Premier League: Wigan 4 Newcastle United 0

28 April 2012 18:48

Wigan took a step closer to securing their Premier League status with a dominant win at the DW Stadium on Saturday.

Victor Moses gave the hosts the lead with a well-placed header after 13 minutes and doubled the score with a confident finish inside the box two minutes later.

The excellent Shaun Maloney added a third in the 36th minute and then Franco Di Santo topped it off with a brilliant finish in first-half stoppage time.

Wigan started as the side in the ascendancy and Emmerson Boyce almost had a chance to open the scoring after Di Santo headed Maloney’s free-kick back across the goal, but the defender stumbled at the crucial moment.

Newcastle enjoyed more of the possession, but it was Wigan who struck first.

Maloney, who had been causing early problems, spread play to the right, and Boyce then beat Davide Santon before crossing left-footed straight onto the head of Moses who directed it past Tim Krul.

Within two minutes Newcastle were 2-0 down as Maloney linked up again with Jean Beausejour.

His cross ricocheted into the path of Moses who expertly stroked it into the bottom right corner.

Newcastle's failure to create anything soon came back to haunt them as Wigan got their third.

James McCarthy passed to Di Santo's feet and the Argentine moved it on straight away, playing the ball in behind Danny Simpson for Maloney to run onto.

The former Aston Villa man then held his nerve as he beat Krul.

Wigan stroked the ball around the edge of the Newcastle area and, after being given space, Di Santo opted to let fly and picked out the top corner expertly to give his side a 4-0 half-time lead.

After the break Newcastle pushed harder than in the first half, but any luck appeared to have deserted them.

Papiss Cisse was looking dangerous as he first tested Ali Al-Habsi from the edge of the box, only for the effort to be saved, before his curled shot came back off the bar with Al-Habsi beaten.

Next to try his luck for the visitors was Hatem Ben Arfa, who was looking increasingly frustrated.

The French winger twisted and turned on the edge of the area before firing narrowly wide, while seconds later Cisse could not get himself on the end of Yohan Cabaye’s deep cross from the left.

With time ticking away, substitute Connor Sammon almost grabbed a fifth for Wigan as the striker poked the ball past Krul after a poor block from Mike Williamson.

But Fabricio Coloccini got back to clear meaning Newcastle kept a clean sheet in the second half.