There will be no final day drama at the foot of the Barclay's Premier League as Wigan have now been confirmed as the final team to be relegated. Wigan, who previously had been the only team to make it to the top flight of English football and never be relegated, have now become the first side to win the FA Cup and get relegated in the same season.
Wigan knew that had to beat Arsenal at The Emirates to have any chance of surviving, but the win for Arsenal means that they have leapfrogged Tottenham back in to fourth place and now know that have to equal or better Spurs' result on Sunday to seal Champions League football.
It took just 11-minutes for Arsenal to take the lead when Lukas Podolski easily finished off a poorly defended corner. But, just like in recent games, Arsenal have started like a train but petered out and Wigan started slow but grew in to the match. By half-time Wigan were deservedly level with a great goal just before the whistle. Shaun Maloney went down a little easily under a Mikel Arteta challenge and the referee perhaps harshly awarded Wigan a free-kick. It was Maloney who stood over the kick and smashed the ball in at the front post despite Wojiech Szczesny somehow getting a hand to it.
But Wigan's defensive frailty was put to the sword once again in the second half and this time, it has finally been one defeat too many. Arsenal retook the lead when Santi Cazorla was played in down the wing. The Spaniard then lay a ball across the Wigan box where Theo Walcott was on hand to slide it home. The game was then virtually over five minutes later when a huge whole at the back saw Podolski again get played through before the German chipped the oncoming Joel Robles to make it 3-1.
The final nail in the coffin came on 71-minutes when Aaron Ramsey again found himself in acres of space down the wing. The Welshman then cut inside as he bore his way down on goal and finished with a powerful shot off Joel to make it 4-1, scoring his first Premiership goal in over a year. Wigan's eight years in the Premier League will come to an end against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Managerless Manchester City were also in action tonight against Reading. After the debacle of sacking Roberto Mancini yesterday, the City players had to regroup despite David Platt also announcing that he'd following Mancini out of the door.
It was a very 'nothing to play for' type of match at The Madejski but City did take the lead five minutes before half-time when a corner routine between Gareth Barry, David Silva and James Milner ended up seeing the ball laid across the goal fro Sergio Aguero to roll home. The points were wrapped up two minutes from time when poor play from Reading saw Silva nick the ball before feeding substitute Edin Dzeko through for the Bosnian to stroke home.
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