MX23RW : Sunday, October 6 02:03:48| >> :600:159253:159253:

Match Analysis: Millwall 0-2 Wigan Athletic

Match Analysis: Millwall 0-2 Wigan Athletic
© PA Photos
Sports Mole dissects Wigan Athletic's 2-0 FA Cup semi-final victory over Millwall.

Wigan Athletic reached the final of the FA Cup for the first time in their history thanks to a 2-0 victory over Millwall at Wembley this evening.

Shaun Maloney opened the scoring in the first half for the Premier League side, while winger Callum McManaman made sure of the outcome in the closing stages.

Sports Mole has looked back over the clash to determine if the result was a fair one.

Match statistics:

Millwall:
Shots 6
On target 0
Possession 44%
Corners 7
Fouls 15

Wigan:
Shots 11
On target 7
Possession 56%
Corners 10
Fouls 4

Was the result fair?

Today's encounter pitted a Premier League side against a Championship team and that is exactly how it looked. Wigan were better with and without the ball and deservedly head through to the final.

Millwall's performance

What will disappoint those connected with Millwall was an apparent lack of fight for at least an hour. That's not accusing the players of not caring, but they just didn't seem too bothered about closing Wigan down and as a result the Premier League side kept the ball with ease. The second half was a little better, but they still failed to work Ali Al-Habsi in the Wigan net. A number of their supporters also let themselves down massively by fighting among themselves and with the police.

Wigan's performance

It was all too easy for Wigan today and at times it showed in their performance. Despite dominating the first half, they were only able to score one goal. Perhaps they then took their foot of the gas as Millwall rallied, but in the end they regained control to seal their passage through.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Callum McManaman: The young winger may have been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons recently, but he reminded everyone today what great potential he has. Time and again he caused problems to the Millwall defence and was eventually rewarded with a goal. Some players may have shot earlier, but the 21-year-old showed great composure to round David Forde before rolling the ball into an empty net.

Biggest gaffe

In all honesty, there were very few errors from either side. So, perhaps harshly, the award will have to go to Millwall's Jack Smith for his role in the first goal. The midfielder failed to track the run of Maloney, who buried the ball in the net from inside the area. It was good movement from the Wigan attacker, but Smith will be disappointed with the part that he played well.

Referee performance

Michael Oliver became the youngest referee to take charge of an FA Cup semi-final, but he didn't let that hamper his concentration. The official was astute throughout and kept on top of any late challenges.

What next?

Millwall: It's a quick turnaround for the Lions, who play host to Watford on Tuesday night.

Wigan: Attentions turn back to Premier League survival on Wednesday evening when Wigan travel to Manchester City.

ID:79388: cacheID:79388:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5077:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Wigan's Shaun Maloney is congratulated by teammates after scoring the opening goal against Millwall on April 13, 2013
Read Next:
Live Commentary: Millwall 0-2 Wigan Athletic - as it happened
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
2.30pm
Jets
@
Vikings
6pm
Panthers
@
Bears
6pm
Ravens
@
Bengals
6pm
Colts
@
Jags
6pm
Dolphins
@
Patriots
6pm
Bills
@
Texans
6pm
Browns
@
Washington
9.05pm
Cardinals
@
49ers
9.05pm
Raiders
@
Broncos
9.25pm
Packers
@
Rams
9.25pm
Giants
@
Seahawks
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sunderland96121881019
2Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd9630123919
3Burnley95311441018
4West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom9522126617
5Leeds UnitedLeeds9441157816
6Watford95131414016
7Norwich CityNorwich94321610615
8Blackburn RoversBlackburn94321511415
9Middlesbrough9423107314
10Oxford UnitedOxford Utd93331311212
11Swansea CitySwansea933386212
12Derby CountyDerby94051212012
13Hull City93331213-112
14Plymouth ArgylePlymouth93241013-311
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds93241115-411
16Stoke CityStoke93151012-210
17Bristol City8242913-410
18Millwall9234121119
19Preston North EndPreston9234712-59
20Coventry CityCoventry92251013-38
21Luton TownLuton9225815-78
22Queens Park RangersQPR9144916-77
23Portsmouth9054920-115
24Cardiff CityCardiff8116317-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!