Filed under: Sunderland, Wigan, Premier League, Football, Match Reports
Jordan Henderson's timely double ended Sunderland's nine-game winless streak to all but seal Premier League safety for Steve Bruce's side.Bruce marked his 500th league game in management with a first home victory since New Year's Day, in the process ending a 91-day wait for a three-point haul.
Henderson took centre stage as Sunderland struck four times in the space of 22 second-half minutes after falling behind to a wonderful strike from Wigan midfielder Mohamed Diame.
It's just as well for the hosts that they finally managed to fall over the line to safety, as they're swiftly running out of players after picking up three more injuries, which could all be season ending, in a campaign blighted by fitness problems for their players.
For the third consecutive home game Sunderland were forced into a first-half injury-reshuffle as they lost both Phil Bardsley and Danny Welbeck.
Bardsley needed oxygen and seven minutes of treatment after a fearful clash of heads with team-mate Nedum Onouha, before the stricken full-back, who looked in a bad way after momentarily losing consciousness, was taken to hospital for further checks, where he was thankfully given the all-clear.
If the loss of Bardsley was unfortunate, the recurrence of Welbeck's hamstring injury shortly before the half-hour was entirely predictable and smacked of desperation from Bruce in rushing the on-loan Manchester United forward back, only to lose him now probably for the rest of the season.
Things took another turn for the worse when, seven minutes after the interval, Diame took a pass from Charles N'Zogbia, turned his marker Michael Turner and fired a thunderous 20-yard shot beyond Simon Mignolet into the top corner.
The lead lasted just three minutes as a cross from substitute Steed Malbranque found Asamoah Gyan at the near post to head the hosts level from six yards.
The Ghanaian's 11th goal of the campaign could well be his last contribution of the season, however, as the £13 million record signing added to Sunderland's injury woes, limping off with hamstring trouble shortly after the hour.
Gyan's departure seemed to spur on the hosts, who took the lead thanks to the first of Henderson's two strikes, a confident left-foot half-volley from 10 yards after the midfielder took a cross from Sulley Muntari on his chest to wrong-foot two markers.
Stephane Sessegnon made things safe with 17 minutes left, opening his Sunderland account from the penalty spot with a confident low finish after the Benin midfielder had been felled in the area by Antolin Alcaraz.
Sessegnon turned provider four minutes later, bursting down Sunderland's left as Wigan left gaps at the back to send over a cross which Henderson had time to control before poking the ball home from close range past a stranded Ali Al Habsi.
There was still time for Wigan substitute Franco Di Santo to reduce the arrears with an instinctive close-range finish from a Victor Moses cross in the last minute, the on-loan forward's first goal for the club.
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