Sunday Times

Wigan break winning run of mighty Chelsea
Wigan 3 Chelsea 1

Duncan Castles


“SIN MIEDO” is the Spanish phrase with which Roberto Martinez likes to
sign off his programme notes. It means “without fear” and that is
precisely how Wigan ended Carlo Ancelotti’s point-perfect introduction
to English football, throwing themselves at a defence unaccustomed to
afternoons as torrid as this.

Drawn into a headstrong lunge at the expense of both penalty and red
card, Petr Cech watched the final 40 minutes impotently from the
stands. Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry were out-muscled and
out-manoeuvred by Jason Scotland and Hugo Rodallega, two forwards with
less than a year of top-tier football between them.

Comprehensive losses at the hands of Arsenal and Manchester United
having marred his first months as a Premier League manager, Martinez
revelled in the justification of his team’s expansive approach. “When
you are a team like Wigan Athletic and you play against the top four
you have two options,” he said. “You can beat them or you can get
hammered — and that’s what happened when we lost 4-0 and 5-0. The
reason we won is because we learned our lessons.

“We’ve been brave from the first second. Nobody can say we didn’t
deserve the win and to say that against a special team like Chelsea is
a big, big compliment to our football club.”

In 34 previous attempts to beat one of the Big Four, Wigan had managed
just four draws. Ancelotti had been halted one match short of
emulating the Premier League record of seven wins with which Jose
Mourinho started the 2005-6 season with Chelsea.

What had gone wrong? “This is the question,” said Ancelotti with a
pained laugh. “I don’t know why because I think we prepared very well
for this match. It can happen after a lot of victories. Today we
played badly and Wigan played better than us, it was the right result
for the game. We are disappointed for this because I didn’t expect
this performance.”

Part of the Ancelotti method has been the steady shuffling of playing
resources. With most of his key players close to, or past, their 30th
birthday, no reinforcements allowed in January and African Nations Cup
absences to follow, he has attempted to win while limiting
early-season mileage. Tellingly, he appeared to place this game above
Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Apoel Nicosia in fielding his
strongest side. Only birthday boy Michael Ballack was absent with a
“slight” calf complaint.

After being drubbed by Arsenal last weekend, Martinez gave Scotland’s
bulky burlesque a first Premier League run at centre-forward. Leading
scorer Rodallega was played on the left wing, Charles N’Zogbia the
right, and Paul Scharner asked to mess with Chelsea’s trio of holding
midfielders. The initial effect, however, was negligible as the
visitors streamed confidently forward, creating creditable chances for
Michael Essien, Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard.

Then Scotland slipped Terry to slam a tight-angled shot at goal and
with it Wigan found their gear. When Wigan quickly won a corner,
Rodallega waited for N’Zogbia to sprint across the area before he
played the ball short. With Chelsea’s marking in disarray the
Frenchman’s cross flew to an isolated Titus Bramble, who headed down
and into the net.

Now coursing with the belief Martinez had spent the week fostering,
Wigan took control. Rodallega’s pace and unpredictability panicked
Jose Bosingwa, while Scotland bumped, turned and nutmegged the
visiting centre-backs to lever more opportunities. Scharner should
have done better than lift over a free shot; the same short-corner
routine ended with Cech saving from Emmerson Boyce; only a last-ditch
Terry tackle stopped Scotland.

An anxious Ancelotti encamped himself in the technical area, preparing
John Obi Mikel’s half-time substitution and a teamtalk brief enough to
have Chelsea out again five minutes before their opponents. The reward
was an immediate — and soft — equaliser: Florent Malouda skimming into
the area to feed Didier Drogba, whose close-range shot cannoned in off
the inside of keeper Chris Kirkland’s right leg.

Advantage Chelsea? Not when Rodallega found himself one-on-one with
Cech, shimmied slightly away from goal and was tripped by the
goalkeeper’s outstretched left boot. That the Colombian was in a
position to score justified Cech’s sending-off but stopped neither
Chelsea’s complaints nor their attempts to unnerve the taker.
Rodallega calmly drove the spot kick high over replacement goalkeeper
Hilario. “Petr was unhappy,” said Ancelotti. “For a keeper this is a
normal situation, sometimes one-on-one can happen. He took a red card
but we hope he is not suspended for many games.”

Chasing the game, the Italian urged forward his full-backs and added
Salomon Kalou, his third substitution, as a third attacker. Wigan kept
four men up the park and continued to stretch the visitors, Rodallega
almost curling a free kick into the top corner. When Ashley Cole was
carried off with a knee injury, Wigan were two men to the good and too
good for Chelsea. Maynor Figueroa jinked towards the touchline,
sending in a cross that took out three defenders and let Scharner
slide in for the easiest finish of his career. Three memorable points,
and absolutely no fear.

Wigan: Kirkland 6, Melchiot 6, Bramble 6, Boyce 6, Figueora 7, Thomas
7, Diame 6, N’Zogbia 7, Scharner 6, Rodallega 8, Scotland 7 (King
89min).

Chelsea: Cech 5, Bosingwa 5 (Kalou 68min), Carvalho 5, Terry 5, Cole
6, Essien 6, Mikel 5 (Belletti 46min, 6), Lampard 6, Malouda 6
(Hilario 52min, 6), Anelka 5, Drogba .



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Telegraph:


Wigan Athletic 3 Chelsea 1

By Graham Chase at the DW Stadium


It all comes to an end sooner or later and as Wigan finally managed a
victory against a big four team for the first time in 35 attempts,
Carlo Ancelotti’s perfect start to life in England was no longer.

Titus Bramble got Wigan on their way with an early header and after
Didier Drogba equalised five minutes after the restart, Petr Cech
felled Hugo Rodallega, earning himself a red card.

Rodallega made no mistake with the penalty that followed and 10-man
Chelsea worried Wigan only when the hosts began to sit deep in the
closing stages before Paul Scharner added a third in added time.

There was little to suggest what might be ahead as, even in the
absence of Michael Ballack, Chelsea began with authority and purpose
that saw Michael Essien and Nicolas Anelka threaten in the early
stages, while Frank Lampard was also narrowly off-target after fine
attacking work from Ashley Cole.

But at the back, they looked unconvincing, with the hard work of Jason
Scotland, who is in his first season in the top flight after joining
from Swansea in the summer, unsettling both John Terry and Ricardo
Carvalho.

The Trinidad forward was slipped through by Charles N’Zogbia and had a
shot deflected wide off Cech. N’Zogbia was once mistakenly called
‘Insomnia’ by former manger Joe Kinnear but he made Chelsea pay a
heavy price for going to sleep at the resulting corner.

No-one picked up the Frenchman’s long run to receive a short corner
and his clipped cross was headed in by an unmarked Bramble.

After that breakthrough, there was little response from Chelsea, who
were struggling to cope with Wigan’s aggressive pressing and
impressive use of the ball.

Paul Scharner was playing in an unusually advanced role just behind
Scotland and the Austrian scooped over from the forward’s strong
off-load and only a well-timed slide from Terry stopped Scotland
firing in after the ex-Swansea man seized on hesitation from Carvalho.

From the corner that followed, Wigan again played short and N’Zogbia’s
hanging cross was knocked back in for Emmerson Boyce to force a fine
block from Cech.

However, the chance of a shock result were severely dented just a
minute and a half after the restart when Malouda crossed from the left
for Drogba to scuff through Kirkland’s legs.

The game was turned on its head again five minutes later when N’Zogbia
sent Hugo Rodallega through and although the Columbian took the ball
wide, he was clipped by Cech, with referee Phil Dowd pointing to the
post and showing the Czech goalkeeper a straight red card.

Rodallega sent the spot-kick straight down the middle and past
substitute goalkeeper Henrique Hilario to restore Wigan’s lead.

Other than a Drogba lob over, there was little response from the
visitors and when substitute Saloman Kalou swung at thing air after a
rare threatening passing move before Scharner tapped in a late third.



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Independent:


Wigan leap into unknown after Cech clears way

Wigan Athletic 3 Chelsea 1: Martinez's men claim 'big four' scalp at
the 35th time of asking,
helped by goalkeeper's dismissal

By Steve Tongue at the DW Stadium


What inferiority complex? Wigan may have failed to win any of their 34
previous games against the acknowledged big four teams of English
football and lost in recent weeks to Manchester United 5-0, at home,
and Arsenal 4-0. At the 35th attempt, however, local history was made
in eventful fashion: a half-time lead soon cancelled out, then quickly
restored from a penalty that Petr Cech was sent off for conceding.
Chelsea, finishing with nine men after an injury to Ashley Cole, threw
everything and everyone forward, only to lose a third goal, their 100
per cent record and the League leadership.

A first defeat since losing at Tottenham under Guus Hiddink back in
March brought no complaints from the Dutchman's successor, Carlo
Ancelotti. "We played not a good game," he said. "It was the right
result. Wigan played better than us, played very good football with
good organisation. I was surprised."

His opposite number, the impressive Roberto Martinez, was less
surprised. Despite the drubbings from Arsenal and United, he insisted
that his team continue to play their football, asking only that they
respond better than on previous occasions if they conceded – which was
precisely what happened. "We learnt our lessons and carried on with
our standards," he said. "No one can say we didn't deserve to win."

Wigan successfully employed the fashionable 4-2-3-1 with outstanding
contributions from Hendry Thomas and the clever Mohamed Diame, both
sitting back. Charles N'Zogbia and Hugo Rodallega stayed out,
hindering the Chelsea full-backs. Jose Bosingwa's crossing was
shocking, while he and Cole were often in danger of being caught
upfield by swift counter- attacks. The opening goal was nevertheless
unexpected, as the visitors had worked four passable chances in the
opening 10 minutes.

In the 16th minute, everything changed. After Cech saved from Jason
Scotland, Wigan worked a short corner on the left, N'Zogbia coming to
collect it without hindrance from any defender and crossing for Titus
Bramble to head powerfully in. So slack were Chelsea that they soon
allowed N'Zogbia to bring off the same move, Paul Scharner heading
down this time for a shot by Emmerson Boyce that Cech had no right to
save.

Scotland, looking more Drogba-like than the real thing, laid off a
pass for Scharner to hit over the crossbar and was then halted only by
John Terry's saving tackle after losing Ricardo Carvalho. The crowd
roared their team off at half-time, while the resident DJ played
"Let's Hang On To What We've Got".

Wigan proved unable to do so for even 90 seconds of the second half,
but within a few minutes of conceding an equaliser they were back in
front. First Florent Malouda was wide enough to provide a low cross
that Didier Drogba side-footed at goal. He was probably as surprised
as anyone to see the ball dribble through Chris Kirkland's legs for a
sixth goal of the season. Back came the home side. Rodallega,
forsaking his unfamiliar position out on the left, ran on to
N'Zogbia's pass in the inside-right channel, knocked it ahead and
appeared to be tripped by Cech.

Once Phil Dowd decided on a penalty the red card was mandatory, and
after Henrique Hilario arrived to stand between the posts – Florent
Malouda was sacrificed – Rodallega smacked the spot-kick past him.

Ancelotti, who had sent his team out for the second half several
minutes before Wigan, took the positive approach in putting on Salomon
Kalou for Bosingwa; then the desperate approach of Terry in attack for
the last frantic period. The five added minutes brought not an Old
Trafford-style drama but a third home goal.

Chelsea, with Terry upfield and Cole off injured, were all over the
place and hopelessly outnumbered as Maynor Figueroa crossed from the
left for a Scharner tap-in. All this in front of a disappointingly
small crowd, possibly reflecting a sense of inevitability about the
result. Oh ye of little faith.

Attendance: 18,542

Referee: Phil Dowd

Man of the match: Thomas

Match rating: 7/10


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Guardian:


Petr Cech sees red as Chelsea crash to defeat at Wigan Athletic

Wigan Athletic 3 Bramble 16, Rodallega (pen) 53, Scharner 90 Chelsea
1 Drogba 47

Joe Lovejoy at the DW Stadium



Chelsea's 100% start to the season was always going to end somewhere,
but it was expected to happen in more salubrious surroundings than the
stadium that the shrinking violet Dave Whelan has named after himself.
The league leaders arrived on the back of nine successive wins in all
competitions, Wigan suffered a 4-0 drubbing at Arsenal last week, so
this was billed as a no-brainer.

So much for conventional wisdom. In reality, the unfashionable team
from rugby league country were superior from first to last, and it
would be grossly unfair to attribute this shock result to Petr Cech's
sending-off five minutes into the second half. True, it was 1-1 at
that stage, but Wigan had been better throughout the first 45 minutes,
playing against a full complement.

Carlo Ancelotti admitted as much, saying: "They played very well and
ours was a bad performance. They were well-organised. Yes, I was
surprised by how good they were."

Under Roberto Martínez, Wigan have been strangely inconsistent,
beating Aston Villa, West Ham and now Chelsea, but conceding nine
times in heavy defeats by Manchester United and Arsenal. It is very
much to their credit, however, that they occupy a comfortable
mid-table position after playing five of last season's top six.

The favourable impression Martínez created in bringing Swansea into
the Championship playing an attractive passing game was further
bolstered here, with Wigan eschewing kick-and-rush or roughhouse
tactics in favour of pleasing football against their more celebrated
opponents.

Ancelotti left out Joe Cole and Michael Ballack and saw his midfield
stymied by a clever, combative unit in which Hendry Thomas was Claude
Makelele reincarnate.

Jason Scotland, recalled to the starting line-up, had already required
Cech to improvise a save with his legs when, after 16 minutes, Wigan
took the lead. A corner taken short on the left led to Charles
N'Zogbia delivering a cross which Titus Bramble buried with a firm,
downward header from six yards. Chelsea's vaunted defence had gone to
sleep, not for the first or last time, and the margin would have been
doubled before half-time but for the excellent reflex save with which
Cech repelled Emmerson Boyce's shot after another corner.

Chelsea stirred themselves at the start of the second half, Didier
Drogba receiving from Florent Malouda and equalising with a crisp shot
close in. Wigan may have folded in the past in such circumstances, but
here they showed the sort of character which should serve them well in
the difficult months ahead and, when Hugo Rodallega was put through by
N'Zogbia, his incursion panicked Cech into bringing him down. Henrique
Hilário, sent on for Cech at Malouda's expense, was immediately beaten
by Rodallega's no-nonsense penalty, struck straight down the middle,
and the upset was on.

Ancellotti sent on an extra forward, Salomon Kalou, but Wigan never
looked like conceding again, and in the first minute of added time
Paul Scharner applied the coup de grâce at point-blank range from
Maynor Figueroa's cross.

With Chelsea due to resume Champions League combat in Nicosia on
Tuesday, their manager said: "I don't know why we didn't play well, in
football you can only look forward." Ashley Cole, whose knee injury
left Chelsea with nine men at the end, is unlikely to make the trip to
Cyprus, but should be fit for Liverpool's visit next Sunday.

Martínez, who was understandably "delighted", said: "A team like ours,
playing one of the top four, can either be brave and play football, or
defend and get hammered. All 11 of our players played up to our best
standards."




----------------------------------------------------


Mail:


Wigan 3 Chelsea 1: Carlo caned by rookie - Ancelotti is trumped by
Roberto Martinez as keeper Petr Cech sees red
By Joe Bernstein


Carlo Ancelotti had been hailed as some sort of managerial genius
after beginning his Chelsea career with eight straight victories. But
yesterday the Italian with the global reputation was thoroughly
out-manoeuvred by a rookie, Wigan's Roberto Martinez.
Martinez somehow convinced a Wigan side who had not won in 34 previous
attempts against a team from the Big Four that they could derail a
Chelsea side who had won every game this season.

Chelsea's goalkeeper Petr Cech might have ranted to referee Phil Dowd
about the decision to send him off after 51 minutes with the score at
1-1, allowing Wigan to go ahead from the resulting penalty smashed
home by Hugo Rodallega. But even if the game had stayed 11-a-side for
90 minutes, Wigan would have deserved to win.

To his credit, Ancelotti conceded that. Perhaps warning his players
not to hide behind the excuse of playing nearly half the game with 10
men, he said: 'It was the right result. Wigan played better than us.
They were organised. We slept for the first goal.'

Despite Didier Drogba's 100th goal for his club, it was a dreadful day
for Chelsea as they also lost John Obi Mikel and Ashley Cole to injury
- and their place at the top of the Premier League to Manchester
United.
'This is football. You cannot say why a team win matches, then play
like this,' said Ancelotti after losing his 100 per cent record this
season. 'Their first goal made the game more complicated. Now we are
together with Manchester United at the top. Maybe it will stay that
way for the rest of the season.'

Martinez had lost four of his first six games in charge but still had
the belief to throw in Jason Scotland for the first Premier League
start of his career and trust the much-maligned Titus Bramble to keep
Didier Drogba quiet.

It worked a treat, with Scotland roughing up John Terry and Ricardo
Carvalho, while Bramble stole forward to score the opener in addition
to his defensive duties.

No wonder delighted Martinez said: 'It was the complete performance
from us. You have to keep Chelsea from having the ball to unsettle
them and that's what we did. Winning gives you confidence - and we
will take great confidence from this.'

Ancelotti refused to blame Dowd, hiding his true feelings behind the
non-committal: 'I don't like to talk about referees.' But a few more
performances like this and people might start saying he does not have
any more of a Plan B than predecessor Felipe Scolari.

Chelsea bossed the opening minutes like a team unbeaten since March
and who had won their last dozen competitive games. But after Michael
Essien and Frank Lampard missed chances they inexplicably took their
foot off the accelerator.

Scotland was putting himself about and when Charles N'Zogbia fired a
corner to the near post after 16 minutes, Bramble pushed forward and
powered a header past Cech.

Ancelotti and Chelsea looked shellshocked and Wigan should have sewn
up the game before half-time. Paul Scharner slipped in the area when
about to score, Cech made brilliant saves from close range to deny
Emmerson Boyce and Mario Melchiot, while Terry needed a perfect tackle
on Scotland to stop him.

Ancelotti did send his team out early for the second half as a sign of
his displeasure, with Juliano Belletti on for Mikel, who had hurt an
ankle. And the move seemed to have worked when Drogba equalised within
two minutes of the restart.
Florent Malouda did well down the left side and his cross found Drogba
close enough to goal for the Ivorian to squeeze the ball through Chris
Kirkland's legs even though he did not make powerful contact.

It was Drogba's sixth goal in seven games this season and should have
been the sign for Chelsea to go on to win another three points.
Instead, the game turned in the next Wigan attack.
N'Zogbia fed Rodallega and the Colombian cleverly took a touch to
round Cech. The goalkeeper could not pull out of the challenge quickly
enough and made contact with the Wigan striker, who collapsed as if
shot.
The penalty award was bad enough but Cech was infuriated when Dowd
also raised a red card. It seemed harsh as Rodallega had been going
away from goal.

After the delay caused by Cech's protests and the introduction of
substitute keeper Hilario, Rodallega kept his nerve to hammer home the
penalty for his third goal of the season.

Ancelotti's decision to sacrifice Malouda rather than Belletti for
Hilario could also be questioned. The last half-hour saw Chelsea pour
forward desperately but without the craft needed to break Wigan down.
Their one clear chance fell to Salomon Kalou and he lacked composure
as he blasted high and wide.

Wigan were increasingly finding gaps in Chelsea's rearguard and it was
no surprise when they grabbed a breakaway third in injury-time. Maynor
Figueroa burst down the left and when Hilario failed to cut out his
cross, Scharner had a tap-in.



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NOTW:

WIGAN 3, CHELSEA 1

Petr Cech sees red as Chelsea are stung by Latics
By ANDY DUNN, 26/09/2009

THE LONG lenses intruded on only one person's emotions as the clock
ticked towards a remarkable scoreline.

Television cameras swivelled as Carlo Ancelotti shrivelled. And
shrivelled - sinking further into the inadequate refuge of a dugout as
his team fell into a state of disrepair beyond his control.


In front of him, captain John Terry beating Lancashire turf in
frustration. Behind him, Ashley Cole being chaired to the treatment
table in agony.


Long gone, Petr Cech. And no sooner had he unclasped the hand of
Robert Martinez than Ancelotti was being asked to assess the long-term
significance of his first Chelsea defeat, being asked to ponder on
events not just here - but at the Britannia Stadium and at Anfield.


They were legitimate lines of inquisition. After all, any defeat for
one of the ruling quartet can have title-deciding ramifications.


But Ancelotti turned much of his attention to Wigan, raising his
eyebrows not only in surprise but in praise.


In defeat here, Ancelotti was as impressive as he has been in the six
opening Premier League wins - steadfastly crediting the result to
Wigan's endeavour and Chelsea's torpor in equal measure.


He attached no significance to Phil Dowd's harsh decision to punish
Cech's penalty-conceding trip with a red card soon after Didier Drogba
had cancelled out Titus Bramble's first-half strike.


Good on you, Carlo. Yes, there were controversial moments. Yes, we
could dwell on Chelsea's problems, on their obvious sense of
over-confidence.


But there is a time when the Big Four obsession has to be conquered.
Let's celebrate Wigan.


Raise a glass of something bubbly to an uplifting, exhilarating
display rather than a tumbler of something bitter and flat to a
lifeless Chelsea performance.


Wigan did not collect their first win against one of the elite in 35
attempts because Chelsea defended like amateurs for Bramble's goal.


Nor because a rush of blood to the skull cap saw Cech upend Hugo
Rodallega and tease the red card from Dowd's pocket.


And nor because Chelsea were down to nine men when Paul Scharner slid
in an injury-time third.


They ended so many streaks here because they were brave. In the
tackle, in the way they attacked down the flanks, in their steely
resistance to Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.


Most of all, in their attitude. All of their players had a zest for
the contest. In the language of the streets, they were quite simply
more up for it.


Rodallega was joyously adventurous, Charles N'Zogbia always inventive.


Scharner and Mohamed Diame relished the battle against the celebrated
Chelsea midfield.


Relished it - and won it. Frank Lampard can rarely have endured a more
frustrating afternoon.


And then, there were the disciplined bunch at the back. A bunch led by
Bramble. Even the allure of an aristocratic visit is not sufficient to
fully populate the DW Stadium.


But those inside know how to hold a tune. And their rendition of an
old Bramble ditty was pitch-perfect.


"He used to be sh**e, now he's alright . . . walking in a Bramble wonderland."


He has actually never been the former. Just a defender whose mind
wanders out of step with his feet. In later years, he will be a hoot
on Strictly Come Dancing.


But central defenders should blossom in their late twenties - and
Bramble, 28, is flowering. Schoolboy errors stick to his reputation
like points to a driving licence.


And the idea Fabio Capello - with fresh concerns over centre-halves
sprouting weekly - should at least run a cursory check on his form is
not as hilarious as it seems.


For yesterday's goal, though, he had a small debt of gratitude to
startling Chelsea ineptitude. Set-piece defending is rapidly becoming
a neglected art throughout the Premier League.


It appears to be one of those trends. Designer formations are in,
basic principles out. And even Chelsea, one of the more well-drilled,
appear to be following suit.


The first crime was to allow N'Zogbia to collect a short corner, to
pivot to face goal and to have a cigar-lighting allowance of time to
measure his cross.


Measure he did, dropping it between nailed-down defenders for the
bounding Bramble to bounce a header beyond Cech.


Terry looked on. Disbelieving. Bewildered at what appeared to be rank
bad complacency. That was the architect of Chelsea's downfall. A
complacency fertilised by 23 games unbeaten and by six Premier League
victories on the spin.


And by Wigan's abysmal record against the Big Four. Chelsea were
shaken out of their complacency at half-time but it was to return with
dire consequences. For a short while, it seemed that Chris Kirkland
would be the keeper who had thrown it all away.


There appears to be some sort of perverse race NOT to be England's
last line of defence.


Kirkland made a couple of early saves that suggested he might yet
emerge as a frontrunner in this butter-fingered battle for Capello's
affections.


But he soon succumbed to the virus of inconsistency that afflicts
English goalkeeping, helping a Drogba sidefoot through his own legs
after persistent work from Florent Malouda.


And that, one assumed, was that. Cech would now be little more than a
spectator.


And so it proved. He watched from the bench.


The debate over the incident will go on for some time. As Rodallega
approached after a slick build-up, it was clear that Cech's
outstretched leg would act as a mat for the Colombian to wipe his feet
on.


He did, took the obligatory tumble and Dowd hesitated barely a jot . .
. and even less so in terminating Cech's afternoon.


Cech took rather longer to depart and substitute keeper Hilario made
his first job to whisper into Rodallega's ear. Pathetic.


Dowd should have booked him.


Hilario should concentrate on acrobatics rather than verbals - he
jumped out of the way of Rodallega's straight one that made it 2-1
from the spot.


Chelsea went gung-ho to try and claw their way back.


In a pursuit of an equaliser that looked certain to bear fruit, sub
Salomon Kalou and Drogba both scorched timber.


But Wigan, marshalled by Bramble, did not wilt and an unusual air of
desperation began to seep through Chelsea ranks.


That desperation only deepened when Ashley Cole collided with N'Zogbia
and disappeared to give Capello and Ancelotti deep cause for concern.


And that desperation was complete when a backline missing Terry - by
now centre-forward No 4 - allowed Maynor Figueroa to cross and
Scharner to score from formality range.


It was too much for Terry, who was to drop to his knees and pound the
floor with his armband-hand.


Meanwhile, Ancelotti, who had been an animated figure for so much of
this game, retreated into the shadow of Ray Wilkins.


The game was up and he knew it.


And then he at least had the decency to laud a marvellous performance
from Wigan on perhaps one of their finest days in the Premier League.


This was the Latics' day. Not Cech's, not Dowd's. And Ancelotti knew it.


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