Wigan Athletic 0 Sunderland 3: Story of the day after Bailey Wright goal and two Ross Stewart penalties in Alex Neil's first win
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The Black Cats had won just one of their last ten matches but took the lead in the second minute when Bailey Wright headed home Alex Pritchard’s free-kick.
Two penalties from Ross Stewart then gave Alex Neil his first win as Sunderland boss against a side which sit second in the League One table.
Here’s how the game played out:
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LIVE: Wigan Athletic 0 Sunderland 3 (Wright, 2) (Stewart, 38, 87)
Key Events
- Sunderland XI: Patterson, Winchester, Wright, Xhemajli, Cirkin, Matete, Evans, Gooch, Embleton (Clarke, 78), Pritchard (Neil, 82), Stewart
- Subs: Hoffmann, Hume, Neil, Dajaku, Neil, Roberts, Defoe
- Wigan XI: Amos, Darikwa, Whatmough, Tilt, McClean, Naylor, Power, Lang, Edwards (Shinnie, 69), Magennis (Humphrys, 60)
- Subs: Jones, Watts, Massey, Bennett, Rea, Shinnie, Humphrys
Alex Neil on Wigan
Here’s what the Sunderland boss had to say about today’s opponents.
“I was at the game against Crewe not long ago and have been to see them two or three times this year.
“I think they are experienced and guys who know how to get out of this division.
“I think there is a pretty good mixture of understanding when to turn the ball and try to play from deep.
“They have recruited a squad for them that is going to try and get them out of this division, and added to that in the window with the likes of Magennis coming in.”
Team news
Let’s start with the Sunderland team news.
Trai Hume and Arbenit Xhemajli were left out of the squad against Burton on Tuesday, yet Alex Neil has said both players are fit.
Neil has spoken about the squad’s weaknesses since his arrival on Wearside.
“I’d probably say I’ve got more problems and less solutions at this point in time,” said Neil on Friday.
“I’m not going to divulge who that may or may not be, but we’ve got a couple that we are currently looking at and hoping that we might be able to get involved.”
It’s Matchday!
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Sunderland’s League One fixture at Wigan.
The Black Cats are set to be backed by another big away following, with head coach Alex Neil still searching for his first win in charge.
We’ll have all the build-up ahead of the match, as well as in-game analysis and post-match reaction.
Stick around and refresh the page for live updates.