Wigan Athletic

3.14

• 
  3

  0

  3.00

  Ali Al Habsi

  Good save to deny Shawcross in the first-half showing excellent reactions. Handling was spot on and kicking was accurate and effective.

• 
  4

  0

  3.50

  Antolín Alcaraz Top of the Match

  Great headed finish to put Wigan in the lead. Kept Peter Crouch quiet in the first half. Gave a solid performance, always seemed to be in the right position to make interventions.

• 
  2

  0

  3.50

  Gary Caldwell

  Had an intense aerial battle with Crouch in the first half which he got the better of. Tackled well against tenacious Stoke front line. Solid performance.

• 
  1

  0

  3.00

  Emmerson Boyce

  Showed why he’s a defender when well placed in the box, he took a heavy touch spurning a good chance in the first-half. Presented Stoke with a great chance when he clumsily miscued clearance in his own box. Decent defensive performance on the right.

• 
  2

  0

  3.00

  Maynor Figueroa

  Tried to support Beausejour down the left with overlapping runs. Defender well against Pennant and restricted the amount of crosses into the Latics box to deny Crouch service.

• 
  3

  1

  3.00

  James McCarthy

  Played well and spread possession to the wings to give the Latics width. Brought Moses into the game whenever he could. Was good in the defensive half of the field as well, making strong tackles and breaking up the Stoke play.

• 
  4

  0

  3.50

  Victor Moses

  ; Had a good game down the right and always seemed to cause Stoke problems. Used the ball well in possession and should have had an assist when he put the ball on a plate for Beausejour with a pinpoint cross only for the Chilean to miss the chance. Good finish to seal the win.

• 
  3

  0

  3.00

  James McArthur

  Did a tidy job in the centre of midfield and seemed to win the battle against Whitehead and Whelan in the middle of the park. Used the ball well and always seemed to find a team-mate when he passed the ball. Solid display.

• 
  2

  0

  3.00

  Jean Beausejour

  Wasted good opportunity in the first-half when he put his cross over the bar with Moses well placed in the area. Missed a golden opportunity to put Wigan in the lead when he missed an open goal from two yards. An incredible miss. Missed another good chance after supplying great cross for Alcaraz.

• 
  1

  0

  3.00

  Franco Di Santo

  Had a great one-on-one chance to put the Latics into the lead early in the first-half but lacked the composure to put the ball past Begovic. Held the ball up well and passed accurately to bring others into play.

• 
  1

  0

  3.00

  Shaun Maloney

  A real spark in the midfield for the Latics. He used his pace and trickery to get beyond the Stoke defence on numerous occasions. Also provided dangerous set-pieces which on another day could have lead to a goal.

Substitutions

• 
  1

  0

  0.00

  Ben Watson

  Did a tidy job after coming on in the second-half. Used the ball well in possession.

• 
  1

  0

  0.00

  Jordi Gómez

  Had an effect after coming on late and nearly scored with left-footed effort.

• 
  2

  0

  0.00

  Conor Sammon

  On late as a substitute to hold the ball up which he did a good job at.

Stoke City

2.46

• 
  1

  2

  3.00

  Asmir Begovic

  Made two excellent saves in the early stages of the game to deny Di Santo then Maloney. Could do nothing to stop Alcaraz’s headed effort.

• 
  1

  1

  2.00

  Robert Huth

  Beaten by Alcaraz for the Wigan goal where he should have been tighter to him. His distribution from the back was poor and was often caught out by the pace and movement of Wigan’s attackers.

• 
  1

  1

  2.50

  Marc Wilson

  Troubled by the pace and trickery of Moses. Never really got to grips with the winger which led to chances for the home side. Didn’t get forward to support the midfield enough.

• 
  1

  1

  2.00

  Ryan Shawcross Flop of the Match

  Not his dominant self in this game. Was often caught out with his positioning which led to chances for the hosts. Couldn’t get a grip on Di Santo’s movement off the ball. Not his best game.

• 
  0

  2

  2.50

  Andy Wilkinson

  Had a decent game down the right but could have done better to stop Beausejour’s cross coming in which led to Alacarz’s goal.

• 
  0

  1

  2.50

  Glenn Whelan

  Poor game, didn’t get going at all. Passing was off and didn’t get forward to support the attackers enough. Couldn’t win possession from the Wigan midfield.

• 
  0

  2

  2.50

  Jermaine Pennant

  Had a terrible time of it as he was marked out of the game by the Wigan defence. He just couldn’t get free to put a ball into the box, wasn’t helped by his fellow midfielders.

• 
  0

  0

  2.50

  Dean Whitehead

  Struggled to compete in the midfield. Played some nice passes in the first-half but struggled with pace of the game in the second as he faded and made too many mistakes.

• 
  0

  1

  2.50

  Matthew Etherington

  Not able to produce his usual high level of performance. Showed a few nice touches in the first-half but was in and out of the game as Stoke struggled to find him on the wing.

• 
  1

  1

  2.50

  Jonathan Walters

  Worked hard but had a poor game. Always tracked back to help the defence but struggled going forward. Moved to left wing in the second half where he was a spectator.

• 
  0

  3

  2.50

  Peter Crouch

  Couldn’t get into the game at all. Was well marked by Caldwell and Alcaraz as he struggled for time and space on the ball. Didn’t have the service all afternoon.

Substitutions

• 
  0

  2

  2.50

  W. Palacios

  Tried to win the ball away from the Wigan midfield as they kept possession but didn’t have a huge effect after coming on in the second half.

• 
  0

  1

  2.50

  Ricardo Fuller

  Brought on late in the second-half but couldn’t make an impact on the game.

• 
  0

  2

  2.50

  Cameron Jerome

  Had a brief chance with a breakaway effort but was crowded out by resilient Wigan defence. Like his team-mates struggled to see much of the ball.