Soccer: Wigan astound by keeping No 2 spot

Unfancied Wigan Athletic continue to astound the sceptics during their first season in the top flight after a 2-0 win at Portsmouth kept them firmly in second place in the Premier League yesterday.

Goals by right back Pascal Chimbonda and striker Jason Roberts gave Wigan their eighth win in 11 league games and sixth in a row to put them on 25 points, six behind Chelsea, who were to play Manchester United at Old Trafford overnight.

Arsenal climbed to third with 20 points after Thierry Henry scored near the end of each half to help them beat bottom team Sunderland 3-1 at Highbury.

Manchester City, also on 20 points, missed the chance to finish the day in third place as they lost 2-1 at lowly Fulham. French midfielder Steed Malbranque scored the goals for the west London club, both laid on by Luis Boa Morte.

Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur, who meet at the Reebok Stadium tomorrow (NZT), also have 20 points.

At Portsmouth, man-of-the-match Chimbonda headed the first goal three minutes into the second half and brilliantly laid on the second in the 79th with a run down the right wing and low square cross into Roberts' path.

"I think you saw today there is so much desire in the team, we're never happy with a draw," said Wigan's Dutch captain Arjan de Zeeuw, who joined them from Portsmouth in the close season.

"It's a big result for us," said manager Paul Jewell.

Wigan now face an acid test of their Premier League credentials from November 19 with successive matches against big guns Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United.

"We're ready for that, but we've got it all to do," said Jewell.

At Highbury, Dutch striker Robin van Persie put Arsenal in front in the 12th minute when he volleyed home his fifth goal in four games after Sol Campbell's long ball out of defence.

"[Van Persie] is gaining in confidence, he does some things out of this world in practice, he just needed to bring that on to the pitch," Henry said.

The Frenchman added the second after 36 minutes before Alan Stubbs pulled one back and then Henry put the result beyond doubt.

Charlton Athletic remained in seventh place on 19 points after being crushed 4-1 at Blackburn Rovers.

* Former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne's dreams of FA Cup glory ended with a bump yesterday. Fourteen years after he won the trophy with Tottenham the new manager of Kettering Town watched his side go down 3-1 to Stevenage Borough, who play a division above his Conference North side.

- REUTERS