MX23RW : Tuesday, December 24 05:49:50| >> :120:8506:8506:

Wigan Athletic 1-0 Manchester United

Wigan 1-0 Man Utd
© PA Photos
Wigan Athletic open up the Premier League title race after a shock 1-0 win over leaders Manchester United at the DW Stadium.

Wigan Athletic have opened up the Premier League title race with a shock 1-0 win over leaders Manchester United at the DW Stadium.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side are now five points ahead of local rivals Manchester City after the Blues' 4-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.

After a bright start from the home side, it was United who nearly found a way through on goal only for Gary Caldwell to block Javier Hernandez's shot.

The visitors threatened again soon after as Maynor Figueroa nearly put the ball into his own net from Ryan Giggs's effort.

Meanwhile, a determined Wigan tested David de Gea in the away goal when James McCarthy's 25-yard drive had to be turned over the top by the Spaniard.

The hosts had the ball in the net midway through the half, but Victor Moses's header from a corner was ruled out for Caldwell's soft foul on De Gea.

Despite protests from the home bench, there weren't any complaints five minutes into the second half as Shaun Maloney curled an exquisite shot past De Gea following a short corner routine with Moses.

United responded well to going behind and could have been awarded a penalty with 20 minutes to play after the ball looked to have struck Maynor Figueroa on the arm from Phil Jones's cross. However, referee Phil Dowd waved away the appeals.

As the away side pushed for an equaliser, Wigan nearly doubled their lead when De Gea had to pull off a good save from Moses's drive.

Moses threatened again in the final minutes when he dragged his shot wide of the post.

Michael Carrick had one last chance for United, but he could only put his weak shot over the bar.

ID:23376: cacheID:23376:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2559:
Written by
Jack Prescott
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Alex Ferguson
Read Next:
Half-Time Report: Wigan 0-0 Man Utd
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!