English Premier League – First Half review: Fulham versus Wigan Athletic
The English Premier League match between Fulham and Wigan got off to a terrific start with an interesting first half as Fulham started the game with Dembele as their only striker up front. Wigan also opted for a more positive strategy
as Hugo Rodallega and Franco Di Stefano started for the Latics in attack. The match caught up pace right from the first minute as Fulham tried to play some possession football. On the other hand, Wigan looked like a team low on confidence as they seemed nervous
on the ball in the opening minutes of the match.
However, it was Wigan who carved out the first opening of the match as Rodallega drifted down the left hand side of the Latics’ attack. It was a brilliant move by the Colombian who then had the vision to spot Tom Cleverley at the edge
of the Fulham penalty area. Cleverley’s shot was accidently blocked by his own team mate Di Stefano as Fulham were left off the hook early on. If this wasn’t an explosive enough start, Fulham made sure that they had their offensive part in the first half as
well as Al Habsi, the Wigan goalkeeper spilled a corner which was pounced upon by Hangeland, whose shot was blocked by Wigan’s defense eventually.
In the 9th minute of the match, Fulham broke in attack once again and this time it was Hangeland yet again who was so close to giving his club the lead. It was Davies who whipped the ball in for the Norwegian defender.
However the centre back failed to keep his header on target as Wigan were awarded a free kick. In the 19th minute, it was Gera who took the initiative for Fulham as his chipped shot was just above the cross bar of the Wigan goal. Wigan
found it hard during the middle stages of the first half to make their mark as Fulham monopolized the possession of the ball more often than not.
Nonetheless, it was Charles N’Zogbia who had the chance to give his team the lead in the 27th minute but his shot was easily saved by Mark Schwarzer, the Fulham goalkeeper. Fulham didn’t rest on their laurels for
much longer as it was in the 29th minute of the match Clint Dempsey rose high to meet Salcido’s cross. The American expertly headed the ball into the back of Wigan’s net as Fulham took a one goal lead.
After scoring the goal, Fulham gained more confidence as they were spurred on by their home support. Wigan’s standout player in the first half was their on-loan midfielder from Manchester United, Tom Cleverley. Cleverley tried his best
to pull the strings in the middle of the park for his club side but found it extremely hard to do so as he was out numbered due to the presence of Danny Murphy and Clint Dempsey.
Fulham added another goal to their advantage around the 43rdminute mark as Dembele’s shot whizzed past Al Habsi. It was overall a scrappy affair in the first half, the quality of football was apparently quite below par. Regardless,
the half ended with the Cottagers in the lead as the score line lay at rest at 2-0.
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