Ewood Park side needed nothing less than a win to avoid dropping down to the npower championship and despite their best efforts it simply did not materialise.

Anthony Modeste replaced Mauro Formica and Martin Olsson came in for his brother Marcus in the Rovers side.

In-form Wigan, who by contrast could all but guarantee their Premiership safety with a point, were unchanged after their stunning win over Newcastle. Knowing exactly what was at stake, both sides started with real intent, but it was Wigan’s Victor Moses who fired in a speculative shot over the bar in the fourth minute to set pulses racing amongst the home fans.

Play was briefly halted in the seventh minute when a chicken – wearing in a Blackburn Rovers flag – wandered on to the pitch, only to be rescued by the combined efforts of Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi and Blackburn striker Ayegbeni Yakubu.

Franco Di Santo had the first shot on target for Wigan when play resumed but his effort was easily saved by Blackburn’s Paul Robinson. Moses forced another save from Robinson in the 24th minute after he outpaced Scott Dann and fired in a shot from the left of the box from a tight angle. The second half was slightly delayed following unconfirmed reports that paramedics were called to attend to Blackburn defender Gael Givet.

The former France international was replaced at half-time by Radosav Petrovic. Givet is known to have a long-standing heart problem and was substituted in Blackburn’s Premier League clash against Sunderland last November after he suffered heart beat irregularities.

The errors began to creep in for under-pressure Blackburn, with Morten Gamst Pedersen blasting a poorly-taken free-kick over Al Habsi’s net, much to the frustration of Yakubu. Wigan then wasted the chance to take the lead from Shaun Maloney’s free-kick as Blackburn managed to scramble the ball clear.

The visitors tore Blackburn apart on the counter-attack with ten minutes left on the clock in the first half, with Di Santo’s cross picking out Moses in the box, only for the midfielder to nod his close-range header directly at Robinson. Wigan started the second half on the front foot and James McCarthy should have done better when his shot on the half-volley went just wide of Robinson’s goal. Yakubu then went close at the other end when Scott Dann played the ball in to the Nigerian, only for the striker’s shot to be blocked by Antolin Alcaraz as Wigan piled bodies into the box.

Blackburn were unlucky to not be given a penalty following a goalmouth scramble, as Junior Hoilett was brought down by Emmerson Boyce in the box, but referee Mark Clattenburg waved away calls for a spot-kick. The visitors were making all of the chances, and defender Alcaraz finally gave them the lead in the 87th minute when he headed Jean Beausejour’s corner past Robinson.

Blackburn Rovers: Robinson, Orr (Goodwillie 80), Dann, Givet (Petrovic 46), Martin Olsson, Hoilett,Dunn (Marcus Olsson 44), Lowe, Pedersen, Modeste, Yakubu. Subs not used: Kean, Formica, Nzonzi, Rochina.

Wigan Athletic: Al Habsi, Alcaraz, Caldwell, Figueroa, Boyce, McArthur, McCarthy, Beausejour, Moses, Di Santo (Sammon 85), Maloney. Subs not used: Pollitt, Crusat, Ben Watson, Gomez, Rodallega, Diame Sammon, Rodallega, Diame.