In a game which had a very end of season feel about it, Wigan sealed their fourth home win on the bounce over a spirited relegation bound Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Roberto Martinez made one change to the side which secured an eighth Premier League season, replacing match winner Antolin Alcaraz with Adrian Lopez.

It seemed very much business as usual as in the first minute Wigan had the first chance of the match when a through ball found Beausejour and his cross had to be scrambled clear by Berra.

Wigan continued to pass the ball with aplomb and once again it was the three Scotsmen in midfield; McCarthy, McArthur and Maloney who dominated the game and it seemed only a matter of time before the first goal was scored.

And so it turned out but not in the way expected. A pre planned “spontaneous” (sic) minute of applause in the eighth minute to mark Wigan’s eighth season in the Premier League saw Jarvis receive the ball on the left wing, cut inside and curl a beautiful shot into the far top corner past the despairing left hand of Ali Al Habsi.

In previous months this would have seen recriminations but this is a different Wigan and within a couple of minutes sustained Wigan pressure saw Hunt lose the ball under pressure from McCarthy and the loose ball fell to Di Santo on the edge of the area. Wolves failed to close Franco down and his powerful shot not for the first time this season took a deflection and ended in the Wolves net.

Wolves defence has been pitiful this season and so it proved again today when less than three minutes later when a Beausejour corner was met by a powerful header from Emmerson Boyce who rose unchallenged to put Wigan in the lead.

For the rest of the first half it was pretty much business as usual with their slick passing game allowing Wigan to exert their dominance and it was only too casual play that kept the score line at two one.

The second half started with Wolves looking to play with more purpose but Wigan stood firm at the back with once again Caldwell magnificent at the heart of the defence.

Al Habsi had to be on top of his game to deny a goal bound header from Doyle.

Maloney was a constant thorn in the Wolves defence, producing a fine save from Ighere and also providing sterling support to the industrious Di Santo.

Wigan pushed forward and it was substitute Rodallega making what was expected to be his final hurrah for Wigan, whose neat flick to Boyce resulted in a wonder strike for the third goal .

Boyce had another great chance to get his first hat trick for Wigan but seemed in two minds as whetehr to pass to Rodallega or shot and in the end did something in between and the chance was lost.

The game was then virtually over and both sides passed the ball around with no real purpose until a powerful shot from Crusat narrowly missed the near post. Wolves brought their third substitute, top scorer Stephen Fletcher into the fray and a poor mistake by Lopez allowed him to pull a goal back.

Wolves scented blood but Wigan were too composed and the final whistle on a day when the result didn’t matter in terms of safety, brought a joyous pitch invasion and the fans went home looking forward to an eighth consecutive Premier League season which the majority of Wigan fans thought impossible in February.

Team

Al Habsi , Lopez, Caldwell, Figueroa, Beausejour, Boyce, McCarthy, McArthur, Maloney, Moses, Di Santo

Subs Used

Rodallega, Crusat, Gomez

Att   21,986

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