Wigan Athletic 1 Liverpool 1:THE FERNANDO Torres recovery is not yet fully complete, and neither perhaps is Liverpool's.
The visitors left Wigan with a point more than they gained in the same fixture last season, yet after getting off to an ideal start through Torres’s first away goal in the league for eight months, Liverpool were outplayed and outfought for most of the last hour. After almost effortlessly controlling the first half, Liverpool found themselves hanging on, with Torres once more a peripheral figure and the home side conspicuously first to all the 50-50 balls.
Steven Gerrard did hit the bar in the closing minutes following a mistake by Gary Caldwell, but a share of the points was the least a valiant Wigan performance deserved. Charles N’Zogbia, Hugo Rodallega and Tom Cleverley were outstanding in a display that belied Wigan’s bottom-three position. The home side were almost worth three points yet must learn to stop giving themselves mountains to climb.
Wigan have flirted with relegation in all but the first of their six seasons in the top flight, mainly because they have never managed to toughen up and bring what is now considerable experience to bear on opponents. You hardly need to be in the Premier League six weeks, for instance, to know that you cannot allow Gerrard to do as he pleases, yet only seven minutes into the game Jordi Gomez stood off admiringly and left the Liverpool captain all the space he needed to first reach the halfway line then thread a ball forward for Torres.
With the pass itself taking out Antolin Alcaraz it was a simple matter for Torres to carry on where he left off against Chelsea, using his strength to hold off Gary Caldwell before poking a low shot past Ali al-Habsi.
To their credit the home side fought their way back into the first half and recovered sufficiently from their poor start to put Liverpool under some pressure, though they were fortunate not to go two down in the 16th minute following an extravagant passing move. Gerrard and Torres once again split the Wigan defence, but from Dirk Kuyt’s final invitation the ball would not come down quickly enough for Gerrard in front of goal and he put a good chance over the bar.
It was Liverpool’s turn to have a lucky escape on the half hour, when Lucas Leiva gave the ball to N’Zogbia in a dangerous position and saw him play a one-two with Rodallega and put it in the net, only for the first pass to be correctly ruled offside.
Though Rodallega was inches away from reaching a cross from the right just before the interval the striker rarely had enough support to cause Jose Reina any serious problems, pretty much the story of Wigan’s season. Liverpool were not quite as threatening after their early breakthrough, but didn’t need to be. They were still notably sharper than they were a month or so ago.
In a telling cameo just before half-time, Gomez seized the ball in midfield and advanced to the edge of the Liverpool area, only to be surprised at being cleanly tackled from behind by a determined Torres.
Wigan brought the game and the stadium to life with an equaliser seven minutes into the second half, a deserved reward for their pressure even if Reina could have done better with Ronnie Stam’s well-placed but fairly tame low cross from the right. The goalkeeper needed to either claim the ball or clear it, yet succeeded only in pushing it straight to Rodallega, who had no difficulty finding an empty net from the six-yard line.
With Wigan keeping Liverpool trapped in their own half Rodallega had another good chance from Mohamed Diame’s defence-splitting pass moments later, only to lose possession in attempting to walk the ball round Reina.
Jamie Carragher and Skrtel just kept Wigan at bay for the rest of the game, and though the Latics feared the worst when a Gerrard cross reached Torres at the far post in stoppage time, the striker missed a difficult chance and three sides of the stadium sighed with relief. A draw was fair.
Guardian Service
WIGAN ATHLETIC:Al Habsi, Stam, Gary Caldwell, Alcaraz, Figueroa, Thomas, Diame, Cleverley, Gomez (Moses 68), N'Zogbia, Rodallega (Di Santo 86). Subs not used: Kirkland, Watson, Boselli, Steven Caldwell, McArthur.
LIVERPOOL:Reina, Kelly, Carragher, Skrtel, Konchesky, Meireles (Shelvey 46), Gerrard, Lucas, Maxi (Eccleston 80), Kuyt (Poulsen 73), Torres. Subs not used: Hansen, Jovanovic, Ngog, Spearing. Booked: Lucas, Carragher.
Referee:Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).
Attendance: 16,754
