MX23RW : Monday, April 29 06:32:49| >> :120:19316:19316:

On This Day: Wigan stun Man City in FA Cup final

On This Day: Wigan stun Man City in FA Cup final
© Reuters
Ben Watson headed in a late winner for the underdogs.

Wigan caused one of the great FA Cup final shocks by beating Manchester City at Wembley on May 11, 2013.

Roberto Martinez's men claimed the title for the first time in the club's history, with Ben Watson's last-minute header giving the Latics a deserved 1-0 triumph.

Watson turned home Shaun Maloney's corner to stun 10-man City, who had Pablo Zabaleta dismissed near the end.

Ben Watson heads in Wigan's late winner
Ben Watson heads in Wigan's late winner (Dave Thompson/PA)

Young winger Callum McManaman was named man of the match, while the victory fulfilled a personal dream for then chairman Dave Whelan, who broke his leg in the 1960 final.

Watson came on as a substitute after recovering from a broken leg, and Martinez said: "The whole journey of Wigan Athletic in this FA Cup has been about little stories like that.

"Everybody told us in the medical department Ben was going to be out for the rest of the season. But he wanted to get back. He worked extra hours and pushes himself, then comes on at Wembley and scores the winner.

"I've seen movies with worse scripts than that. It was fantastic to see him scoring a goal.

"The proudest thing for Wigan Athletic was that we didn't perform in a damage-limitation way and then get a break. To produce that level of performance and in my eyes be the better side over the course of the game was very, very pleasing."

Defeat meant City ended the season without a trophy, and the match was played against the backdrop of intense speculation about the future of manager Roberto Mancini, who was duly sacked two days later.

Elation quickly turned to despondency for Wigan, too, as they were relegated from the Premier League the following week, with Martinez subsequently leaving to join Everton.

A statue of Whelan holding the FA Cup was unveiled outside the DW Stadium in 2016. Two years later the family sold the club, with administration following last summer, and the Latics narrowly avoided relegation to League Two this season following a takeover by the Phoenix 2021 consortium.

ID:446912: cacheID:446912:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:12348:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
A general shot of Wigan Athletic's DW Stadium take on July 1, 2020
Read Next:
Phoenix 2021 Limited completes Wigan Athletic takeover
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal35255585285780
2Manchester CityMan City34247382325079
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs33186967521560
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
9Chelsea33139116359448
10Bournemouth35139135260-848
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton35128153748-1136
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3579194262-2026
18Luton TownLuton3567224877-2925
19Burnley3559213870-3224
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316


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!