Chelsea Collapses to Heskey at the Bridge

A stunning cross to the head of Emile Heskey in the 92nd minute resulted in a goal for Wigan Athletic that shook up the Premier League title race. Latics fought valiantly at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea but it was Michael Essien 10 minutes into the 2nd half that seemingly eased tensions all around the London ground with a solid blast from 20 yards out. It was not to be for the Blues, however, as Heskey latched on to a cross deep into stoppage time sniping a crucial point for Wigan's survival hopes.

Avram Grant fielded a rare side full of the typical reserves in anticipation of the trip to Everton on Thursday, with Makelele, Drogba, Carvalho, and Wright-Phillips all on the sidelines. Frank Lampard was expected to play, but was a late scratch due to a family situation that came up in pre-game warmups. Chelsea looked on edge as a result, not gelling like the normal Blues first team and Nicolas Anelka could only generate 2 modest chances that were well kept out by Chris Kirkland and the Wigan defense.

Joe Cole's introduction in the second half sparked life into the side, and a bout of sustained pressure finally saw the home side finish off with Essien's rocket into the bottom left corner of the net past the diving Kirkland. There was never really a chance to put it away though, and the players and crowd mostly seemed comfortable in accepting a 1-0 win.

Chelsea paid for their lack of intensity late on as Wigan continued to introduce creative players, with Jason Koumas, Antoine Sibierski, and Marlon King all introduced in the 2nd half. Finally, in the 92nd minute, the lone stroke of needed creativity was found, as a long cross from the left found Emile Heskey slashing through the box, and he did the rest, slicing a diving header past Petr Cech to gain Wigan the crucial point and returning Manchester United to a 5 point title cushion.

BOX SCORE

Chelsea       1 - 1  Wigan Athletic
   Essien 55            Heskey 90+2