Win marred by horror tackle
THIS is not the time to paint a picture of Wigan Athletic as purists with a commitment to the beautiful game. An invaluable victory on Sunday featured an illegal winner and an inexcusable challenge as Callum McManaman’s first Premier League start incorporated the good, the bad and the very ugly.
The Wigan winger was catapulted from anonymity to infamy in an eventful few minutes. His role in supplying Jean Beausejour’s opening goal was overshadowed when he ended the Newcastle substitute Massadio Haïdara’s season, escaped unpunished and became the unwitting cause of a half-time fracas.
United, already annoyed, were angered still further when Maynor Figueroa handled seconds before Arouna Koné stabbed in the decisive goal.
So Newcastle left Lancashire with an acute sense of injustice and minus their French left-back, who was taken to hospital. “It looks like knee ligaments and bad bruising is the best we can hope for,” said their manager, Alan Pardew. “It is not going to be good because the tackle was so bad.”
It came five minutes after the newcomer made a fine initial impression, McManaman’s dart to the byline being followed by a chipped cross that bounced off Davide Santon’s heel for Beausejour to open his Wigan account.
After the creativity came the controversy. Deep in his own half, McManaman leapt in recklessly, planting his studs in the knee of Haïdara. The January signing, himself a replacement for the hurt Mathieu Debuchy, was carried off. The Merseysider was not sent off.
Martínez diagnosed youthful enthusiasm. Pardew was sceptical of that interpretation. “Maybe he will change his opinion when he sees it again,” he said. “The pictures speak for themselves. I thought it was an awful challenge and I was 60 yards from the incident.”
The referee, Mark Halsey, was rather closer. The only sanction he took was to award a free-kick for McManaman’s subsequent handball, which suggested he saw it. This led Wigan to believe McManaman will escape retrospective action from the FA and infuriated Newcastle.
Pardew reported of Halsey: “He said, ‘If I have missed it, I apologise’. If it goes unpunished, it doubles the impact on the mentality of the team.” Rather than the team, however, the coaching staff appeared affected most.
After the half-time whistle, a scuffle developed as Pardew’s assistant, John Carver, attempted to confront McManaman and had to be restrained by a combination of James Perch and stewards.
“It is not for anyone to take justice into their own hands,” Martínez added. Halsey agreed and sent Carver and Graham Barrow, Wigan’s academy coach and McManaman’s mentor, to the stands.
Martínez, meanwhile, said Wigan and McManaman will contact Haïdara to apologise and supplied a character reference for his winger. “He couldn’t be a nicer boy,” the Spaniard said.
“I’m aware it was a bad challenge but it wasn’t nasty. He hasn’t got a bad bone.”
McManaman nevertheless became a lightning rod for the two sets of supporters, jeered by Newcastle fans and cheered by their Wigan counterparts, until his removal.
By then Wigan, building on their elegant demolition of Everton, should have been two goals to the good. Shaun Maloney, James McCarthy and McManaman all spurned chances to double their lead.
Instead Newcastle levelled. The otherwise profligate Papiss Cissé picked out Santon, who expertly drilled in his first United goal. But for a superb save from Joel Robles to deny Cissé, Newcastle might have emerged victorious.
Rather Wigan did, securing a first home win since November to mean the arch-escapologists are now only three points from the comparative safety of 17th place. Yet the decider was dubious.
As Jordi Gómez delivered a corner, Figueroa rose at the near post with his arm raised, performing an impromptu Diego Maradona impression.
“I thought it was handball,” Pardew said. “You can tell by my players’ reaction: we all appealed. The linesman was looking straight at it.”
But his flag was not raised and a bout of penalty-area pinball was concluded when the ball hit Franco Di Santo in the face, giving him an inadvertent assist when Koné forced it over the line.
“We got that bit of luck we deserved,” said Martínez, citing a fine performance and the reverse fixture at St James’ Park in December, which was determined when, to Wigan’s irritation, Figueroa was sent off as a penalty was given to Newcastle.
This, however, was not the occasion to persuade Pardew that decisions even themselves out over a season.