FA Premier League: Tottenham 0 Wigan Athletic 1
Published: 29 August 2010
by PAUL COWLING
IF Spurs fans were still intoxicated by the champagne that came with a place in the Champions League group stages, then they were made to sup flat beer on Saturday, such was the performance by their team.
Anticipating Inter Milan - home and away - they might have been, but they would also have expected Tottenham to rack up the goals against a Wigan side they had walloped 9-1 the season before, and who had conceded four at home to Blackpool.
But, it wasn't like that; the visitors came to the Lane with a defensive game plan to not concede - which worked - and a growing belief that saw them walk away with all three points, when Hugo Rodallega's low drive on 80 minutes, squirmed under Carlo Cudicini, and into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.
The game needed that goal, as it had been drifting to sleep; nothing Tottenham did, ever made them look like scoring, and whenever they did spring the Wigan defence, keeper Ali al-Habsi was on hand to punch, block or tip the ball away. Earlier, on 23 minutes, a low Defoe piledriver, was expertly turned away by the Omani international.
This was as close as Spurs got in the first half, though they could have already been a goal down, when Stephen Gohouri's close-range rocket, thumped against the crossball on 8 minutes.
These two moments were the sum total of a tedious first half, while most of the second half offered up much of the same.
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp had brought on Niko Kranjcar (for a poor Assou-Ekotto), and Roman Pavlyuchenko for Peter Crouch, who was carrying a knock to his ribs.
Kranjcar tried to inject some urgency into a Spurs midfield, clearly missing his injured fellow Croat, Luca Modric. Redknapp said as much in the post match conference: "We missed Luka. He takes the ball, and has the ability to open up (an opponent)."
With Modric missing, little was created up front: Pavlyuchenko was anonymous, as were both Defoe and Lennon.
Last season in the corresponding fixture, the England pair were on fire; this time their searing pace and attacking threat, were put out by a well-marshalled defence, in which Dutch right back, Ronnie Stam was outstanding.
Wigan looked comfortable for a point, but, were growing in confidence enough to go in search of all three.
Alcaraz and Gomez both blazed over the bar, when they should have scored, following excellent wing play from Rodallega, who was coming into the game. But then, within minutes, Alcaraz set up the Colombian, who made no mistake - 1-0.
The small band of Wigan supporters went into delirium, while Spurs fans inched their way towards the exits.
"We ran out of ideas", admitted Redknapp, though he did say it wasn't a hangover from the Young Boys win that had sealed that coveted group stage berth.
A lot of Spurs fans had been nursing hangovers of their own, since Wednesday, and despite this set back, they will be looking forward to the home and away glory of Champions League match nights.