Wigan Athletic   1   Tottenham Hotspur    1      (Half-time score : 1-1)

  1  Kirkland

25  Melchiot (c)
18  Scharner
17  Boyce
  8  Kilbane

16  Valencia      
  2  Ryan Taylor (10  Koumas 81)
11  M. Brown
  5  Palacios      

23  Marcus Bent (14  Marlon King  83)
  9  Heskey  (  6  Sibierski 76)

Unused subs: 
12  Pollitt
24  Skoko

12  Cerny

24  O'Hara      
20  Dawson
  4  Zokora
28  Hutton

15  Malbranque
  8  Jenas
22  Huddlestone
25  Lennon

  9  Berbatov
10  Keane (c)  (23  Darren Bent 73)

Unused subs: 
31  Forecast
  6  Tainio
11  Gilberto
33  Rocha

Heskey 12

Tottenham Hotspur

Berbatov 6

    
Valencia (foul) 70 
Palacios (foul) 81

    
O'Hara (foul) 85
  

In what was a game which featured open football and many chances, it was disappointing that Tottenham didn't look too determined to take the ones that they made.  What the current run of form and results says about the future, heaven knows.

The opening minute could have seen Tottenham go 1-0 ahead inside the first twenty-five seconds, had Robbie Keane gone for a firmer finish to Michael Dawson's long ball into the Wigan penalty area than the delicate one he opted for.

Tottenham opened the scoring five minutes later, with a perceptive diagonal pass from Tom Huddlestone opening the way for Aaron Lennon to race away up the right wing.  An improvement on his end product is what is required and his cross picked out Dimitar Berbatov, who stroked the ball into the net from the edge of the six yard box with an effortless volley.  Another early lead away from home, so would Spurs be able to build on this one ?

Initial signs were that they would, as Lennon was again at the heart of a move that put Steed Malbranque in on goal, but Kirkland did well to race out and smother the shot with his body to keep Wigan in touch.  Keane then put a shot horribly wide when well positioned to hit the target too.

Wigan began to move up the other end of the pitch and Marcus Bent hit Cerny with a shot from outside the area, before Robbie Keane ceded possession and the ball found it's way to Emile Heskey near the edge of the penalty area.  He managed to pick a place for his shot that was just out of Cerny's reach, but also just inside the post to notch an equaliser just six minutes after Berbatov's strike.

The early goals perhaps indicated that there would be many more to come, but even though there were chances, it finished 1-1.

Huddlestone was having a better game than the last two at home, with some pin-point passing, but he slammed into Emmerson Boyce's head and was left dazed for a while after.  He was soon finding Aaron with a good ball and also got on the end of the move, when Lennon's cross was cleared, but could only hit his shot off the turf that took a lot of the pace off it.

Radek Cerny showed that he will serve a club well next season, although that club might not  be Tottenham.  Marcus Bent showed the physical presence he brings to Wigan and barged Alan Hutton off the ball, before easing past Jermaine Jenas and shooting from distance at goal, but the Czech keeper was up to the save, making sure the ball didn't shoot off the turf in front of him.  With his opposite number called into action, it was Alan Hutton cutting inside from the right to try and hit a left-footed shot, but he did not look comfortable on that side, so got only a little power behind it.  Kirkland managed to get away without being tested when Berbatov slipped Keane through a square Wigan back four, but the Irishman's cross was too far ahead of Jenas, who had backed up the front two with a good run.

Just after the half hour, Radek fielded another long shot straight at him from Marcus Bent before the turning point of the game for Spurs occurred.  With a Jenas free-kick played into the goalmouth at pace, Berbatov had got goal-side of Melchiot, who managed to manoeuvre his body to take our striker to the floor.  Referee Probert ("Who ?" I hear you say) just rushed away from the area.  A couple of minutes later, Wigan missed a golden opportunity when Valencia's cross was well nodded back into the path of Michael Brown, who missed the opportunity to score against his old side by as much as he missed the ball, which sat there begging to be fired into the goal.

When Michael Brown did make contact with a volley, Dawson was in the way to keep it out and suddenly Jenas' break won a corner at the other end.  From it, Malbranque had his shot blocked and the ball was breaking to Dimitar Berbatov, but Melchiot managed to time his tackle this time to give another corner away.  Jermaine took it and Berbatov won a far post header back to Michael Dawson at the other post.  The defender rose to head at goal, but Ryan Taylor was there to knock the ball off the line.  Despite two more corners in the last minute of the half, Spurs could not force a second goal.

That is becoming the tale of the season and once more, it cost Tottenham the extra points.  Five minutes into the second half, Aaron Lennon almost got it.  As Tom Huddlestone fell, he played a pass to Lennon, who beat two defenders and then cut inside to hit a shot that Kirkland did well to keep out.

Another five minutes and another chance, with Berbatov picking out Keane's run and when Scharner missed the ball, Robbie had just been caught on his heels and could not collect the pass.  Just when Spurs were looking the team most likely to score again, Palacios broke away and played the ball to Marcus Bent.  All the Latics striker had to do was slot it past Cerny, but he tried to take the coating off the ball and hit his shot with great power, but it lacked accuracy and it struck the bar and bounced out.

Once more the play swung to the other end.  Lennon raced away and pulled a good ball back from the dead ball line for the supporting Jamie O'Hara to hit a shot, that got blocked out, then Keane set up Jenas and his left footer went way too high.  In between, Tottenham were grateful to Didier Zokora for a well-timed tackle as Valencia looked like he might try his luck with a shot after coming in off the flank.  His low ball into the near post was read well by Heskey in the 71st minute and it was only a good reflex save by Cerny that kept the ball out and then pounced on it at the second attempt.  

Changes were made for each side, with Darren bent replacing Keane and Sibierski coming on for the home side, with the Frenchman having a chance straight away, but struck his volley too high from just inside the box.  More changes came for Wigan with Koumas coming on in a tactical substitution, while Marcus Bent performed a poor overhead kick which saw him land awkwardly and have to be replaced.

In the closing stages, it was Athletic who looked like they might grab the winner.  Palacios sent an effort off target and Zokora got in the way of Sibierski's shot.

One last chance saw Darren Bent win the ball in the area against Paul Scharner, but the referee saw it as a foul and let Wigan off with the award of a free-kick.

The game will not live too long in the memory.  Loads of Spurs fans made the long trek and what for ?  More of the same that they have witnessed for too long away from home.  There was a lot of effort today and the players did turn in a bit of a second half performance, but there is still the lack of clinical ruthlessness that differentiates the good sides from the excellent ones.

Only three more games to go now.  I am not sure if the players or the fans will be more relieved when it is all over.

STAN CHUN