We were out battled in the first half but we certainly bossed the second & in the end were good value for the three points courtesy of Adebayors late winner.
On the negative side Wigan caused us a lot of problems with long high balls initially directed to Heskey & then later to Camara & this is an area that needs urgent attention if we are not to concede more cheap goals against inferior opposition as we have already done this season.
Final word must go to the merry band of Gooners who made the long trek tonight & totally out sung the home support who really should stick to egg chasing. Well done!
Lehmann - 8 - A good performance & a couple of crucial saves, as usual he distributed the ball well.
Eboue - 6 - His enthusiasm gets the better of him on to many occasions. One shocking crossfield pass could have lead to a Wigan goal. Hopefully he will improve in these areas as he has the talent.
Djourou - 6 - Another that oozes confidence which can lead to complacency some good defending & some not so good.
Toure - 8 - One error all night & even then he recovered superbly. Made many last ditch tackles & interceptions.
Clichy - 6 - Had a pretty poor first half but I assume a Wenger rocket kicked him into action as he did well in the second 45.
Walcott - 7 - Numerous good runs & skinned his defender on a few occasions his final ball needs to improve as was demonstrated by his poor pass to Adebayor when a shot may have been the better option than his misplaced effort. (Hoyte 89),
Flamini - 7 - Did really well, worked hard & in the first half he was our most dangerous player offensively. Certainly a revelation when it came to taking our corner kicks! (Fabregas 74),
Baptista - 6 - Still finding his feet we must assume. Some nice periodic touches to tell us he has some talent but we need to see more. Shot straight at Kirkland when one on one.(Van Persie 75)
Gilberto - 6 - Not at his best but still did well in patches.
Ljungberg - 5 - Shocking first half but improved in the second with a few driving old style Freddie runs & caused a few problems as well as bringing some experience to the team late on.
Adebayor - 7 - Pretty much anonymous in the first half & didn't get much support in the 4 5 1 formation the boss chose, but got far more involved in the second. He had a couple of decent chances where he couldn't get his toe in but latched on well to Cescs excellent through ball to coolly slot home our winner.
Fabregas - 7 - (74) I have never & will probably never give a 15 minute cameo such a high score but this kid set up our winner & then went on to dominate our midfield including one wondrous tackle late on, a genius.
Van Persie - 5 - On for 15 did alright (75)
Hoyte - No score - (89)
Subs Not Used: Almunia, Hleb.