Chapter 571: City Strike First!

"Good afternoon and welcome to the DW Stadium, where the skies have finally decided to give us a break."

The opening words of the broadcast were accompanied by a wide shot of the stadium, the clouds thinning above Wigan as patches of blue appeared between them.

Through them, sunlight fell across the pitch, catching the last traces of moisture on the grass and making the surface look almost unnaturally bright for an afternoon in England at this point of the season.

"And what a day it is for a game like this," the co-commentator added.

"You don’t often get conditions like these around here at this time of year. Clear skies, a full stadium, and two teams who have spent much of this season wanting the ball."

"Two of the most possession-oriented sides in the league, certainly."

"And this was supposed to be an even bigger fixture than it already is, because there are a few names missing.

Kevin De Bruyne is still out for Manchester City, Leo Calderon is unavailable for Wigan, and Carlo Regutti, of course, is suspended.

He’s Manchester City’s player, currently on loan here at Wigan, and he’ll have to watch this one from the sidelines!"

"Erling Haaland is another notable absence from the starting eleven."

"Indeed. He’s on the bench after picking up a knock in training yesterday, so Pep Guardiola clearly doesn’t want to take any unnecessary chances.

But let’s not pretend there isn’t enough talent out there to make this one special."

The camera moved across the two teams as they emerged from the tunnel, the Wigan supporters responding with a roar that rolled around the stadium before being answered by the smaller but noticeably louder pocket of travelling City fans.

"And here they come," the main commentator said before his partner took over.

"Wigan Athletic, incredibly, have forty-three points from their opening fifteen matches. Fourteen wins, one draw, and still no defeat."

"And that draw, of course, came against Arsenal last weekend."

"Which means Arsenal remain nine points behind them, while Manchester City have climbed into fourth. They’re on thirty-three points, just one behind Arsenal and Liverpool, and level with Aston Villa. That top five is still crowded and shows no signs of splitting anytime soon!"

"But Wigan have given themselves some breathing room."

"Nine points clear at the top. And that gap could be smaller by the end of today or bigger depending on what happens in this game as well as the games of Arsenal and Liverpool!"

While the two went on on the broadcast, the camera cut toward the touchline, where Pep Guardiola was exchanging a handshake with Dawson.

Both managers were smiling, briefly talking before turning their attention back toward the pitch.

"Pep knows exactly what three points here would mean."

"Absolutely. But Dawson will be looking at this differently. Wigan have already gone to Arsenal and come away with a draw. They’ll believe they can do the same thing here, especially with the backing of their home fans!"

Just as they finished, the broadcast graphic for the lineup appeared, showing that of the away team first.

"Manchester City line up in a four-two-three-one with Ederson in goal and Walker and Gvardiol providing the width from full-back positions while Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias stay as centre-backs!"

Sitting ahead of the defence in a double pivot are Rodri and Kovacic in the middle, while Academy product Phil Foden operates behind Julian Alvarez."

"And not many surprises there. Alvarez gets the start with Haaland only on the bench after that knock. Following that, we have Jack Grealish on the left and Saka..."

"Saka?" the co-commentator repeated with a brief laugh as the main commentator sighed visibly on the broadcast.

"Sorry. Force of habit after last week. Grealish on the left and Bernardo Silva on the right. Manchester City will certainly be hoping they can stretch this Wigan defence."

Down the pitch, the match proceedings fast-tracked with the players settling in their respective positions as the match official made the final checks.

Just when he finished, a final roar rose from the stands, and after checking his watch, the whistle went.

Manchester City immediately tried to take control.

There was no frantic opening from either side.

The ball moved from Rodri to Kovacic, back to Rodri, then out toward Walker before Wigan could even establish their press.

Wigan responded in kind, patiently moving their own midfield across the pitch whenever City lost possession, and for several minutes, neither side could force the other backward for long.

It became a battle over territory rather than chances.

But it was Wigan who found the way forward first.

Dawson had made one notable change to the lineup with Callum Lang playing in the game, but instead of starting on the right and repeatedly drifting inside onto his stronger left foot, Lang had been stationed on the left flank instead of James McClean.

The difference became obvious almost immediately.

Lang received the ball near the touchline and, rather than cutting inside, drove toward the outside of Walker before sending a left-footed cross into the area, and Jake attacked it.

"Lang’s delivery is dangerous!" the commentary said as the cross found the Wigan forward between the centre-backs.

Jake rose above Nathan Ake and directed his header down toward the far corner, looking like he would score with his first touch of the game, but Ederson moved quickly across his goal, got down and pushed it away to keep the scoreboard from changing.

"Oh, Good save from Ederson!"

The Wigan supporters applauded the effort as the goalkeeper rose with the ball secured against his chest.

"That’s exactly what Dawson will have wanted from Lang," the co-commentator said.

Normally, he wants to come inside, combine, maybe get the shot away himself. Today he’s being asked to stay wide and deliver early balls into Jake, and that one nearly paid off."

Following that, Wigan continued to use the same idea as Jake became the reference point.

Reyes moved underneath him, collecting second balls and trying to turn City around, while Lang remained wide enough to stretch the defensive line.

It was not spectacular, but it was uncomfortable for City.

And then, in the twenty-seventh minute, Manchester City produced an attack that showed their dominance in the league over the past decade and their ability to turn nothing into something.

From a loose ball, Grealish gathered possession and, coming up against the wall that the Wigan setup was, he slowed and even attempted to send the ball back so they could restart.

But the moment a flash of blue began running, Grealish did so too, as he turned and accelerated deeper into the Wigan half, dragging Darikwa, Wigan’s captain, out.

"Grealish has found a little bit of room here," the commentary said, but right as it seemed he might go again, he slipped a pass into Alvarez, who received it with his back to goal.

The Argentine took one touch and immediately felt the defender behind him, but rather than turning, Alvarez nudged the ball forward into the path of Foden and then....

"IT’S PHIL FODEN ON THE FIRST!!!"

The ball zoomed past a sea of bodies, forcing Amos to reach, but the shot was already past him by then.

"OHHHHH GOAAAAAAL!" the commentary roared, backed by the away fans in the stadium as the City supporters exploded.

"OUT OF NOTHING AND AGAINST ATTACKING PLAY, PHIL FODEN SCORES! And Manchester City break the deadlock!"