Wigan ease themselves into E.ON F.A. Cup 4th round with comfortable win
Manager Steve Bruce made seven changes from the team that drew at Liverpool during mid-week, and Latics eased their way through to the 4th round of the E.ON F.A. Cup for the second time in three seasons.
Wigan were comfortable throughout and kept their discipline against a lacklustre Sunderland performance and scored three goals in a match with few chances to secure only the second win against a top flight team in the F.A. Cup. The last time Latics defeated a top flight club in the competition was 21 years ago when we beat a Norwich team that included current boss Bruce.
Goalkeeper Mike Pollitt was recalled into the starting line-up along with Emmerson Boyce, Andreas Granqvist, Salamon Olembe, Jason Koumas, Josip Skoko and Antoine Sibierski.
Injuries to both Ryan Taylor and Sibierski in the first half meant that Bruce had to make enforced changes after the duo suffered from knee and ankle problems, and will need scans over the weekend. David Cotterill and Julius Aghahowa were the replacements, and both had an impact on the final result.
After a quiet opening at the Stadium of Light, defender Paul Scharner stunned the crowd on 18 minutes as he was left unmarked and he easily headed home from Skoko's cross at close range.
Latics were then gifted a second goal ten minutes into the second half. The pacey Aghahowa put Sunderland on-loan defender Johnny Evans under pressure and it led to the unfortunate Paul McShane slotting the ball past his own goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
In the 76th minute, Wigan dismissed any doubt that they would win the tie as substitute Cotterill drilled the ball into the corner of the net from twenty-five yards to round off a superb afternoon for Bruce's men.
The Welshman could have scored on the stroke of half-time too as he headed wide from Aghahowa's cross, whilst the Nigerian forced Gordon into a save on the hour after his burst of pace took him past McShane before testing the former Hearts shot stopper.
But Wigan's best chance came in stoppage time as substitute Michael Brown midfielder drilled the ball from distance, but Gordon just managed to save with his fingertips and divert the ball onto the post.
Sunderland were more spirited in the second half, but by then it was too late for the Black Cats to make any kind of come back, and this win will certainly boost the confidence of Bruce as the two clubs come face to face in the Premier League next month.
Daryll Murphy's headed wide from Roy O'Donovan's cross, whilst Kieran Richardson's drive forced Pollitt to punch the ball to safety. But the Black Cats came closest when O'Donovan's overhead kick clipped the bar late in the second half.
LATICS: Pollitt, Boyce, Scharner, Granqvist, Kilbane, Olembe, Koumas, Skoko, Taylor (Cotterill 15), Heskey (Brown 72), Sibierski (Aghahowa 42).
SUBS: Kirkland, Valencia.
GOALS: Scharner 19, McShane o.g. 56, Cotterill 76.
SUNDERLAND: Gordon, McShane,Nosworthy, Evans, Collins, O'Donovan, Whitehead (Leadbitter 57), Kavanagh, Richardson (Connolly 74), Murphy, Waghorn (Cole 57).
SUBS: Fulop, Anderson.
REFEREE: Mike Riley
