FORMER Celtic striker Henri Camara finally gave the JJB Stadium reason to cheer as his first Premier League goal in almost two years catapulted Wigan out of the relegation zone and put in-form Everton to the sword.
The Senegal international striker replaced the ineffectual Olivier Kapo at half-time and needed just six minutes to rifle home a clinical low shot after a delightful piece of skill from Antonio Valencia.
It proved enough to give Steve Bruce's men
only their second home league win of the season and their first since beating Manchester City 2-1 almost two months ago. Bruce, however, insisted his side have played better and lost this season.
"Sometimes it is a strange game. It was arguably one of our worst performances, we have played better and lost," he said. "We could have kept the ball better in the last 20 minutes but the way the league is, we're just delighted to get the three points. Hopefully we're out of the bottom three now for six months or so."
Everton had made the short trip to Wigan unbeaten in five games but, after a bright start, they faded badly. "Wigan is not an easy place to come, they are a strong side so we have to give them some credit," said Everton manager David Moyes.
Yet during the early exchanges, Moyes' men looked full of confidence and in the 14th minute they crafted possibly the best move of the first half when the lively Yakubu broke clear down the left flank and delivered an inch-perfect cross into Louis Saha's feet.
The France striker strode forward and rifled a low, first-time shot goalwards from around 16 yards – but his effort drew a fine save from Chris Kirkland. It was Wigan's turn to threaten in the 34th minute when
Valencia clipped a teasing cross across the face of goal and Wilson Palacios stooped to head goalwards but contrived only to send the ball over the bar from little more than four yards out.
Wigan went close again on the stroke of half-time when Tim Howard palmed away Lee Cattermole's curling shot, then produced an even better save to repel Paul Scharner's close-range header.
Bruce's decision to replace Kapo with Camara proved inspired. The striker was clearly up for it and was the quickest to react when Valencia's individual skill handed him a goal on a plate six minutes after the restart.
Valencia showed a neat touch to control a long punt upfield on the right-hand side of Everton's 18-yard box. He then drove at Joleon Lescott, slipping the ball between the defender's legs with a cheeky nutmeg before spotting Camara at the far post.
Valencia slid a vicious low cross across the face of goal and there was Camara to rifle the ball home in predatory fashion.
Wigan: Kirkland, Taylor, Bramble, Scharner, Figueroa, Valencia, Brown, Palacios, Cattermole, Kapo (Camara 46), Heskey. Subs not used: Pollitt, Kilbane, Koumas, De Ridder, Cywka, Routledge.
Everton: Howard, Neville (Baines 85), Yobo, Jagielka, Lescott, Cahill, Fellaini, Arteta, Osman, Saha (Anichebe 65), Yakubu. Subs not used: Nash, Castillo, Rodwell, Jutkiewicz, Gosling.
The full article contains 538 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
