Wigan 0 Chelsea 2
What a fantastic opening to the first Super Sunday game of the season. Wigan, driving on from an excellent finale to the 2011/2012 season, were looking to upset the biggest summer spenders in Chelsea. However, it was the two new signings at opposite ends who clashed to provide the opening two goals.
Ramis for Wigan, and Hazard for Chelsea, both making their premiership debuts were involved in the only two goals of the match. Ivan Ramis, signed from Real Mallorca was caught hopelessly out of position for the opener. Eden Hazard slid in a wonderful through-ball to Ivanovic who finished with aplomb on his weaker side, Ramis left for dead in a chase to regain his position.
The dangerous Hazard then found space for tricks and flicks, and a darting run which ended up with Ramis up-ending Hazard inside the edge of the penalty box. Lampard stepped up and was lucky to score, as he saw his penalty slip under the right side of Al-Habsi’s flailing dive.
Torres saw a second half chance cleared off the line, as his unbalanced shot trickled goalward; and new signing Kone from the Ivory Coast should have done better with a late header. Wigan had 14 chances overall, and their lack of a clinical finisher showed, as Gomez wasted two good chances.
Lampard said of Hazard “Its not easy at a young age to come into the Premier League. You saw the quality he brought with the little spin that put Ivanovic though. Thats something I know the Chelsea fans are crying out to see.”